Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways in the Premier League this afternoon with a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa following that disappointing defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham vs Aston Villa:
It had been a while since Dominic Solanke had even had a shot on goal before today, let alone a goal. Now, that isn’t to say he hasn’t played well. I would actually say he’s been one of Tottenham’s top three performers this season.
His hold-up play, relentless pressing, and link-up play have been a big part of so many Spurs goals this season, even if he hasn’t been rewarded with the eventual goal or assist. A brace today was nothing less than he deserved – and he also won the free-kick for James Maddison’s goal. Man of the Match performance from Dom.
If you’d told me that Spurs were going to win that game at half-time, I would have called you silly. If you’d told me we were going to win it 4-1, I wouldn’t have even replied. Everything that was missing in the first 45 – composure on the ball, creativity in the final third, and a killer instinct in front of goal – suddenly materialised in the second half.
Credit to the players for digging in and showing some more bravery, and the lads off the bench (Davies, Bissouma, Richarlison, Maddison, and Gray) were all a huge part of that. I would love to know what Ange told them at half-time.
You could argue that Radu Dragusin’s best skills are more suited to a low block than a high line. Superb aerial ability, good one-v-one defending in the box, and strength beyond belief. He showed that against Man City and at times again today when Spurs were up against it.
What surprised me against Ollie Watkins was that Dragusin also performed so well today when it came to chasing back towards his own goal. He has a little more pace that I gave him credit for and seems to be more and more comfortable in Postecoglou’s system by the week. Instead of diving in one-v-one, he is getting much more joy just holding people up, waiting for back-up, and letting the counterattack fizzle out. Really impressed with him today.
A big win for Tottenham today but a few more injury problems for the coming days and weeks too. Cristian Romero is the biggest worry, with the Argentine coming off with a foot injury and a heavy challenge. Spurs are already without Micky Van de Ven.
Rodrigo Bentancur also appeared to be limping before he was swapped for Yves Bissouma, while Richarlison seemed to hurt his left hamstring while assisting Tottenham’s third.
A lot was made of Ange Postecoglou’s decision to name James Maddison on the bench today, especially after he played 0 minutes against Man City in mid-week. Let’s be honest, it’s not like Madders was even in poor form – he has started the season pretty well. The simple truth is that he isn’t as effective off the ball as Kulusevski or Sarr, and Spurs have lacked a grit in midfield over recent weeks.
Saying that Maddison has been ‘dropped’ is probably an overstatement though. This is a squad game and he just has a point to prove over the coming weeks. Coming on and scoring a free-kick certainly won’t harm his chances.
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