Tottenham Hotspur are in a bad way, with Sunday’s chastening home defeat to Nottingham Forest sure to have resigned even the most optimistic supporters to the fact that Spurs are in grave danger of being relegated from the Premier League.
Supporters are desperate to see a little fight from Igor Tudor‘s side, but the players are out on their feet, stripped of the quality that still exists within them (somewhere).
It’s concerning that elements of Tottenham’s performance against relegation rivals Forest marked an upturn on previous efforts, and yet they still lost 3-0 to a team who started the day behind them. Only West Ham United’s defeat at Aston Villa has kept Spurs above the relegation zone.
You could pick any one of the Lilywhites and write a hit piece on them, but Pedro Porro‘s decline this season has been bleak to see, with the Spanish right-back one of the most talented footballers in north London.
Pedro Porro’s decline at Spurs
Whether Tottenham decide to stick or twist with interim manager Tudor remains to be seen, but there’s a sense now that the onus is on the players in rekindling some confidence and conviction in their performances.
Someone like Porro, who has established himself as one of the most creative and dynamic full-backs in Europe since joining Tottenham from Sporting Lisbon, have gone beyond just poor performance, regressing to something that should be beneath his technical floorboards.
Against Forest, the 26-year-old failed to produce any real quality from the right flank, losing possession 20 times.
Porro certainly cares. He has cut a dejected figure throughout the campaign, personal pride at stake and indeed the future of one of the biggest Premier League clubs out there.
But Porro isn’t matching his intensity with actual quality on the field, and there’s a case to be made that his error-strewn performances have left enough to be desired that he should be dropped for the closing weeks of the campaign, with Djed Spence arguably more dynamic and balanced.
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He’s not the only one flattering to deceive. Guglielmo Vicario is arguably at the very epicentre of the turmoil, unconvincing and uncertain between the sticks. However, he played through pain at the weekend before hernia surgery this week.
All this said, these players have their value, and there’s another high-profile Tottenham star who may need to be dropped
Spurs flop cannot start again this season
There was no shortage of poor performances as Tottenham lost to Nottingham Forest, but it’s quite impressive that Destiny Udogie managed to out fall flatter than his teammates across his second-half cameo.
The left-back played for the first time since the start of February after his latest injury setback, and it sadly showed, with errors practically leaking from his game and unable to play with any semblance of fluency.
The 23-year-old only played one half of football, but there’s no denying that Tottenham’s signs of first-half fluidity evaporated when he replaced Micky van de Ven.
In fact, Udogie lost six duels, committed two fouls and failed with one lunging tackle, having a torrid time against Omari Hutchinson and Ola Aina.
|
Destiny Udogie’s Minutes in the Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Apps |
Minutes |
|
25/26 |
14 |
842′ |
|
24/25 |
25 |
1,932′ |
|
23/24 |
28 |
2,398′ |
After Udogie arrived in Tottenham at the start of the Ange Postecoglou era, joining from Udinese in Serie A for a £15m fee, he carried a weight of expectation. But it’s all come toppling down, and his weak efforts throughout the term put him in an even worse position than the likes of Porro and Vicario.
Earlier this month, it was reported by Italian sources that Juventus are planning to raid Tottenham for their Italian defender this summer, and regardless of how the Londoners finish their campaign, it’s looking more and more likely that Udogie will leave and wipe the slate clean.
There is a top player in there, but whether Udogie will recover that level at Tottenham is another question. In fact, the chances of him returning to form over the next two months are rather slim, and for that reason, he cannot be allowed back into the starting line-up.
Unless something dramatic happens, it’s likely that we’ve seen the last of a free-flowing, rip-roaring Udogie in a Tottenham shirt.
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