Two up, two down: Spurs reaction to win over Manchester United

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A look at their important home win.

Transcript

00:00James, looking at Spurs and obviously the sort of state of play after the Manchester United home win,

00:06you know, looking at that game and going into the game was quite a lot of pressure.

00:10If you look at the league positions of both sides, both sides have incredibly struggled this season.

00:15In terms of two up, two down, let's start with the positives.

00:19You know, there was a lot of pressure going into the game, especially with Spurs' terrible home form

00:24as well to make sure that they got a good performance more than anything.

00:28And then the result came and that sort of settled it.

00:32So, in terms of two positives, what's the sort of something you can look at and think,

00:37yeah, that was something that Spurs fans can take away from this game?

00:42Yeah, I mean, I think we have to start with the returning players as the sort of first up of the week.

00:47You know, having Vicario back in goal and Maddison back in that midfield, it made a huge difference, didn't it?

00:53Just having the seniority, a little bit of leadership, certainly from Vicario, that's been sadly lacking,

00:59as I've mentioned on numerous times this season.

01:02You know, we really have lacked that sort of on-field leadership.

01:05And just having Vicario back between the sticks on the Manchester United game made a huge difference.

01:11I mean, he made some big, big saves.

01:13You know, you could argue Manchester United were the better side for long spells in that match.

01:18Actually, they probably created some of the more clear-cut chances,

01:20but he was superb as the sort of last line of defence.

01:24There's no slight on Kinski.

01:26I think he's done pretty well since he's been sort of thrown in.

01:28But obviously, he's a young player playing his trade.

01:30He's only 21 years old coming over to the Premier League.

01:33It's, you know, it was a huge ask for him.

01:34And, you know, by the odd mistake, he really did sort of step up in tough circumstances with a makeshift back four in front of him.

01:41But, you know, you just saw the presence that Vicario brings to that back line.

01:47You know, the leadership assured with his feet.

01:49He's shot-stopping. He has to be up there in the top two or three keepers in the league.

01:52I think he really is a very, very smart shot-stopper.

01:56It looked like he'd never been away, really.

01:57So, really, really positive.

02:00I think as well, he came for quite a number of crosses and looked a little bit more assured.

02:04I think that's probably the one thing you can sort of throw at Vicario.

02:07Now and again, he's a little bit weak on those crosses, but he was very, very good, very assured.

02:12So, nice to have him back in the team.

02:15And let's hope that he doesn't suffer any more injuries because he's a real crucial cog in the wheel.

02:19So, really good to have him back.

02:21And then, obviously, back to Maddison.

02:23I mean, he's not been away for very long, but, you know, the numbers speak for themselves this year.

02:27He rarely finishes a game and he's often not started.

02:30But when he has played, he has made a difference.

02:33And, you know, that was his ninth Premier League goal of the season and a bit of a purchase finish.

02:38And for long spells, when spurs were at the best in the game, you know, he really did dictate that tempo.

02:43He dropped deep. He was finding lovely little pockets of space,

02:46a couple of really nice balls over the top to put Son in through on that left-hand side.

02:51And, you know, just really, really good to have him back.

02:53And, obviously, he gave a little bit of stick to Roy Keane at the end with the shush and the dart celebration.

02:58He'd had a little bit of stick in the week.

03:01So, nice to sort of, you know, hit back at the critics.

03:03You know, I mean, no doubt, Maddison's a talented player.

03:06You know, as I say, the numbers speak for themselves this year.

03:09He's involved in the most things that spurs do very well.

03:13I think what we need now is a little bit more consistency from him because, you know, he's got the ability.

03:17He's got the talent to be right up there, you know, with the best playmakers in the league.

03:22You know, he's a very, very intelligent player, but he just needs to do it on a more consistent basis.

03:27But, again, hopefully that now gives him the confidence to get back in and be that real key pivotal figure in the middle of the park for us.

03:35Yeah, and just maybe two negatives to look at.

03:37I know, obviously, going into the game, as we mentioned, there's a lot of pressure on the result

03:42and the home form as well.

03:43Is there any negatives that stood out from, you know, the win?

03:47It might be quite tough to pick that apart, but there are still some underlying issues.

03:52Yeah, tough.

03:53But I do think, again, you know, the base of that midfield struggled at times.

03:57And I think, you know, Rodrigo Bensinker's having a tough spell.

04:00You know, I've said before on his game and, obviously, injury-free, he's an absolute Rolls Royce of a midfielder.

04:07He's a class act and he's been very, very good for long periods for Spurs.

04:11But he has struggled in the last few weeks.

04:13Maybe not quite right after the concussion that he suffered a few weeks ago.

04:17And he gets, you know, woefully exposed by the fact that the full-backs bomb on.

04:22He's got a lot of space to cover, but he's not really a traditional six.

04:26And, you know, first half he was OK.

04:28He had a hand in the goal, the cross that he put over to the left-hand side.

04:33Son obviously volleyed it back across and then, you know, the rest is history.

04:36But he struggled then in the second half and really seemed to empty out.

04:40So, you know, I do think, you know, his performance is a little bit of a negative and a slight worry,

04:46as is the performances at the minute of Dejan Kulesevski.

04:49You know, I mean, he's arguably been Spurs' best player this year, but, you know, he's been flogged to death.

04:54You can tell he's fatigued.

04:57He just looks a little bit short at the moment.

04:59He looks a little bit devoid of pace.

05:01You know, he maybe takes the extra touch.

05:04I think that's nine games now without any goals or assists.

05:07So, you know, as I say, lots of mitigating factors.

05:09He's played an awful lot of football, but maybe now with the injured players coming back,

05:14it's time to give him a rest and just take him out and get him recharged.

05:17Because, as I say, he's a crucial player,

05:18but he was probably slightly disappointed in that win over Manchester United.

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