Ange Postecoglou was already facing heavy criticism for Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal form in the Premier League this season, but the club’s issues have devolved into something altogether more concerning following defeat at Goodison Park.
Everton, buoyed by the return of ex-manager David Moyes, blew Spurs to smithereens in the opening half-hour and presented more questions for an outfit lacking any form of answer.
There’s no denying that Tottenham have been dealt a cruel hand on the injury front this term, but there’s no excuse for the way Postecoglou’s side were picked apart by a team with an ostensibly weak frontline, battling relegation before the match but now only four points behind the north Londoners.
So many poor performances. So much for Postecoglou to chew on if he hopes to salvage something from this withering campaign.
Spurs' worst players vs Everton
Radu Dragusin endured a nightmarish first half for Tottenham before being withdrawn due to injury, beaten by the fleet-footed Iliman Ndiaye for Everton’s second and failing to project the kind of iron-clad presence of a top Premier League centre-half, with Spurs writer Simon Yemane even commenting that the Romanian “isn’t good enough.”
Archie Gray also endured a tough afternoon at centre-back, unfortunately turning into his own net to make it 3-0 before the break, but the 18-year-old has performed valiantly in an unfamiliar role this term and fans generally recognise the shift that he invariably puts in – and the calibre of talent they have on their hands too.
It wasn’t just the defenders who let the travelling Londoners down, though, with Heung-min Son’s sad decline taking its next step as the captain, so cherished by the Tottenham faithful, failed his team on Merseyside.
Heung-min Son's performance vs Everton
Son is a modern Tottenham legend but he’s struggling to muster up the athletic, sharp performances that have been a staple throughout his storied career in the English capital.
Against Everton, the 32-year-old squandered a glorious opportunity to restore parity when deftly played into space by Dejan Kulusevski, the brightest spark on a gloomy afternoon.
The rotten roots of the South Korean’s poor performance ran deeper, unfortunately, for Son tamely tested Jordan Pickford later on and ‘contributed very little else,’ according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who branded the skipper with a lowly 4/10 match rating.
Minutes played
90′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots (on target)
2 (2)
Accurate passes
28/33 (85%)
Key passes
0
Dribbles (completed)
2 (1)
Duels (won)
9 (5)
Possession lost
13x
You have to call Postecoglou’s decision to keep Son on the field into question, for the veteran forward was unable to offer any kind of creative or mobile output to enhance Tottenham’s performance, and was overshadowed by young Mikey Moore who supplied the assist for Richarlison’s late consolation.
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On that note, is it time for Postecoglou to ditch his tried-and-tested leader for a younger, springier counterpart?
Why Spurs should ditch Son
Tottenham owe much to Son’s devotion to the cause over so many years, posting 170 goals and 91 assists across 435 appearances. But Moore illustrated perfectly Tottenham’s conundrum: that their talisman is slipping from his gold standard and might soon be better placed on the bench with a touch more regularity.
Moore, 17, was probably Tottenham’s best player – barring maybe Deki – despite only being on the pitch for 17 minutes, expertly arcing an assist for Richarlison to keep hopes of a stunning equaliser alive, also hitting the target with a shot and wrongfooting several Toffees defenders with his quick movements.
If you were being extra cynical, you might even be able to claim that Son’s poor finishing may prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Postecoglou’s vision, as that first-half strike on goal could have changed everything had it gone in, lifting Spurs spirits and then some.
But then, looking at that from the other direction, Postecoglou was the architect of his own demise in a sense, failing to withdraw Son in good time and allowing the discussed forwards to enter the fray and bring some fresh energy and dynamism to the contest.
More ruthless team selection might have changed the narrative for Postecoglou’s side, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that. However, now the Aussie coach must recognise the issue that he has and make the tough decision to move him to the bench against Leicester next weekend.
The problem, of course, is that Tottenham have a dearth of options at their disposal right now, with more misery piled onto the crisis through the revelation that Brennan Johnson will be sidelined “for the next three to four weeks.”
Timo Werner will also be missing until the later stages of February, though a certain degree of respite has arrived through Richarlison’s return to fitness and late strike against Everton, nearly sparking a dramatic and unlikely comeback against his former club.
Tottenham will host an internal inquest to determine the route forward after another abject defeat, but time is running out for Postecoglou’s project, with next weekend’s Premier League clash down N17 having the feel of a critical juncture.
With Moore showcasing his quality so well this afternoon and Richarlison getting back amongst the goals, you could argue that Son should be dropped.
And that’s without even thinking about the many Spurs widemen currently stuck in the surgery. Something, to be sure, needs to change.
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