Despite falling to a disappointing 2-0 loss at the hands of Chelsea in the Capital One Cup final, Spurs fans can feel positive about the future after we observed a young Mauricio Pochettino side put in a decent performance against a very strong Chelsea side.
There is nothing to be embarrassed about after out 2-0 loss at Wembley, and we can look forward to the future we rate the players.
Hugo Lloris – 6/10. Wasn’t awfully busy and made a few good saves. Both goals deflected beyond him. Could possibly have done better for the second in terms of his usually cat-like reflexes, but that’s harsh on our best player. Must hold on to him.
Kyle Walker – 6/10. Was tasked with dealing with Hazard and limited the Chelsea man to passing infield on many occasions. Was slightly hampered with injury and this lessened his impact on the game. Good to see a player soldier on.
Eric Dier – 8/10. A very mature performance from the young Englishman. Was arguably lucky not to get a second yellow but his original caution was harsh. Dealt well enough with Costa.
Jan Vertonghen – 7/10. Not spectacular but solid as ever from Jan. Forming a good partnership with Dier as well as having a good record with Fazio. A definite leader on the field today.
Danny Rose – 7/10. Another good attacking performance and he looked fairly comfortable dealing with Willian on the whole. Also nice to see a bit of steel about him, he’s been very impressive under Pochettino.
Nabil Bentaleb – 8/10. My personal man of the match and another good performance from our young Algerian. Completed 92% of his passes and kept things ticking over in midfield. A sloppy pass here or there was often recovered well, accompanied by some great tackles. He’s grown immensely under Pochettino, too.
Ryan Mason – 6/10. Good first half from the 24 year old but his influence was lessened as the game went on. Some very intricate passes and runs but didn’t impact the game with his usual exuberance.
Andros Townsend – 6/10. A quiet game from Andros, who had to aid Walker in keeping Hazard at bay. A couple of good runs and crosses but was limited when Mourinho began to pull players back. Very effective on the counter, especially on a big pitch like Wembley.
Christian Eriksen – 7/10. Often accused of going quiet in the bigger games but had a much bigger impact today. Good passing and much better crossing. Unlucky not to score in the first half after his incredible free-kick bounced back off the bar.
Nacer Chadli – 6/10. A quieter game than New Year’s Day for the Belgian. Did well defensively, despite giving away the free-kick for the opening goal. Needs to try his luck more, he’s got a good shot on him.
Harry Kane – 6/10. Not his best performance whatsoever. His tendency to stray into offside positions is becoming frustrating and he perhaps needs to recycle the ball quicker, rather than repetitively attempting marauding runs. The stage was set for him today but a lack of support from those behind him and good defending lessened his impact. He’s on course for 30 goals this season, however.
Substitutes:
Roberto Soldado – 5/10. Didn’t have much of an impact, bar two or three pin point crosses. A tough one for him as Chelsea had the bus parked by the time he came on.
Mousa Dembélé – 5/10. A few good passes but still adamant at passing backwards and sideways, a reason Mason starts ahead of him. Needs to be more adventurous.
Erik Lamela – N/A. I don’t feel he was on long enough to judge. A couple of good passes but a couple of poor touches too.
Mauricio Pochettino – 7/10. A very good starting line up that most agreed with. A good decision to play Lloris but on the day, the tactically astute Mourinho got the job done, despite the lack of expressive football. A lesson for Pochettino and his young side to learn from and one they will be better off as a result of. An overall good season that needs one last push.
