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Tottenham Hotspur player ratings in Mason’s managerial debut

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 21: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham v Southampton
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: 17 Stuart Armstrong of Southampton and Giovani Lo Celso of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Midfield Ratings

Tottenham’s midfield is going to need some adjustment and rebalancing in the summer. There are just not the right mix of players – or right alignment if you like our projected XI – for how the team has been playing and the first half was very rough for this group. Improved over the second half as the effort went up and substitutes came on.

Højbjerg – 6

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg continues to be the try-hard of the midfield – most of the time. However, his effectiveness has been diminishing for months. Playing mostly within himself on Wednesday Højbjerg passed effectively and rarely let the game pass him by defensively. Did not have a tackle, but wasn’t really beaten either.

Ndombele – 6

Playing Tanguy Ndombele next to Pierre Højbjerg is what Ryan Mason got today, a pair of sixes. Sometimes those sixes are great and can dominate if the opposition is in the right formation and set-up. Other times, they seem to be off-tune and struggle to move the ball far or recover it. Ndombele like Højbjerg passed well but like Højbjerg also only had 1 recovery. Two ball recoveries from the two holding midfielders are simply not enough.

Lo Celso – 6

If Giovani Lo Celso – or Tanguy Ndombele for that matter – had the motor of Pierre Højbjerg he would be a dominant footballer. Instead, Lo Celso drifts in and out of matches, which was the case on Wednesday. There were a couple of instances, particularly early in the first half, where it looked like Lo Celso was going to do some real pressing and pressuring defensively but the intensity subsided after 10-15 minutes. Went down far too easily far too often and was wasteful in the final third.