Tottenham Hotspur player ratings from lopsided loss at Crystal Palace

Tottenham defensive ratings

The Tottenham defense was in shambles from the start. The compact nature that had served the team so well over three matches was never apparent and the team seemed to spend most of the day chasing ghosts.

Sergio Reguilon – 5.5

Sergio Reguilon spent much of his day trying to get forward, which was clearly part of the game plan. The problem was there was no help when he did so as Dele was often in a central role and Winks was dropping back to fill the space left by Sergio as best he could. Instead of looking for opportunities to pounce on poor passes and launch the Tottenham counter to Bryan in front of him; it was mostly the opposite for Reguilon and the Tottenham left, which was dying for a little help with no winger in front of him.

Eric Dier – N/A

Maybe Eric Dier should have been Premier League player of the month. Although we cannot blame the entire defeat on the injury loss of Eric Dier, it clearly impacted Tottenham mentally and in terms of formation. Joe Rodon did well overall but could have used Dier’s steadying hand next to him, just like Tanganga on the right. The injury did not look good and this could be more bad news for Tottenham who already needed cover for Dier in the summer and failed to get it.

Japhet Tanganga – 4.5

Japhet Tanganga was actually having a pretty decent match all things considered until the wheels came off. A bit over-zealous with his intended professional foul on Wilfried Zaha to draw the first yellow card, Tanganga was just trying to take one for the team. The second yellow was a mistake compounded by a mistake and the result was the result. Before the two cards, Tanganga was strong in the air and working hard but the two cards clearly ensured Spurs were dropping points.

Emerson Royal – 5

Emerson Royal made his Tottenham debut on Saturday and at times looked like a proper defender but the offensive flair we were expecting and promised was non-existent. Emerson was clearly trying to play a physical brand of football with Zaha, which is not necessarily the Brazilian game. If that was the game plan from the beginning then Tanganga probably should have just stayed at right back. Instead, Royal often got too close to Zaha and was beaten far too often. Hesitant on the ball but willing to defend, Emerson should have better days ahead.

Hugo Lloris – 4

Besides one nice stop on Connor Gallagher in the first half, Hugo Lloris was terrible on Saturday. His decisions in the box were routinely poor, with a couple of lackluster efforts to punch the ball and control his area. Lloris’ biggest mistake was rolling the ball out in front of Dier under pressure, which led to the collision that injured the defender’s knee. Spurs needed more than one big save from Lloris and just did not get it today.