Tottenham Player Ratings: Son Sinks Stoke
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur at Britannia Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
It took Tottenham’s players four matches to put together a cohesive performance, but many will feel it was worth the wait.
Mauricio Pochettino returned to his favored formation — albeit with some new twists — and the XI responded well. They took a 1-0 lead into halftime, then returned after the interval to truly put the sword to Stoke City. By the end it was 4-0, and it could have been much more.
The international break might not have provided any true rest for much of the starting XI, but it was clear that a break from the stress of a rocky start did wonders here. Players who looked like shadows of the players they were last season showed up and showed up big.
There were other factors at play here, of course. Stoke weren’t exactly lethal in the front and sturdy in the back. Still, this is the kind of performance that could truly kickstart the season.
Let’s break down who did what best in Saturday’s dominant win.
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur at Britannia Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Defense
Hugo Lloris – 3.5 / 5
.The captain’s return almost certainly added to morale. While Michel Vorm was much better than virtually anyone anticipated, there’s something more calming about having Lloris in goal. Stoke challenged him only twice, but his true quality came through in his command of his area and coordination with the backline in from of him.
Ben Davies – 4 / 5
Danny Rose’s hamstring injury meant that Pochettino was obliged to give the Welshman his first start of the campaign. As anyone who’s watched Tottenham over the last couple years could guess, the top off in quality was negligible. Davies put up a tricky defense — essentially eliminating Jonathan Walters from the game — while also linking exceptionally well with Heung-min Son ahead of him. Maybe he lacks Rose’s fiery runs into the opposition box, but that wasn’t what was needed on the day anyhow.
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Jan Vertonghen – 4.0 / 5
Fortunately for Tottenham, the addition of Wilfried Bony into Stoke’s lineup did not produce any immediate uptick in potency. Still, the Ivorian presents a unique challenge to opposition defenses, particularly in the air. Vertonghen was up for the challenge, helping to keep Bony limited to just one, inaccurate shot during the game.
Toby Alderweireld – 3.5 / 5
Tottenham’s Belgian centre-back duo has once again found their rhythm, with Vertonghen acting as cover and Alderweireld being permitted to be a bit more adventurous. While he wasn’t quite as expressive as he has been in past games, he still remained a fundamental component of Tottenham’s ability to close down and neutralize Stoke’s infrequent attacks.
Kyle Walker – 4.0 / 5
There were hints early on that Walker might be playing in a much more advanced role than usual. Eric Dier dropped back into defense in the open moments of the match, allowing Walker to play exclusively in Stoke’s half. The desired effect appeared to be that Walker would be an outlet for punted balls forward, but that role gradually shifted to Son as the game wore on. Still, this was a typically composed performance from Walker on both ends of the ball — and he got an assist to boot.
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur (R) celebrates scoring his sides first goal with Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur (L) during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur at Britannia Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Midfield
Christian Eriksen – 4.5 / 5
Nominally, Eriksen was operating on the right side of the attacking midfield three, but as is so often the case the Dane spent a lot of time roving deeper and across the pitch to retrieve the ball and pick out deadly passes. He did this better than he’s done it since last April, and the effect was devastating: two assists and two chances on goal.
Victor Wanyama – 3.0 / 5
The closest thing that this Tottenham XI had to a blemish. The Kenyan struggled throughout his time on the pitch, conceding needless fouls and picking up a yellow card in the process. It was no surprise when Pochettino pulled him in favor of Érik Lamela barely ten minutes into the second half.
Eric Dier – 3.5 / 5
A typically competent performance from Tottenham’s midfield muscle. Stoke never presented too many problems on the break, nor were they fielding a true playmaker to set the tempo up front, but Dier still managed to stifle what little creativity was mustered in front of him.
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates his goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur at Britannia Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Attack
Dele Alli – 4 / 5
This was Alli at his finest. He’s a second striker to Harry Kane when he needs to be, a playmaker in the next moment and then, when Wanyama was called off, a box-to-box midfielder. A 20-year-old should not be capable of this much, and yet Alli was among the betters performers on the pitch. Again.
Heung-min Son – 4.5 / 5
This might have been Son’s best performance in a Tottenham shirt. He was incisive on the left hand side of the attack, drawing out Stoke’s defense and taking his chances with lethal precision. His two goals here make it four in his last four matches. Pochettino will have a nightmare of a selection headache going forward.
Harry Kane – 4.0 / 5
Kane opened his account for the season with a simple tap in, but overall this was an encouraging performance from Tottenham’s talisman. He found and exploited a lot of room through Stoke’s defense and looked very much like his old self again.