Ex-Spurs Scout: Tottenham player ratings v Fulham – Maddison ‘the star’, Richarlison a ‘liability’
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome aboard our brilliant new columnist Bryan King, the former goalkeeper who spent six years as a senior scout at Spurs and 28 years in total in first-team scouting roles. Brian also spent eight years on Everton’s recruitment team and 11 years scouting at Aston Villa across two different spells.
Tottenham returned to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win against Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday 23 October.
Spurs continued their unbeaten start to the 2023/24 league campaign and extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to two points with the win.
Goals from star duo Son Heung-min and James Maddison were enough to see off Marco Silva’s side, as Guglielmo Vicario kept his second clean sheet in as many games at the other end.
Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King watched on for Tottenham News and has provided his player ratings for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10
“He made two important saves. He caught a couple of corners well, he did get caught with the ball at his feet a few times. His distribution is the only reason he is not getting an eight.”
Pedro Porro – 6/10
“Second half he could have done a lot better, we seemed to lose that edge from the first half where he was bombing forward and creating chances.”
Micky van de Ven – 7/10
“He had a good chance. All of a sudden we are seeing centre-backs in goalscoring positions, you wouldn’t have seen Eric Dier in there.”
Cristian Romero – 7/10
“He made saving tackles in the box, he got forward, used the ball well, his passing was crisp and a couple of times he showed how much pace he has.”
Destiny Udogie – 6/10
“Came off before the hour mark. He could be a wide midfielder, he is that good going forward. Lost some edge in the second half without his presence.”
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 7/10
“I thought he did alright. I thought he was unlucky to get booked, I thought he worked really hard.”
Pape Matar Sarr – 6/10
“Did really well while he was on, he got up and down the pitch and his passing was good. However, he seemed to struggle just before going off around the hour mark.”
James Maddison – 9/10
“The star man. His passing is exceptional, you go back to your David Beckhams, your Glenn Hoddles, he is becoming that quality of player. When you think what he cost, and what Manchester United paid for Mason Mount, Spurs got a very good deal. At the moment he is as good an attacking-midfield player as there is in the country.”
Dejan Kulusevski – 7/10
“He worked hard, set up stuff down the right-hand side, made good runs, chased back and when his full-back went forward he offered cover. The way Maddison is playing seems to be helping him get involved more.”
Son Heung-min – 8/10
“Is there a nicer man in the league than him? How many goals have we seen him score where he curls the ball into the top corner like that? He is a star.”
Richarlison – 5/10
“He was credited with an assist, but Son still had an awful lot to do to make that goal happen. He gave the ball away, he had good chances and failed to hit the target. I would have had him off on the hour mark, he just seemed a bit of a liability for me.”
Substitutes
Emerson Royal – 6/10
“He did okay, he is not as strong going forward as Udogie, but he was steady. Attacks broke down a couple of times between him and Richarlison. He did also get exposed toward the end of the game a couple of times.”
Oliver Skipp – 6/10
“He is not as dynamic as Sarr.”
Giovani Lo Celso – N/A
Brennan Johnson – N/A
Alejo Veliz – N/A
In other Tottenham news, John Wenham believes Spurs have the opportunity to “amplify the pressure” on Chelsea.