Tottenham made it three wins out of three in the Europa League as they edged out Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in a 1-0 victory in North London.
A coolly taken penalty by the returning Richarlison earnt Ange Postecoglou’s side a slender triumph over their Dutch counterparts to retain their perfect record in the competition.
Veteran goalkeeper Fraser Forster expertly deputised for Italian stopper Guglielmo Vicario in net to preserve a consecutive clean sheet at home in their European exploits.
The possibility of a nervy finish was quashed with five minutes remaining of the contest, as Norwegian full-back David Møller Wolfe was sent off for a successive match.
Richarlison was not the only player making his return from injury as Wilson Odobert entered the field late on for the first time in over a month.
It was not a vintage display, but there was still some pleasing aspects for Postecoglou and his coaching staff to analyse from the performance. Here’s four things we learnt.
-
Patience is wearing thin on Timo Werner
Opportunities at Tottenham Hotspur are running out for Timo Werner as another underwhelming showing did the 27-year-old no favours in swaying the damning public opinion on his functionality in top level football.
The German’s body language was a cause for concern after a frustrating turn of events and he was subsequently axed at the interval by his manager and replaced by Brennan Johnson.
The RB Leipzig loanee looks completely bereft of any sort of confidence and he spurned a glorious opportunity in the first half to put the hosts in front.
After a perfectly timed run by the former Chelsea forward, Swedish teenager Lucas Bergvall found him with an inventive through ball to give Werner a presentable chance on goal.
But after taking the ball into his stride, his finish was verging on the pathetic as it pitifully rolled into the hands of goalkeeper Rome Owusu-Oduro.
It is always a shame to see a footballer’s desperate attempts to break their goalscoring duct all coming to no avail and Werner needs a change in fortunes if he is going to revive his career at the club.
-
Mikey Moore is a Generational Talent
Okay, we may not have necessarily discovered this tonight, but Moore’s performance confirmed what was already being heavily speculated.
Mikey Moore is going to be a world-beater one day and the talented youngster truly announced himself in front of a obliging crowd with a stirring performance.
The 17-year-old was the beneficiary of Werner’s exit at the break, as Johnson’s introduction meant Moore was moved into his more natural position on the left flank.
His first half showing was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but he truly exploded in his more familiar domain and was Spurs’ most dangerous attacking threat of the second period.
The arrogance the teenager was playing with was refreshing, as he regularly demanded the ball of his much senior teammates such as James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur.
His confidence was reflected in his movement and trickery, as he tormented the AZ Alkmaar backline by consistently beating his opposing defender Seiya Maikuma and breaking into the box.
Every time the Spurs academy graduate received the ball, a buzz of anticipation reverberated around the stadium, as the Tottenham faithful were willing ‘One of their Own’ on to grab his first goal in Lilywhite.
Moore’s encouraging display could signal the end of Timo Werner’s career in North London as the England U19 international completely outperformed him.
-
James Maddison displayed his leadership credentials
The captain’s armband was firmly around the bicep of James Maddison tonight as the absence of Heung-min Son and fellow vice-captain Cristian Romero meant he was the highest in the authoritative pecking order.
Maddison’s performance was not anything to write home about, but it was his temperament and leadership tonight that really caught the eye as he prevented a potential rift from occurring.
An awkward moment arose in the 53rd minute after Lucas Bergvall was scythed down by Alkmaar defender Maxim Dekker in the box and referee Manfredas Lukjančukas showed no hesitation and pointed to the spot.
There was a conflict of interest developing in the aftermath of the decision as Richarlison rushed over to Maddison, who had possession of the ball, and was pleading with the Englishman to give him the responsibility of taking a penalty.
The Brazilian, who wanted to mark his return to the pitch with a goal, was pretty incessant on getting the ball and it took the convincing powers of Johnson, Bentancur and Maddison himself to make him rest his case and reluctantly retreat outside the penalty area.
After a moment of thought, Maddison made a noble and selfless decision and walked over to Richarlison and graciously handed his teammate the ball.
Richarlison would end up delicately dispatching the penalty straight down the middle and naturally take all the acclaim, but Postecoglou will be mightily proud of his captain on the night for preserving the squad harmony by putting his teammates before himself with that thoughtful act.
It was an especially compassionate showing of character considering Maddison had a point to prove of his own as he was substituted at halftime against West Ham on the weekend.
The Englishman has taken some criticism from Spurs fans in the past for showing petulance rather than maturity on the field, but tonight’s act of kindness will go a long way to silencing any of the remaining doubters.
-
Ange Postecoglou’s game management has significantly improved
On several occasions last campaign, the Australian opted to persist with his brazen and outlandish tactics during a game, often to his team’s detriment.
But this term, Postecoglou has shown his tactical nous and has utilised his squad very adroitly so far.
In that 4-1 hammering of West Ham, he made the controversial decision to take off creative outlet Maddison for a more defensive minded midfielder in Pape Matar Sarr at halftime with Spurs drawing to their East London rivals.
However, this proved to be a masterstroke as that alteration galvanised the Lilywhites and they scored three without reply to convincingly win the match.
Against Alkmaar, the 59-year-old chose to take Richarlison off at around the 60th minute mark, an appropriate time for player to leave who has barely played this season due to injury.
Furthermore, the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski and Sarr with roughly 20 minutes to go was the perfect tactical adjustment as, in the moments leading up to the changes, Tottenham were struggling to retain possession and the visitors were finding their way back into the contest.
Sarr and Kulusevski’s presence re-established a sense of calm and composure into their midfield and Spurs were comfortable from then on to claim all three points under the lights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Perhaps most importantly, six of the players who had started the game against West Ham got a full rest, which means they should feel energised and refreshed for Sunday’s game away at Crystal Palace.
