Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 North London Derby defeat

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates this evening against Arsenal in the North London Derby. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match.

All over the place at the back

At times, Tottenham looked like a team with a brand-new 21-year-old keeper in net, an 18-year-old centre-mid at centre-back, and four of their first-choice back five out injured… oh wait. It would be easy to overanalyse stuff like this, but when 24-year-old Djed Spence (who doesn’t have a lot of Premier League experience) is the senior defender in your back four, mistakes are going to happen.

The silver lining is that, even if they don’t have 90 minutes worth of consistency in them, the likes of Kinsky, Spence, and Gray look like they have all the talent in the world to push the senior stars for their places eventually.

Ange was right about Bergvall and Gray

Last week, Ange Postecoglou said he would be angry if someone else reaped the rewards of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall at Tottenham in 2-3 years time. Although both are still very raw talents and have the odd mistake in them, you can see exactly what he means.

Remember, these are two 18-year-olds starting a North London Derby, the first time that has happened for Spurs since Gareth Bale was a left-back. After two or three years worth of development, these kids could be something so, so special.

It’s always good to look for positives from an injury crisis, and fast-tracking the progress of Gray and Bergvall is one hell of a silver lining. Both were beyond impressive today.

Antonin Kinsky vs Guglielmo Vicario

Tottenham have one of those classic situations where you would love to take traits from both goalkeepers and combine them. If only that’s how football worked. On the one hand, Vicario is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League at the moment. However, he struggles when coming off his line to deal with aerial balls.

Kinsky, on the other hand, is extremely positive when coming off his line and brave beyond belief with the ball at his feet, but doesn’t seem to be up to Vicario’s standard of shot-stopping. It could make for a very interesting battle for the number one jersey in the coming months and years.

The inconsistency of Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma was almost unplayable against Liverpool in Tottenham’s 1-0 win last week. Absolutely everything went through him. He was tough in the tackle, press-resistant, and carried the ball down the pitch for fun. Against Tamworth FC in the FA Cup, the vast majority of Tottenham’s big names weren’t at the races – but Yves Bissouma was impressive from start to finish.

Everything was set up for the Mali midfielder to kick on and bring his A game to the North London Derby. Fast forward 45 minutes and Bissouma was hooked early after a dismal showing in the first half against Arsenal. The fact is, either Bissouma needs to find some consistency in the pivot role, or Spurs will sign someone to replace him.

Tottenham… it’s time to be a cup team

Tottenham are 13th in the Premier League table. Let’s be honest, what are the chances of going on a strong run in the second half of the season to break back into the top four or five? I would argue, the chances are slim. Spurs have taken five points from the last 27 available to them in the league.

Of course, Ange Postecoglou plays to win every game, but I hope he starts to prioritise the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League over the next month or two.

Calling the Premier League a lost cause would be silly and disrespectful to the team’s efforts amidst an awful injury crisis, but at some point, you have to ask yourself ‘What is the best result we can get out of the season now?’ The answer to that is clear, a cup (or two).

The post Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-1 North London Derby defeat appeared first on Spurs Web.