Davinson Sanchez was the only positive as Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 1-0 defeat to Vitesse Arnhem in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
It was a match wherein chances came few and far between. However, Tottenham were never really in the game bar the odd half chance, with Bryan Gil coming the closest to scoring for the visitors early in the second half. Otherwise, though, Vitesse Arnhem were largely in control, even though they saw less of the ball than Spurs.
Indeed, the hosts had the best chance of the first half when Jacob Rasmussen inexplicably directed his effort wide of target. However, Vitesse did score the goal that their endeavours deserved with a peach of a strike, as Maximilian Wittek volleyed home from the edge of the Tottenham box in what was the only goal of the game.
The result means Tottenham have now dropped down from joint-top of Group G in the UEFA Europa Conference League, with Vitesse Arnhem leapfrogging them. Meanwhile, Stade Rennais are now solely atop their group, leaving Spurs with an uphill task for the rest of the group stage campaign. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Pierluigi Gollini: 5/10
For much of the game, Gollini had precious little to do, with the Tottenham defenders doing enough to keep the ball away from him. Did make three saves, but those were regulation stops. Having said that, he ought to have reacted better to stop Maximilian Wittek’s effort.
Japhet Tanganga: 5/10
Tanganga has fallen off in his form after a strong start to the season, and this was another showing in a similar vein of form. The youngster did win six duels while completing five clearances but he just was not able to make his mark going down the right flank while often leaving too much space in behind him.
Davinson Sanchez: 7/10
Sanchez has blown hot and cold all through the early stages of the season. On Thursday, though, the Colombian international was in his elements, doing well as the senior defender to keep the backline organised. Sanchez made a staggering 10 clearances while also making a big block and winning seven duels. Could not have done more to ensure a clean sheet.
Joe Rodon: 6/10
The Tottenham centre-backs were looking in solid touch for most of the game, and Rodon was no different. The Welsh international made five clearances while winning four duels and even completed 84 percent of his attempted passes. However, he ought to have done more to close down Wittek for the Vitesse goal, which docks his rating slightly.
Ben Davies: 5/10
The skipper on the day for Tottenham, Davies had a lot of responsibility on his experienced shoulders. However, the veteran Welsh defender failed to inspire any confidence on his forays down the left flank. At the back, he suffered only rare hairy moments, but should have done more to stop the cross from his wing leading up to the match-winner.
Giovani Lo Celso: 6/10
Not a bad performance by any means, but Lo Celso needs to do a fair bit more if he is to influence the proceedings as much as he would like. In addition, the fact that he lost possession 25 times is a problem area that needs to be addressed. Did work hard off the ball, though, winning eight duels.
Harry Winks: 4/10
One of several Tottenham players who were handed a rare start and would have liked to prove a point to Nuno Espirito Santo. Winks, though, squandered his opportunity massively. While he was largely precise with the ball at his feet, that was about the only positive in his display as he could not provide the ideal cover to the defensive line while failing to set a quick tempo on turnovers.
Bryan Gil: 6/10
A rare bright spark for Tottenham, Gil tried to make things happen from the right flank. The young Spaniard came ever so close to breaking the deadlock early in the second half as well, only for his effort to smash the woodwork. However, like several of his Tottenham teammates, his output on the ball has to improve.
Dele Alli: 4/10
The Player to Watch in our preview, this was a big game for Alli, who needed to show that he still has a lot to offer despite recently losing his spot to Tanguy Ndombele. However, the Englishman was unable to make an impression here, failing to create a single chance while being wasteful on the ball as well – losing possession 14 times. Has to do so much better.
Steven Bergwijn: 4/10
Handed a rare chance to impress, Bergwijn just could not manage to make his mark in the final third. Yes, there were a few promising moments from the Dutchman, but he is not managing to influence games on a consistent basis, which is why he is on the periphery of the first-team setup.
Dane Scarlett: 4/10
A game to forget for young Scarlett, who was starved of quality service but ought to have done better to hold the ball up in advanced positions. However, much of his frustrations were down to the poor build-up play from the Tottenham midfielders.
SUBSTITUTES
Dilan Markanday: N/A
On for Scarlett, Markanday saw a fair bit of the ball but did not really get on the end of a single chance, with Vitesse Arnhem dominating the final stage of the game.
