Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Hoffenheim – 9/10 midfielder runs the show

The first half of Europa League action between Tottenham and Hoffenheim has drawn to a close, with the Lilywhites in charge at the interval – and the player ratings are in.

A critical period at Tottenham for Ange Postecoglou

Spurs’ next couple of games have an extra sense of vitality to them, as the coming results could be the deciding factor of whether at-risk Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou stays at the helm for the foreseeable future.

Reports have emerged in recent days that Postecoglou’s tenure could be cut short if the next few results don’t go in his favour, although some contradictory stories claim that Daniel Levy is prepared to give Ange the chance to revive his Tottenham team.

Spurs currently sit 15th in the Premier League amidst their worst injury crisis in recent history, and Postecoglou has revealed he will only have twelve senior players available for tonight’s clash.

Despite this, Spurs are yet to make an outfield signing 23 days into the transfer window. It’s certainly an interesting time at Tottenham.

Over the duration of the first half, we’ve analysed each player’s individual performance, rating them on a scale of 1-10. Let’s take a look at our player ratings from the first half between Tottenham and Hoffenheim.

Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Hoffenheim

Brandon Austin: On only his second Tottenham appearance, Austin wasn’t too troubled in the first half. He was first called into action by a Tom Bischof shot, which he saved superbly at full stretch. Austin bailed Tottenham out of trouble a couple more times between then and the half-time whistle, keeping his clean sheet intact for now. 8.

Pedro Porro: Pedro started brightly as it was his beautiful lofted pass that landed kindly at Maddison’s feet, who fired home. Porro himself had a huge chance to get his name on the scoresheet but he dragged his shot wide after some terrific play from Son. When he needed to, Porro made some really important defensive interventions and looked more like the Porro we were once used to in that first half. 9.

Radu Dragusin: Radu wasn’t awful but he had some shaky moments in the first half. His keeper and fellow defenders certainly spared his blushes a couple of times. 5.5.

Ben Davies: Davies was probably the better of the two centre-backs, sweeping up when necessary and anticipating crosses into the box with ease. 7.

Archie Gray: Playing in the left-back position tonight, Gray was really solid defensively and posed a threat of sorts going forward too. Some of the interventions he made were vital, too. 7.

Rodrigo Bentancur: Bentancur is a warrior. It was only a few weeks ago he was on a hospital bed and now he’s bossing the midfield in Germany, winning possession back and spraying passes left, right and centre. Bentancur was all over the pitch in that first half, playing a crucial part in Spurs’ midfield superiority. 8.5.

Lucas Bergvall: Bergvall wasn’t heavily involved in the first half, but he had a huge chance at the brink of half-time, as his header was saved by Baumann. It could be argued that when he got the ball, he dwelled on it for too long, occasionally getting caught in possession. When he kept the ball though, it was in impressive fashion. He keeps showing more and more signs that he’s going to be a world-class player someday, maybe sooner rather than later. 6.

James Maddison: Maddison was crucial for Tottenham in the first half. Firstly, Madders was cool and composed and fired the ball into the roof of the net to open the scoring, beating the keeper with pure power. For the second, Maddison turned provider as his superb determination, hold-up play, and vision set up Son to make it 0-2. 9.

Dejan Kulusevski: Deki has definitely had better halves of football, and he often tried passes that resulted in the loss of possession. He looked knackered, but that’s to be expected at the minute. A rest for him is well-warranted and, despite his recent dip in form, he continues to be one of Spurs’ more important players this season. 6.

Richarlison: Richy looked sharp in the first-half to begin with, but he wasn’t too involved as the half grew on. He had chances to score but his efforts were either saved or shut out by defenders. 6.5.

Heung-min Son: Sonny started the game brightly down the left flank, and he could’ve had an abundance of goal contributions in the first half. He fired a shot over the bar after a nice chop inside and Porro fluffed his lines on the receiving end of Sonny’s pass, but he eventually got his long-awaited goal as Sonny won a one-on-one with the keeper, making it 0-2. That’s 16 goals and assists for Son now this season. 8.

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