Hotspur HQ
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Tottenham Defending
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Players from Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton compete for the ball from a corner during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

Tottenham Defensive Ratings

Tottenham was not fantastic defensively but improved as the game went on. As opposed to recent trends, Tottenham went from conceding nine shots in the first half to Southampton to only 1 shot in the second half. When Tottenham can limit the other team’s chances, it certainly helps in getting and holding leads.

Reguilón – 7

Sergio Reguilón was certainly the most active of all the Tottenham defenders pushing forward, which was hardly surprising. Reguilón frequently pushed up the left flank as Aurier tucked into a back three of sorts. By pushing Reguilón up that side, Son could then clear the areas and space was available for the diagonal runs. Almost a big defensive mistake in the first half, but Lloris saved his bacon.

Eric Dier – 6.5

Eric Dier did many of the things we were seeing at the start of the season in terms of playing within himself and handling things when the opportunity arose. With four clearances but only one foul, Dier was smart with the ball. Eric also did well sort of interchanging with Reguilón on the left providing additional push up that side. Had a free-kick that I think we all wish Bale would have taken.

Alderweireld – 6.5

Toby Alderweireld and by proxy Serge Aurier saw less of the ball than did Eric Dier and Sergio Reguilón on Wednesday. This was clearly by design and Tottenham looked to try and keep Kyle Walker-Peters pinned in. Like Dier, Alderweireld played very much within himself, taking no chances and playing smart throughout. Tried a few longballs but not pinging as we have seen at times in the past.

Serge Aurier – 6.5

Serge Aurier had a solid overall performance on Wednesday evening. While Aurier was beaten by Danny Ings on the Southampton goal – which came from a set-piece – Aurier was not the first or last to fall victim to the James Ward-Prowse to Danny Ings connection. Outside of that mistake, Aurier played very much within himself like the rest of the defenders. Aurier did not stray forward nearly as much as we have seen and as a result, was rarely out of position.

Lloris – 7.5

Besides the nice double save in the opening stages, Hugo worked to command his box. Lloris had a nice claim, came out quickly and slid to recover from a Reguilon error, and made a couple of other saves. Big night from the captain.