By the skin of their teeth, Tottenham Hotspur escaped their own stadium with a mere point against Manchester United in a game in which they did not play particularly well for the majority of. That being said, Spurs may also feel like they should have won, as they had come from behind after an inspired set of substitutions, only to allow an unmarked Matthijs de Ligt to head home in the final seconds when they had accrued an extra man advantage following Benjamin Sesko's knee injury.
In truth, those game changing substitutions should not have been left on the bench either, as Thomas Frank got his starting lineup selection all wrong. You know it's a mistake when you see Richarlison and Brennan Johnson on the team sheet on either flank, with Djed Spence being the one behind Richy at the left back position.
Tottenham were plodding and anemic for much of the game, but the inclusions of young wingers Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel were the jolts Spurs needed to play respectable football again. Tel and Odobert have been highly promising this season despite the criticism, and although Thomas Frank may already be figuring out that Odobert is a difference maker, he still seems slow to recognize Tel's quality.
Thomas Frank already snubbed him badly
Frank already snubbed Tel by leaving him off his Champions League squad, and although Tel fought his way back to produce key moments, such as a great day in a win over Leeds before the October international fixtures, he's remained on the periphery.
Well, Tel changed the game again, scoring out of nowhere on Saturday against Manchester United to show that he has more goal threat than either Richarlison or Randal Kolo Muani. At this point, 'it's hard to argue against Tel being the striker when his work against Leeds and Man United has been far beyond what his competition have been capable of at the No. 9 spot recently.
Tel is yet another young Tottenham player who is being discarded by Frank, and yet is honestly one of the best options for the starting lineup. He has his flaws, and in an ideal world, Spurs would have a better player to start at striker.
But they don't. And while that leaves Tel liable to get slagged off by a few imbeciles in the fan base, well, so be it. They can shove it. Because right now, Tel gives Spurs a better chance at winning than Kolo Muani and certainly than Richarlison. He just proved it.