Pedro Porro slammed live on Sky Sports for ‘torrid’ display in Tottenham defeat v Brighton
Pedro Porro assisted another goal for Tottenham in Thursday’s (28 December) 4-2 loss at Brighton and Hove Albion, but that may have clouded the full-back’s weaknesses.
The Spain international swung in a delightful delivery for Ben Davies to get above Lewis Dunk and head in a second consolation goal.
Porro has now set up more Premier League goals in a single season (six) than any Tottenham defender in a single season [Squawka].
What makes that all the more remarkable is that we are only 19 games into the campaign, with Porro having started all but one of those.
Sticking with the positives, Porro had 92 touches against Albion – only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (94) could better that among Spurs players [Sofascore].
That goes a long way to highlighting just how involved he has become in the game in this new system under Ange Postecoglou.
Porro is effectively a midfielder playing at full-back, and he is more than stepping up to the plate in terms of his attacking play.
However, far too often against Brighton, he was caught out, with the Seagulls appearing to target his flank throughout the match.
In the first half in particular at the Amex Stadium, Joao Pedro and Igor Julio would look to get at – and in behind – Porro down Spurs’ right.
Watching the game for Sky Sports News, retired striker Aaron McLean felt Porro was the weak link for Spurs as they found themselves constantly overrun.
“Brighton are in total control of this game,” he said [28 December, 7:56pm]. “Porro is having a torrid time against Joao Pedro.
“He’s dancing past him, chopping him, sending him one way and then the other.”
Porro was guilty of giving the ball away more times than any player against Brighton (20) [Sofascore], albeit that comes with the nature of his role in the side.
As per WhoScored, he ended the game with a pass accuracy of 74.6%, with that a return 10 other Tottenham players bettered.
That is not to say Porro was the worst Tottenham performer on a disappointing night, but it was clear he was being targeted by the opposition.
Postecoglou has transformed the former Sporting Lisbon ace, and his assists are proving to be very valuable for the side.
However, the defensive aspect – and this is partly down to Postecoglou’s tactics – must surely leave the Spurs boss with a decision to make.
The number of Porro passes that go astray is also something that needs looking at, as highlighted by FBref’s player rankings system.
Over the past 12 months, the Spaniard ranks in the bottom 43 per cent of all full-backs for pass completion (76%).
There are undoubtedly more positives than negatives when it comes to Porro, but at the rate Spurs are conceding, something needs to change.
If that means altering Porro’s position, and potentially bringing in someone else at right-back, then that might be the best choice for Postecoglou going forward.
In other Tottenham news, a decision made by chairman Daniel Levy could pay dividends after a “wild” recent development.