5 pros, 3 cons from Tottenham's 2023-2024 season

Pro 4 - Pedro Porro's flexibility

Last season, per Transfermarkt, Pedro Porro played as a Right-Back in a flat back four twice. The first was in a 2-0 defeat to Scotland whilst representing Spain, where he was at fault for a goal and dragged off at half-time. The second was in Spurs' infamous 6-1 defeat to Newcastle, where he, and everyone else was utterly abysmal.

It was clear to everyone that Porro was a wing-back and not a full-back. He'd even had troubles defensively as a wing-back, so full-back seemed like a non-starter from the off. This lead to doubts over how he'd be able to work under Ange, who was and is known for playing inverted full-backs.

In fact, on matchday one at Brentford, Ange even opted for Emerson at full-back instead of Porro.

Since then, however, Porro never looked back. He went straight into the XI the next game, and never really came out. His improvement defensively has been clear for all to see, and whilst it needs work still, it has been better than most could have imagined.

His productivity going forward has never been an issue, although it was interesting to see how it would fare playing as a tucked in full-back, rather than as a flying wing-back. Fear not, Porro would score 3 goals and produce 7 assists in 35 Premier League games, as well as creating 13 big chances and putting up 1.5 key passes per game (SofaScore).

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