On an afternoon where Tottenham needed to be aggressive, they were passive and as a result, everyone was poor in the loss at Palace, as our player ratings reflect.
The regular season had shown Tottenham Hotspur faithful that the free-flowing preseason offense was as much a result of the competition as it was the Spur’s talent. Through three matches, however, the Tottenham defense had shown to be an effective, cohesive unit. All of the positives about the Tottenham defense went out the window as Spurs fell to an abject 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. Here are our ratings for a sorry Spurs side, starting with our man of the match who was as absent as Spurs effort.
Tottenham man of the match – N/A
The stark reality is that not one Tottenham Hotspur player really played up to his full potential on Saturday. As a result of some injuries and other absences, Nuno Espirito Santo opted to change his formation as well as his personnel.
The change in shape to start proved a fatal mistake as Spurs were off the pace almost from the off. With their defensive leader going down only a quarter-hour into the match, Tottenham quickly went from a team barely in control to barely struggling to hang on.
The balance that heretofore had helped the team and the crisp passing were both completely absent as the players were beaten first mentally, then physically by the Palace attack. In a match where the best game plan would have been for the Spurs to try and dominate possession and keep Palace down, Tottenham did the exact opposite and got smacked around as a result.
It was a poor plan coupled with poor execution and our ratings reflect both.
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.
Tottenham midfield ratings
Part of the defensive issue for Tottenham on Saturday was the lack of positioning and poise but the poor performance of the midfield certainly contributed. So dominant in possession were Palace that eight of their players had more passes than did Pierre Hojbjerg, Spurs top passer with 36 attempts. We can blame the card some but this unit was being played off the park long before the team went down to 10 men.
Harry WInks – 4
Positioned as the left midfielder in what appeared to be some oblong diamond shape to start, Winks spent most of his afternoon trying to cover for Sergio Reguilon. Despite being deep most of the match, Winks only had five forward passes the entire game. With little movement off the ball and no passing range on it, Winks was a passenger most of the day.
Oliver Skipp – 5
Most fans assumed a Skipp WInks midfield would not work and that was certainly the case Saturday. Skipp was marginally better than Winks in that he was trying to look forward with the ball. His 12 forward passes more than doubled Wink’s output but ultimately led to little for the team. Often sliding over to cover for Winks who was covering for Reguilon, the middle was less protected and Spurs paid the price as a result.
Pierre Hojbjerg – 5
After looking like a real wonder on the ball in the first three matches, Pierre Hojbjerg looked more like a defensive midfielder out of position Saturday. The midfielder played a poor ball over to Dele in one of the few opportunities in the first half and simply was unable to pull off some of the more dynamic moves that he has had success with earlier in the season. One spin in the middle of the pitch was particularly poor in terms of losing possession. Simply off the pace all afternoon.
Dele Alli – 4.5
Dele Alli was kind of in the #10 role at the top of the Spurs midfield diamond on Saturday but spent most of the afternoon showing up late and being beaten to the ball. At no point did Dele really command the ball in the middle of the pitch and try to make something happen. Still willing to run, with a lopsided two-man front line the press was almost pointless. It’s not the kind of performance Spurs needed.
Tottenham forward ratings
Tottenham had a very poor attack on the day as Palace simply dominated. Harry Kane was unsuccessful dropping deep and outside of a couple of balls in the first half, he was rarely targeted against what should have been a porous Palace defense. With only two dedicated attackers the balance and press of the previous week’s were absent and the team suffered as a result.
Harry Kane – 4
It is hard to say if was Harry Kane not doing enough or the game plan simply not doing enough but Kane was simply not involved enough in the match. With neither a shot on goal or a touch in the box, the Tottenham offense was a complete failure. Kane showed a willingness to press early but clearly stopped as the team lacked the cohesion and shape to make it work. Without any service, it is hard to score.
Lucas Moura – 6.5
Lucas Moura was the closest thing Tottenham had to a proper footballer on Saturday against Palace. Willing to drop deep, pick up the possession and dribble into the attack, Moura was about the only offense Tottenham had on the day. With the only two shots for the team including the only shot on target, a hopeful left-footed shot to start the second half Moura was trying but it just was not enough.
Tottenham substitute and coaching ratings
Tottenham had to go to the bench much earlier than anticipated and it clearly impacted the side. Then instead of bringing on substitutes in a timely fashion to impact the match, Tottenham was responding to red cards and goals and on a wasted afternoon.
Joe Rodon – 6
Joe Rodon was okay defensively after coming on for Eric Dier. In reality, the big center-back probably should have started leaving Tanganga on the right to be more sound defensively. Instead, he came in and did what he could to cover the acres of space the poor formation left for him to defend. Will have to get better quickly with the injuries and absences.
Ben Davies – 3
Whereas Joe Rodon can get better, it is difficult to believe that will be possible with Ben Davies after all these years. Davies came on for Winks to play center-half next to Rodon after Tanganga was red-carded and was absolutely horrible. In his first touch of the match, he was all alone and miss-controlled the ball out of bounds. His second touch of the match was with his arm stuck out in the box for the penalty that ended the match. The idea that Davies may be forced into more center-half duty with the injuries, absences, and now a red card to deal with is a worrisome thought for Spurs fans.
Nuno Espirito Santo – 1
Everything about the match was wrong from Nuno from the off. The formation and players the lack of any response to adversity and then his belief after the game that Spurs controlled the first half make everyone that questioned his hire say “I told you so”. The game plan was so poor it was as if the team had never seen Palace play. To think you are going to make hay pushing your fullbacks forward against Zaha and Jordan Ayew is just foolish and the results were as expected. The performance makes the first month look like pure luck and while no one should be calling for Nuno’s head it will not take many performances like this to be the case.
Bonus Football Director Rating – 1
So Fabio Paratici is not getting off the hook this week either. After giving in and not being on the sideline, Paratici avoided the ire of the cameras and fans that came from the result of a half-finished window. The inability to find cover for Eric Dier or more creativity the coach will be confident enough to play is a failure of management and should not be overlooked. The loss on Saturday was on the entire Tottenham organization and we deserve better as fans with everything that has transpired over the last two-plus seasons.