Chadder View: Emerson Royal stepped up and proved his worth for Tottenham in win v Everton
Matthew Chadder is a lifelong Tottenham fan who grew up just down the road from his beloved club in North London. He’s now putting his passion for Spurs into words with a daily fan view for Tottenham News…
Tottenham supporters, including myself, have spent much of the season criticising the club’s fringe players, but those players showed their value against Everton.
Heading into the clash with the Toffees, I did not fancy our chances.
Sean Dyche’s side were flying. They had won their last four Premier League games on the bounce without conceding a goal and would have arrived in north London full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou had a selection dilemma on his hands. With both Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie suspended for the visit of the Toffees, the Australian was forced to call upon Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal.
Neither player has covered themselves in glory this season and have found minutes hard to come by, and it is fair to say that the duo would have likely questioned their futures at the club at some point or other over the past few months.
Nonetheless, the win against Everton was the perfect reminder to Postecoglou and Spurs supporters that these two players have value in north London, particularly Emerson.
The Brazillian had arguably one of his best performances in a Spurs shirt to date, and rather than blasting him, supporters in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be happy they have such a reliable defensive option in their squad.
At the beginning of the season, many would have thought Emerson was nailed on for a starting position, or at least a rotational role, although Pedro Porro’s sensational form has seen the Spaniard become one of the first names on the team sheet.
As a result, Emerson has had to settle for a spot on the bench but showed against Everton that his quality shouldn’t be forgotten and that he is someone worth keeping around at the club.
Defensively, the 24-year-old was superb, as he made four clearances, eight interceptions and five tackles, while he also won 12 ground duels and the one aerial duel he contested (Sofascore).
However, his quality at the back has never been a question, it is his lack of impact going forward which has seen Porro race ahead of him in the fight for a starting spot at right-back. Nonetheless, against Everton, he demonstarted quality going forward.
As well as completing 92 per cent of his passes, with one of those being key, and provided one accurate cross into the box. In addition, he created one big chance and was sucessful with his one dribble attempt.
Consdering he is still a relatively young player, Spurs could regret letting the Brazil international go, and would be wise to keep him around at Hotspur Way, even if it is simply as a squad player.
With the FA Cup coming up in January, Tottenham and Postecoglou will need all hands on deck, and Emerson proved against Everton that he is certainly someone who can be counted on.
In other Tottenham news, ex-Spurs scout Bryan King has shared five things he learned from the win against Everton.