Tottenham Hotspur’s recent run of bad form was extended in Glasgow last night.
Ange Postecoglou returned to the city where he made his name in British football, but instead of facing his old club, Celtic, an intense Europa League clash with Rangers awaited him and his side.
The hosts looked the far better of the two teams, and while Dejan Kulusevski managed to salvage a point for the North Londoners, it was another display that has only cast more doubt on the Australian’s project.
41%
Possession
59%
1.49
Expected Goals
0.87
1
Goals
1
2
Big Chances
0
15
Total Shots
12
7
Corners
7
9
Fouls
9
379
Passes
563
There were poor performances all over the pitch for the visitors, but there were two that perhaps stood out, with one of them being Timo Werer.
Timo Werner's game vs Rangers
It would probably be fair to say that even going back to when he first arrived at the club midway through last season, Werner has been an underwhelming, boarding-on poor addition to Spurs’ squad, and last night showed that yet again.
The former Chelsea flop started off the left, and aside from a shot he sent miles over the bar early on, he offered pretty much no attacking threat whatsoever, which made life incredibly easy for Rangers’ right-hand side.
Moreover, the RB Leipzig-loanee seemed unable to track back either, so Destiny Udogie was left to deal with the marauding Václav Černý and James Tavernier all alone at times.
It was such a dire display that Postecoglou hooked him at half-time and told the press his performance “wasn’t acceptable” in his post-match comments, which makes the 3/10 match rating he received from the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick look almost too kind.
While this all could sound hyperbolic, it’s entirely backed up by his statistics, as in 46 minutes of action, the Stuttgart-born dud amassed a combined expected goal plus assists figure of 0.09, failed to take a single shot on target, failed in 100% of his crosses and dribbles, lost 100% of his duels, lost the ball 18 times was unable to play a single key pass and only completed 69% of his passes.
Minutes
46′
Expected Goals
0.05
Expected Assists
0.04
Shots on Target
0
Dribbles (Complete)
3 (0)
Duels (Won)
5 (0)
Crosses (Accurate)
2 (0)
Lost Possession
16
Key Passes
1
Passing Accuracy
18/26 (69%)
In all, it was an abysmal showing from the 28-year-old, although one of his teammates was arguably as poor on the other flank.
Pedro Porro's game vs Rangers
Yes, the player we are talking about is Spanish right-back Pedro Porro, who put in yet another dreadful performance for Spurs last night.
Like his German teammate, the former Sporting CP ace was utterly hopeless going forward, with the only meaningful contribution he made being a shot midway through the second half, which was saved by Jack Butland.
However, the biggest issue with his game last night was the same problem that’s been singled out multiple times this year: his defensive fragility.
For example, he lost Hamza Igamane for the opening goal and was constantly being attacked as Rangers could sense he wasn’t up to the battle, making Kilpatrick’s 4/10 match rating feel more than justified.
Unsurprisingly, his statistics from the game were also poor, as in 93 minutes of action, the defensive “horror”, as dubbed by journalist Mitch Fretton, amassed an expected goal plus assists figure of 0.08, was dribbled past four times, lost six of nine duels, lost the ball 20 times, committed one foul, misplaced seven of eight long balls and two of three crosses.
Minutes
93′
Expected Goals
0.04
Expected Assists
0.04
Dribbled Past
4
Duels (Won)
9 (6)
Lost Possession
20
Fouls Committed
1
Long Balls (Accurate)
8 (1)
Crosses (Accurate)
3 (1)
Ultimately, it was a night to forget for the entire Spurs team, but Werner and Porro were particularly woeful and must be dropped for some time.
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