Ange Postecoglou must bin Bryan Gil for Tottenham v West Ham clash after miserable display at Manchester City
Time may be running out for Bryan Gil at Tottenham and yet another miserable display last time out means he must be dropped for Thursday’s game against West Ham.
Spurs found themselves 2-1 down against the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday (3 December) after a difficult first half, in a match they went on to draw 3-3 in a thriller.
Despite possessing a depleted squad, Ange Postecoglou still lined his team up to go toe-to-toe with the champions, and it was a decision which certainly proved its weight in gold for Tottenham.
Postecoglou’s penchant for always pressing high, wanting possession, attacking expansively with rotations and committing full-backs into advanced, central attacking positions was on show for all to see, and proved quite admirable despite the level and quality of the opposition.
The result was a surprise given the fact that Spurs recorded an xG (expected goals) tally from the game of just 0.46 (SofaScore) in comparison to City’s 2.57, but it was a figure they outperformed with tremendous aplomb.
However, it still leaves the Lilywhites without a win in the Premier League in five games and the North Londoners now gear up for another crucial clash when they take on London rivals West Ham on Thursday (7 December).
Postecoglou could well be gearing up for one crucial change to ensure his team pick up their first three points since the win at Crystal Palace at the end of October (27 October).
One crucial change could well involve winger Gil who failed to take his opportunity against the Premier League champions, in what was a surprise start for the young Spaniard.
Spurs’ injury issues meant that Bryan had to start.
The 22-year-old had barely kicked a ball all season, playing just 16 minutes of football after missing the first chunk of the season due to injury, before being handed starts against Aston Villa and City.
Against the Villans, the former Sevilla loanee did little to suggest Postecoglou could rely on him for the long term.
Stats by Sofascore show that the Spaniard managed an xG of just 0.09 despite starting on the left wing against a defence that leaks goals away from home. His expected assist stat was also just 0.04, suggesting he offered nothing in terms of creativity.
Bryan’s pass accuracy was good at 86 per cent but it just shows that the Spaniard was playing the safe pass all the time instead of trying to pick out a teammate with a riskier pass.
He also lost possession 13 times, conceded one goal and completed three of the four dribbles he attempted.
It was a similar story against City as the youngster was guilty of some cheap giveaways in possession but it was his attacking influence which could force Postecoglou to axe him against the Hammers.
In his 45 minutes on the pitch, Gil lost 100% of his dribbles, and 100% of his ground duels, and failed to complete any crosses or key passes whilst losing possession six times (SofaScore) before being hooked off at half-time for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
There were several instances during that first half which proved, had Gil had the required composure and attacking quality, Spurs could well have run away with three points.
Just before half-time, the Spaniard was played in by Son Hueng-Min after a tremendous team move.
The Spaniard faced up against Kyle Walker and could well have played an easy cross-field pass for the onrushing Brennan Johnson on the other end…
However, Gil strangely opted against the decision much to the dismay and annoyance of his Welsh teammate.
Spurs are clearly reaching exceptional levels under Postecoglou tactically as shown by their performances against the elite like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United already in the Premier League this season.
For those levels to be maintained and built upon, Postecoglou simply has no room for players who he feels can hold them back tactically and Gil’s performances over the last two games have shown the threat his lack of quality poses to their development.
That’s why against West Ham, it won’t be a surprise to see the little Spaniard axed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It could be the difference between a disappointing result and a crucial and comfortable win.
In other Tottenham news, the North Londoners can rid themselves of £15.9m in wages to seal a cut-price star transfer in January.