Tottenham Hotspur was far from their free-flowing best on Thursday in France, however, some luck and pluck led to a 2-2 draw at Rennes here are Spurs player ratings.
Tottenham alternated between in and out of control on Thursday in France and while there were some strong individual performances, the team was not as cohesive as one would have liked.
Spurs had a mishmashed line-up by the end of the match on Thursday as injuries continue to mount for the Lilywhites. With two more attackers going down, Tottenham had to scramble to cover in some places but did just enough to take one point against a very game Rennes side.
Here are our ratings from the 2-2 Conference League draw at Rennes for Spurs.
Tottenham Defender Ratings
Tottenham went with the traditional back four for most of the match, although whether it was Matt Doherty or Emerson Royal actually playing right back versus right midfield was probably debatable at the end of the match. Outside of a few absent-minded moments, the defense on a whole was sound, despite conceding two goals.
Matt Doherty – 6.5
Matt Doherty is like a microcosm of the team in that one moment he can be getting a hint of luck and creating a goal and the next moment he might be turned off and conceding one. Doherty like the rest of the team is literally the definition of inconsistent. Matt worked to get forward but his final balls into the box left something to be desired. It was a lucky deflection that led to the second Spurs goal as opposed to a good cross. Fell completely asleep at the back post and almost conceded a diving header at the end of the first half. The less we see Doherty moving forward probably the better given his inconsistent output.
Japhet Tanganga – 7
Japhet Tanganga was okay on Thursday. Strong defending on the ball, he was a bit slow to close out on the first goal, and before the introduction of Pierre Hojbjerg was not pushing up the pitch nearly as quickly as the team would like. Tanganaga is physical enough to play the center-half position but his range of passing is not that of Davinson Sanchez. His best position probably is at right-back but he does the job in the middle, but now must sit out from his red card at Palace.
Joe Rodon – 7.5
Joe Rodon was one of the best, most consistent Tottenham players on the pitch on Thursday. Strong in the air, attacking and winning several balls, and always willing to go for that 50/50. Rodon showed he also has some pace beating Serhou Guirassy to a long ball down the left. After only playing one match before this one, Rodon looks ready and should have the edge to start on Sunday if Eric Dier is not available.
Ben Davies – 6.5
Ben Davies was not as involved on Thursday as was Matt Doherty. Following the exit of Moura, Doherty had to push further up the field, whereas Davies had Bryan Gil on his side who provided a relatively consistent outlet allowing Davies to stay mostly at home. Davies was on the doorstep and was simply beaten to the rebound on Rennes’ second goal. Davies did well in the first half to put his body out there and help break up a cross and opportunity so Pierluigi Gollini could cover.
Pierluigi Gollini – 5.5
Coming into the match we said that Gollini was going to likely have to make 3-4 big saves for Tottenham to win. As it was Gollini did make a couple of decent saves, however, the rebounds he left out there ended up costing Spurs. In the first half, Tottenham was lucky that the rebound was headed over, in the second half there was no such luck. A solid ball blocker, we need Gollini to hang onto those balls and not allow that second chance.
Tottenham Midfield Ratings
The Tottenham midfield was a bit better than what Spurs had against Crystal Palace but still was unable to create a lot of attacking momentum consistently. Better at hanging onto the ball than this past weekend, there is still work to do with this group as things seemed rushed most of the evening.
Oliver Skipp – 7
Oliver Skipp did what Oliver Skipp does, which is stay relatively deep and keep the play in front of him to protect the defense. Skipp was particularly good in tackling a potential breakaway in the first half as the last defender and then doing some little open-field juggling to prevent a counter in the second half. Made a nice one-touch pass to Harry Kane on the opening goal as a ‘pre assist’ but needs to more consistently move the ball that quickly and well.
Bryan Gil – 7
Bryan Gil started the game in the midfield and ended the game on the wing for Tottenham playing the full 90 minutes. Bryan was in the #10 role early for the team but definitely had some issues with the physicality of Rennes in the middle. Bryan had more space out on the left but was only able to get a couple of balls into the box. Seems to be taking the free-kicks and needs to provide better service, which should come with time. Willing to run both directions, Bryan needs to keep gaining experience.
Tanguy Ndombele – 7.5
Tanguy Ndombele went about 75 minutes in his first action since the sacking of Jose Mourinho. Ndombele showed that he still can hold the ball and maintain possession even against the stiffest of defenders. Did well holding the ball in the middle to keep possession but was not as crisp with his passes, which should come back with more playing time. Tanguy clearly has some things no one else on the team does, whether he can consistently show those are not is another story.
Tottenham Forward Ratings
Tottenham started with about as strong of a front line as they could have with Lucas, Kane, and Bergwijn in the front three. For the first 10 minutes of the match, they were dominant however, as the game wore on, the impact lessened and then injuries really took the bite out of this group.
Steven Bergwijn – 6.5
Steven Bergwijn started on the left-wing/forward position having returned from injury. Bergwijn provided some nice push early in the game but definitely seemed to be taken out of the match mentally by the physicality of Rennes. Re-aggravated his ankle injury about midway through the first half and was soon off the pitch. Given Bergwijn provides one of the few over-the-top options with Heung-Min Son out, Spurs have to hope the injury is not serious.
Lucas Moura – 6.5
Lucas Moura has not had the same impact as he did in the preseason and even against Manchester City in the last couple of outings. Still looking to pick up the ball and push forward, Lucas seems to be getting the ball deeper and deeper with more and more defenders around him. Took a very hard foul early in the second half, which may have the Brazilian out of action for the weekend. Tried to run it off but simply could not. With Son already out and Bergwijn picking up a knock, losing Moura really, really, hurts.
Harry Kane – 6
Harry Kane had one key contribution in the match, which was his nice one-touch pass into space for Lucas Moura on Spurs’ opening goal. Kane did have one decent enough effort in the first half, where he tried to use a defender as a shield but ultimately hit the ball right at Romain Salin. Ran and pressed pretty well early but faded as the match went on and the cohesion in the press disappeared. Started dropping deeper as the match went on but had no real outlets to pass to upfront. Was smartly removed early in the second half with Lucas to keep the only fit forward, healthy for Spurs.
Tottenham Substitute and Coaching Ratings
Tottenham definitely used the expanded Europa League bench making use of the four available substitutes. Each move changed the dynamic of the team some as the formation and really the approach changed to meet the players on the pitch.
Pierre Hojbjerg – 7.5
Pierre Hojbjerg was the first substitute coming in at 30 minutes for Bergwijn following the Dutchman’s injury. Only shortly after Rennes has tied the match and seemingly taken control, the Viking came on and immediately starting commanding others on the pitch and working to get Tottenham back in some measure of control. Worked tirelessly for his 60 minutes and was rewarded with the game-tying goal, with a wonderfully superb left-footed touch to tuck the ball past the onrushing Salin. The team leader on the pitch.
Dane Scarlett – 6
Dane Scarlett came on with Emerson Royal as part of the double change with Kane and Lucas. Scarlett was a willing runner but for the most part, he was starved for service. Scarlett’s experience makes it easy to see why Kane drops deep so often so he can get a taste of the ball and stay involved in the game. Did have a couple of touches in the box but never got a real look at the goal. It is good to see Scarlett who is another that needs more minutes somewhere on the pitch.
Emerson Royal – 7
Emerson Royal was one of the brighter players on the pitch during his 35 minutes. Always looking to get on the ball and looking to do something with it, Royal is clearly going to help this team as it grows. Emerson picked up a couple of fouls in some dangerous places but Spurs were unable to take advantage. Played in a hybrid back/midfield/wing role but slowly drifted deeper and deeper to his more natural position as his playing time progressed.
Dele Alli – N/A
Dele Alli played only the final 12 minutes plus the injury time in place of Tanguy Ndombele. Willing to run as always Dele was out there trying, hard which not everyone can say about their time on the pitch. Loved seeing Dele attempt a long throw-in late in the match which Scarlett flicked on but Emerson was the only Tottenham player upfront with Scarlett and Salin easily gathered. On a team struggling to create chances the fact they do not do long throws to create dangerous situations, ala Leeds United, more often is kind of befuddling.
Nuno Espirito Santo – 6..5
We questioned openly after Manchester City on opening day if the team could maintain the same kind of discipline and intensity shown in that first match. To date, Spurs have not been able to duplicate that effort, intensity, or togetherness, which Nuno was hired to produce. Some of that has been player availability and some of that has been Nuno. The good news was that the team was set up far more positively than was the case against Crystal Palace showing that Santo can change and maybe understands Tottenham is best on the front foot. Taking off Kane was probably his best move of the night. His biggest concern still has to be the inability to create scoring chances, which is going to continue to get tougher with the mounting injuries.