Tottenham will be hoping to keep their second clean sheet in as many games when they face Bournemouth in the Premier League this evening.
The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun throughout the season, with the defence being exposed time and again as they have shipped 44 league goals so far this term.
Spurs started well against Manchester United in their first post-lockdown match after Steven Bergwijn scored the opener, before Eric Dier brought down Paul Pogba in the box and Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty to rescue a point for the visitors. Following a 2-0 victory over West Ham, they slumped to a disappointing defeat at Sheffield United as the Blades put three goals past Hugo Lloris.
Noel Whelan has ripped into Davinson Sanchez and Serge Aurier and feels that Jose Mourinho is “asking for trouble” if he continues to play them together. Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Leeds United striker insisted that the Spurs duo are “very hit and miss” and have little to offer alongside each other on the right flank.
The pair had started together for the first three games since the Premier League restart until Mourinho replaced Sanchez with Toby Alderweireld, earning a 1-0 win over Everton in the process.
Whelan believes that Mourinho would be making a big mistake if he decides to give them another chance in the future. He told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Aurier’s erratic at the best of times and Sanchez hasn’t really played consistently in enough games – you can’t be putting players in that haven’t performed regularly throughout the season, especially recently.
“Down that right-hand side, what are they offering? Very little, to be quite frank. It doesn’t seem a compatible pairing, put it that way, to get a good flow down the right-hand side. You’re asking for trouble when you do things like that. Aurier can be very hit and miss, he’s very erratic, he doesn’t give you the right performance at times, sometimes you can’t trust him.”
It is hard to argue with Whelan on this one, as Tottenham’s fortunes improved almost immediately after Alderweireld returned to the starting lineup. The Toffees barely threatened as the Spurs defence handled the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean with relative ease. Alderweireld added some composure to a backline that have looked uncomfortable all season long.
Aurier has become a permanent feature at right-back but he has never looked particularly convincing, while the club have grown frustrated with his antics off the pitch.
Meanwhile, Sanchez started the season brightly, but his form has tailed off since football resumed last month. Indeed, he followed an impressive performance against West Ham with a substandard display at Bramall Lane, where he only won one out of four ground duels.
In contrast, Alderweireld and Aurier worked quite well together in the win over Everton, as the Belgian veteran didn’t look rusty at all.
Mourinho seemed to have settled for Eric Dier and Sanchez at the back, but he may have been forced to change his mind sooner than anticipated. The Portuguese is targeting trophies at Tottenham and he must be given the time to revamp his squad and plan ahead.
Tottenham fans, should Mourinho put his faith in Alderweireld? Let us know in the comments below!