The script to Ryan Mason’s fairytale start as Tottenham manager took a sour turn, punctuated by the gaffer’s inexperienced decision to introduce Moussa Sissoko.
While a rash of errors led to Manchester City’s winner, Sissoko was most culpable for his lacklustre attempt to mark Laporte on the 82nd minute corner. Brought on to inject power and guile in the heart of midfield, Sissoko failed to fulfil one of his core strengths, man marking an opposing big man from a dead ball situation.
Sissoko should have never been introduced in the first place. One of Tottenham’s most disappointing players of the season, The Frenchman has endured a number of comically poor displays, a few of which occurring in the Europa League.
And worst of all, he made his young, inexperienced manager look particularly bad. Mason put his faith in Sissoko, who repaid him by handing City the trophy.
It was a hard lesson for Mason to learn, especially considering the consequence of the decision, one he won’t soon forget.
Did Mason pick the right starting team?
It’s easy to judge in hindsight, but that’s all I have at my disposal. The one glaring error in Mason’s team selection was deciding to go with Harry Winks in the centre of the park.
A fringe player all season, Winks was rarely in Jose Mourinho’s plans. Whether Jose was wrong in leaving Winks seemingly perpetually on the sidelines is a discussion for another day. Winks hasn’t competed consistently at the top level for an entire year, making it nearly impossible to elevate to Man City’s calibre for a one-off final.
Winks never appeared out of place, rather holding his own against Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho, two of the Premier League’s best midfielders. And while Winks didn’t shy away from the gargantuan challenge, he never impacted the match significantly enough to merit his selection.
Tanguy Ndombele, though he endured a poor display in the previous match against Southampton, should have started. He offers trickery, ingenuity, craft, control and incisiveness, qualities Winks ostensibly lacks.
Winks wasn’t even the safe choice. Had he played all season in that role, he would have proved an assured, reliable selection. But his lengthy absence from the starting team embodied a risk not worth taking for Mason.
Ndombele has the It Factor Spurs clearly were missing in the centre of the park. Pierre Hojberg needs to partner a contrasting skillset, somebody who complements the Dane’s rugged, dogged style.
Mason didn’t go far wrong with the rest of his team selection. Gareth Bale hasn’t done nearly enough to earn his spot in the starting team, while the difference between Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura is negligible. Moura is better suited for matches against teams like Man City, as he can, in a perfect world, use his pace to unnerve the opposing backline.
Unfortunately Mason’s two major personnel errors ended up contributing to Tottenham’s Carabao Cup Final defeat. Those decisions on their own didn’t seal Spurs fate, but in conjunction with his sides other fragilities, helped pound the last nail into the coffin.