PLAYER RATINGS: Manchester United 3-0 Spurs

There comes a time during every season when being a Spurs fan can drive you crazy with anger and frustration. It's fair to say, that today is one of those days.

After a seven day break since our last fixture, you'd be fooled into the thinking that the players would be raring to go come the referee's first whistle at Old Trafford this afternoon. Instead we were treated to our familiar foes; lackluster, lazy and limp.

Hugo Lloris - 4 - One save, one claim and conceded three. An all-too familiar case of being let down by those in front of him.

Kyle Walker - 2 - One of the worst performances I've ever seen from this player in our colours. Will still be having nightmares of Ashley Young (YES ASHLEY YOUNG) come Monday.

Eric Dier - 3 - Inexperience a factor? Maybe so! Despite winning three headers was very poor defensively, especially for Rooney's goal - and didn't win a single tackle.

Jan Vertonghen - 4 - Poor performance considering his role as a senior player. Despite winning four aeriel duels, like Dier - failed to win a single tackle.

Danny Rose - 6 - Not only our best player in a mistake-ridden defence, but the best player in a Spurs shirt. Made an incredible eight tackles and tried his best to bomb forward, despite a lack of options.

Ryan Mason - 4 - Unable to assert any authority during the game and was chasing shadows during the opening 45. That being said, worked hard.

Nabil Bentaleb - 4 - An uncharacteristically nervy game from Nabil today. Only made one tackle and was woeful his passing. Given a real masterclass by former Spurs Michael Carrick.

Andros Townsend - 4 - Sacrificed early on due to him and Walker getting mauled down the right. Runs and works hard, but seems to be no precision in his pressing.

Nacer Chadli - 2 - Often a bystander who can get you a goal, today he was just a bystander. Shocking in possession and played like it was a mere Sunday stroll.

Christian Eriksen - 4 - Unable to get on the ball and make things happen. Too easily marked/crowded out of the game by United. Will have to make himself harder to shut out in future.

Harry Kane - 4 - Got very little service today, that being said - when on the ball, Kane was wasteful at times. Didn't trouble Smalling or Jones, despite a surge and shot late on.

SUBS

Mousa Dembele - 4 - You could argue that Mousa came on when the game was already lost. Didn't power-house through the United midfield as he'd done in past fixtures. Only had one successful dribble, but made three fouls.

Erik Lamela - 5 - Worked hard when he came on (with the score at 3-0). Made three tackles and had one successful dribble.

Emmanuel Adebayor - N/A - Had little time to influence the game.


With the game being billed as a match of what Tottenham have (Pochettino), with what they could've had (Louis van Gaal), United fans and hierarchy had the last laugh - securing three vital points in the race for the top four.

For Spurs now, the hard-work starts again, as we face Leicester next, at home, on Saturday, March 21.

 

Our defence was incredibly poor, again. Very disappointing indeed. Can someone tell me when we last kept a clean sheet? The "Top four" will never be a realistic target while we keep leaking the goals. Glad to see we didn't completely capitulate in the second half (which we would have done under Sherwood)... Kane kept trying etc. Back to the training pitch MoPo.

 

Top four. We are further away than ever.

It was typical Spurs. Some great performances this season, some awful, some awful yet we won and ultimately very little substance.

 

We must learn how to adapt and be flexible; so naive in the first half today. Important we learn from our mistakes... Glad to see Manu back in the fold.

 

Worst performance this season I wouldn't even pay them this week, totally let us fans down again at the business end of the season where again we end up wiv nothin to cheer about after it looked promising but it's the same old Spurs jst can't rely on them when goin gets tough!!! People use the Europa league as an excuse for a bad result on the Sunday after but they've trained all week for this and should be fresh but totally blew it....roll on next season!!!! Shocking!!!!

 

Yes very poor performance for sure. Pochetino should have had high defensive line drop back after the first goal and park more players behind the ball and hit Man U on the counter. That would have been an appropriate plan B after seeing how easily our high defensive line was beaten and how we were overrun in midfield. LvG wont he tactical battle today for sure. But Spurs players also looked lackadaisical and plain old tired. I think we will end up in 5th or 6th unfortunately (would prefer 7th to be honest) but hopefully Levy backs Poch over the summer and we are able to retain our key players who are often rumored to leave with no CL football (LLoris, Verts, Eriksen).

COYS!

 

Couldn't believe how awful we were today, to go into the game with so much expectation then not turn up at all, is almost unprofessional. We didnt appear to be able to reorganise ourselves in the first half at all. Poch sorted us out defensively at half time but during that first half we had no laeders on the pitch. Man utd did play much better than they recently have but we just never got going, where was our possession game when we really needed it ? Did look like men against boys at times. Second half we weren't humiliated but it all still leaves a bad taste in ones mouth. Back to the drawing board i guess. Coys

 

Dembele behind Kane has been our best combination, beat arsenal & Chelsea. How can we lose 3-0 to a very poor Man U side. The Townsend combination simply does not work, the guy is simply not good enough, good runs with no end product. Dembele is solid, good defensive work, good attacking play, just what we need.

 

I'm of the opinion Dembele should've started the game today - has been known to have good form against United, as well as at Old Trafford.

Despite him being criticised for having inconsistent form, his problem is often doing the damage against the lesser-teams, as he's usually always up for playing the big boys.

Mousa offers a bit more strength and steel (Bentaleb and Mason can be outmuscled at times in the middle) and the ball sticks to him better in the oppositions third.

 

Lack of passion unacceptable. Was a real six pointer and nobody in white had any drive or urgency. The wonderful fans that were singing throughout this debacle should be given a refund out of the players wages

 

Totally disgrace performance from our team Today. From number one to mo po... if we were a little bit better in 2nd half it's Just because the match was closed at the end of 1st half. Manu had Just to manage the end... walker was absolutely catastrophic. Why Lamela has a 5 and dembele a 4? OK lamela had some fighting spirit but he lost every ball he had.... ok Kane was not the same as last weeks but he was just alone in attack! The same old music... no wingers no pace no leader. These players are not worthy of wearing a Spurs shirt! COYS!

 

Against a very poor manc team spurs actually looked like a team that had nothing to play for didn't think we would get top 4 while pool and the Woolwich are starting to put results together and this game summed it up can only hope poch can get the players up for the rest of the season

 

What another embarrassing performance, i couldn't believe my eyes. Such ineptitude and naivity from a team that takes one step forward and three back. I like most spurs fans was hoping we would really get stuck into a very mediocre united team, but unfortunately we didn't turn up. The midfield and defence were woeful, always second to the ball. Walker and Rose would be more effective as wide attacking players because they dont understand the art of good defending. This was so poor, you could have been forgiven for thinking that they played in the europa league on thursday, this is the reason i dont buy into this excuse for playing useless, when we come back from a europa league game. Its time now to continue pushing for top 4 or as a consolation the EL. If not play like today and finish 10th and lose all our better players. A clearout is needed this summer for us to push onto the next level or top 4. At present its a distant dream. COYS.

 

What an absolute shower, to get to top 4 next season we will have to start by buying an entirely new defence as everyone of them lack all the fundamentals in the art of defending.
Not only do they lack the fundamentals they dnt even learn from the mistakes.
Rooneys goal utds 3rd was like watching an under 9s team defend it has to be the worst piece of defending from a top flight team ever. Rooney jogged through 4 defenders and passed it into the net unbelievable!
Poch had nothing to fall back on 1 plan every game and a very limited squad of any genuine quality.

 

That is the salient point, a distinct lack of real quality in the key areas. Post Bale, too many players were bought and funds should have been invested into three of four top drawer players. Let's hope things change this summer i.e. an experienced CB, CM and a proven striker.

 

Don't forget to add quality creative wingers with pace on that list aswell because we have none!!!!

 

How many times must it be said for the last 15 years spurs have been awful at the back an the current crop are no different . Walker can't defend being a right back is not about boming forward then tearing back to foul the winger ask Gary neville what being a right back is about . Vertongan has no bollocks about him wilts when it gets ruff the other 3 centre halfs are no better . Rose and Davis are ok but top class they will never be . Dier could be good if he had a leader with him otherwise he will slowly deteriorate like all the others . We have had one just one great centre back in the last 15years leadly king could of been a world better if it wasn't for injuries get him to work with current crop of **** . On a side note chadli is one of the worst players I've ever seen in a spurs shirt . Whoever said buy these players needs outing but why levy still has his pet baldini there will be no change I'd like to see them both go and bring old school Tottenham bought in . Hoddle,king,sherringham, players that give a **** about the players that are bought in not just a business man that wants to be a football man .

 

Should we had Hugo Lloris in the net, we would be singing to entirely different tune now. We had his impersonator who could not position correctly. I am not saying that he should have stopped all three, but the he could prevent the team from losing confidence being better than he was. Thus, there wouldn't be as many chances eventually.

Somehow Pochettino slides down into Sherwood's groove. You can't play attacking football all the time. We should have gone 4-4-2 with two layers of defense and counter. MU played like that instead and LVG outplayed Poch since the onset. 30 minute substitution confirms not only that, but also in fact Poch figured that out, but not fast enough. You cannot blame Levy for that, but you can blame him for absolute lack of RMF. Townsend is a joke and Lamela is no good for EPL due to lack of physicality required. Nevertheless he should have started, as well as other two subs.
Only after all 3 substitutions the team obtained the proper formation, but the game was over by then.

 

Walker has to go, most overrated player in the league, never get anywhere with him in the side...

 

Don't worry Tom , apparently he's going to Utd for 20 mill @ the end of the season .. Ramos and his band of blind optimists are up in arms over it .. To be honest with you i wouldn't give you 20 mill for all the defenders in the squad together ..