Oliver Skipp was Tottenham weakness vs Burnley, pundit shares how he was exploited
Tottenham midfielder Oliver Skipp was singled out by BBC pundit Stephen Warnock for his under-par performance in their 2-1 win over Burnley.
Skipp started out of position at left-back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Warnock identified that Burnley could “find gaps” in his area of the pitch whenever the 23-year-old joined the midfield line.
Tottenham came from behind to defeat Burnley 2-1 and relegate them in the process thanks to Micky van de Ven’s 82nd minute goal, although Skipp had already been withdrawn in the 75th with the scores at 1-1.
On co-commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live (11 May, 16:10), Warnock noted: “There will be aspects of (the game) where Burnley will be very pleased. When Oliver Skipp steps into midfield, they’ve found gaps in that area.”
The former England international implored Burnley to target Skipp, saying: “They need to realise that is a space where they can exploit Tottenham.”
Is Oliver Skipp an option at left-back for Tottenham?
On his showing against Burnley, the safest answer is no.
Skipp by no means had a shocker for Tottenham against the Clarets, but did struggle to adapt in an unfamiliar position to what he’s used to, and a 6.7 rating on Sofascore reflects that.
The 23-year-old did his fair share of defensive work from the left-hand side, putting in two tackles and clearances apiece, as well as making one interception.
However, Warnock’s assessment proved correct when he was dribbled past by Burnley’s goalscorer Jacob Braun Larsen, and he lost possession on five occasions in total, losing three of his eight total ground duels at a success rate of 63%.
An overall pass success rate of 91% is nothing to be sniffed at, but only one of his 33 accurate passes was hit long, and zero crosses even being attempted shows that Skipp lacked the gumption needed to be a regular Premier League full-back.
Skipp also appeared to lack the pace too, being booked in the 55th minute for a shirt pull after Burnley full-back Lorenz Assignon breezed past him on the counter-attack.
Radu Dragusin being introduced 15 minutes before full-time suggests he may get the nod at left-back from Ange Postecoglou from now on, but with Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies and Ryan Sessegnon all out injured, it remains to be seen how Spurs will address their problem position next week.
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