Spurs' player ratings from 4-0 loss at Newcastle United

For as good as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and the starting backline of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie have been, today was not their finest hour as a unit.

All five starters struggled immensely at St. James' Park on Saturday, with each of them committing multiple mistakes en route to Spurs' 4-0 defeat. This loss doesn't lie solely at their feet, however, as it was a total team effort plus a lack of changes from manager Ange Postecoglou. This is definitely a game which Spurs would rather forget moving forward, but which they'll have to remember if they want to make improvements.

Vicario: 4/10. Just a tough day on the pitch for the Italian goalie. Couldn't really do anything about the first two goals, but for some reason decided to not be proactive in stopping Isak's second goal. As for the final goal, it has been apparent all season long that set pieces are still Vicario's greatest weakness. Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and his staff needs to do better in planning for these situations in order to help Vicario moving forward.

Porro: 4/10. Before coming off early in the second half with what looked like a hamstring issue (these types of injuries have been reoccurring for Spurs this season), Porro looked like he was suffering from the knock much earlier in the contest. He had a good clearance on a ball into Newcastle's Harvey Barnes early in the match, but other than that, the Spaniard was not at his best today.

Romero: 4/10. Just seemed lost and a bit uninterested today. Not a good performance from the vice captain, who also picked up yet another yellow card for his troubles. With a daunting series of matches to close the season in the coming weeks, he needs to round back into form, and fast.

Van de Ven: 3/10. Only a week after being Spurs' man of the match against Nottingham Forest, VDV had probably his worst match for the club so far. He fell on Newcastle's first two goals despite being in a good position due to his excellent speed, and was beaten on the opposition's third goal. Hopefully he shakes this performance off and comes back strong against Arsenal for the North London Derby in two weeks.

Udogie: 4/10. Was outmatched and outclassed by Newcastle's Anthony Gordon all afternoon. Despite the excellent instincts and play he brings offensively, the defensive side of his game still needs a lot of work. There's still much improvement needed by the young Italian wunderkind, but he has time to do it.

Rodrigo Bentancur: 4/10. After coming on and providing a spark last week against Forest, Bentancur started today's contest and provided... well, no spark at all. He was one of four players quickly substituted in the second half as Big Ange looked for something to help jumpstart the Spurs attack.

Yves Bissouma: 4/10. Looked off his game today, and was also one of the early subtitutions. After last week's performance and today's, maybe a spell on the bench would do the Mali international some good. He's played in a lot of matches this season and might be running out of steam.

James Maddison: 5/10. Arguably Spurs' best player today, and that's not saying much considering the score he received. Continued to try and put the squad into scoring chances, but was thwarted multiple times. The Newcastle supporters weren't his biggest fans either, as he was relentlessly booed throughout the contest.

Brennan Johnson: 5/10. Also tried his best to put Spurs into scoring position, and switched to striker after Son was substitued off early in the second half. Didn't really provide too much from the spot, showing that he works better off the wing.

Son Heung-min: 4/10. An uncharacteristically quiet day for the captain, as Son really didn't provide much on either end of the pitch. Was surprisingly taken off after 58 minutes, looking visibly disappointed. It's possible that burnout is affecting the South Korean as well, and some time off before the North London Derby may be just what he needs to get back on track.

Timo Werner: 4/10. Missed not one, not two, but three solid chances on goal before Newcastle scored their opener. For as good as the German has been since joining Tottenham in January (his loan should still be made permanent regardless), today showed that he still has a problem finishing in front of goal. Hopefully it's an issue that can be fixed in the long term by Postecoglou and his staff.

SUBSTITUTES

Emerson Royal: 5/10. The Brazilian full-back helped bolster a flagging Spurs defense after replacing Porro early in the second half, but Newcastle still scored two goals after he came on. Hopefully he brings better form if he has to start in two weeks against Arsenal.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 5/10. Played decently enough after coming on for Bissouma in the 58th minute. Should be given a chance to start, since Bissouma, Sarr and Bentancur haven't done much with their opportunities as of late.

Dejan Kulusevski: 5/10. A hum drum substitution today for Kulu, who didn't add much to Spurs' scoring chances in the second half. Maybe he needs to rejoin the starting eleven to find his creative spark once again?

Pape Matar Sarr: 5/10. Brought good energy to the midfield after coming on for Bentancur, but also didn't add much to Spurs' attack. One of a number of factors for Spurs' struggles today offensively.

Giovani Lo Celso: 5/10. Came on for Maddison in the 81st minute, and didn't have a chance to do too much once again. Maybe starting the Argentinian playmaker or bringing him on as an earlier substitute could make a bigger difference moving forward? Only time and Big Ange will tell.