Mathys Tel has been the best overall attacking player for Tottenham Hotspur since the unfortunate season ending injury to star man Mohammed Kudus, and the left winger rightfully got back into the starting lineup under new manager Roberto De Zerbi against Leeds United.
And once again, Tel came up with the goods, scoring his best goal of the season to date against the Peacocks to initially give Spurs serious hope in the relegation fight. However, after the goal, Spurs and Tel started to fade, and then it was Tel who gifted the opposition the equalizer with a ridiculously bad decision to go for a bicycle kick clearance in his own box as a forward, inadvertently hitting a Leeds player for the penalty.
Nevermind the dubious calls and non penalty that went against Tottenham later on. Tel screwed up that play and made a move he absolutely did not need to, showing, once again, that he is often his own worst enemy by trying to do too much.
Mathys Tel will be fine
But Mathys Tel did not lose this game for Tottenham Hotspur. The Spurs fans clamoring for him to be sold or blaming him are wrong to the highest degree and part of the problem in a self destructive fan base that often ruin the only good things it has.
Thankfully, Roberto De Zerbi has a brain and does not turn on young talents. He is nurturing great young players like Tel, and while it is obvious the Frenchman made an epic blunder at the worst possible time, he did a lot of good for the team and scored an amazing goal.
De Zerbi came to his young star's defense in the press conference after the game, via The Spurs Express, “I will kiss him, I will hug him… he was sorry, it can happen for a young player.”
Now that is exactly what you want to hear a manager say about a young player after they make a mistake, and De Zerbi showed why he is levels above Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, especially in the man management department. Those clowns would have given some corporate coach speak about how we need to do better, cut down on mistakes, he will learn, he messed up yaddah, yaddah yaddah, the lobser bisque was great.
But De Zerbi is cordial, blunt, and a bit tongue in cheek. End of discussion with Tel. He made a mistake, he is a wonderful young player, players make mistakes by overdoing it. He will be back, he will be great, and De Zerbi will support him. That's a real manager.
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