Tottenham Hotspur player ratings from 3-2 win vs Vitesse
By Aaron Coe
Antonio Conte selected his first-ever Tottenham Hotspur XI, which included his trademark three-man back-line and at times the energy Conte demands, here are Spurs ratings.
Rating Spurs Defence
Tottenham did some things right in defence, particularly early in the match, when everyone had energy and was looking to step on passes. As the game persisted and the intensity waned, it impacted the defense. Ultimately, a couple of poor tackles impacted the game.
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris started his first European match of the season in Antonio Conte’s first game as the coach started a strong team and it may have been a good idea. Although Lloris did concede a couple of goals over a frantic eight minutes as Vitesse fought their way back into the match. Either side of those goals, Lloris had some big saves, totaling four to keep Spurs level and later on top. Maintained his calm as others seemed to be stretched when Spurs when down to 10 men. 7
Left-back – Ben Davies
Ben Davies was possibly a surprise to some to start at left-back in Conte’s first XI. Davies has quite a bit of experience in the position playing for Wales and is a naturally left-footed player, giving him a plus. Lucky not to give up a penalty less than three minutes in with a clumsy challenge in the box but the lack of VAR saved Davies and Spurs. Besides that early near calamity, Davies was probably the best of the back three and pushed forward well overlapping with Sergio Reguilon and just missed assisting on the third goal, which became an own goal. 7
Center-back – Eric Dier
Many, HotspurHQ included, thought it would be Cristian Romero who started at the center of the back three but instead Conte opted for Eric Dier. Given Romero’s greater ability in space, it probably made sense for Dier to be in the middle of the three. DIer was good on the ball, which is nothing new for the Englishman. However, Eric was beaten on the corner for the first Vitesse goal and successfully unsighted Lloris while not blocking the second. Although not his fault, still not his finest moment or performance. 5
Right-back – Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero looked great at right-back early. Stepping his defense to midfield, his pressure was part of Spurs’ early dominance. It was Romero who intercepted the ball and then played the seeing-eye pass through the defense to put Son Heung-Min in the opening minutes of the game. Romero’s game was defined by two poor challenges that left him with two yellow cards and Spurs playing with 10 men for the final 31 minutes. A disappointing day from an otherwise strong season. 4