Player ratings from disheartening 2-1 Tottenham loss at Mura in Europe
By Aaron Coe
On another disheartening European night, Tottenham Hotspur found a new way to disappoint their fans while shooting themselves in the foot. Not to say I have lost any faith in Antonio Conte – because I have not – but it is obviously going to take more than a few weeks with the Italian coach to fix what ails Spurs, as the problems run deep. So who performed and who did not in Spurs ignominious 2-1 loss at Mura?
Rating the Tottenham defence
Spurs conceded as many goals in one match against Mura (2) as the Slovenians had scored in the previous four matches. Given one of their previous two goals was against Tottenham, one should not be surprised to see more conceded
Goalkeeper – Pierluigi Gollini
Coming in we knew it was going to be about making one or two key saves for Pierluigi Gollini, however, the Italian was unable to come through. Completely rooted to the turf on the first goal, Gollini barely saw the ball pass him by, much less made an effort to reach for it. Left wrong-footed on the deflected second goal, there was little he could have done once the touch occurred. Gollini was alert and had a nice header about 25 yards from goal to prevent a fast break and had a decent punch on a corner. However, it will be the two he could not stop everyone remembers. 5
Left-back – Davinson Sanchez
Culpable on both goals, Sanchez was not good most of the evening. Playing on the left side of the back three to start, Sanchez was uncomfortable from the get-go. Beaten badly on the first goal and then again beaten on the winner, Sanchez was poor defensively. More willing to try and take space available with the ball in the second half but overall the Colombian looks a poor fit for Antonio Conte’s defensive approach. 3
Center-back – Joe Rodon
Rodon was one of several players with a big opportunity to impress in his first action under Coach Conte but like so many others Rodon failed to capitalize. The Walse international was not terrible and did some things right – like his work with the ball on the dribble. However, like many of the players on the evening, Rodon struggled to connect on his passes missing most of his efforts, particularly those going up the pitch. 5
Right-back – Japhet Tanganga
Perhaps the only defender on the evening to come out looking like part of the answer for Spurs was Japhet Tanganga. Played right-back after playing wide as the wing-back on the weekend. The English defender does well pushing up the pitch and is comfortable on the ball. Tanganga played on the left after Ryan Sessegnon was red-carded and then went back to the right to finish the match. Tanganga is taking his chances. 7