Pedro Porro’s embarrassing Tottenham performance vs Leeds in numbers as he lets Thomas Frank down
Tottenham Hotspur were jubilant after their victory at Elland Road but Pedro Porro struggled to gain any momentum from the game.
Porro played the full 90 minutes for Thomas Frank‘s side, but he did not impress as Tottenham beat Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road.
Leeds went close to scoring multiple times as Spurs lived a little dangerously at times defensively.
Porro has started all but one of Spurs‘ seven league games this season and has made over 100 appearances for his club since arriving from Sporting CP in 2023.
Pedro Porro was the weak link in Spurs’ defence against Leeds
The Spaniard has been one of Tottenham’s key men in defence this season and is one of only six players in their squad to have clocked over 500 minutes in their opening Premier League matches.
Porro was not the only player to face criticism at Elland Road, but he was handed a rating of 5.7 by Sofascore after their win in West Yorkshire, as the right back – whose 76 touches represented the most of any Spurs player – was one of the key reasons why Leeds were able to equalise.
After Mathys Tel opened affairs in the 23rd minute, the hosts struck back just over 10 minutes later thanks to Noah Okafor.
In the build-up to the equaliser, Jayden Bogle received the ball on the right flank and crossed it in to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who laid the ball off to Brenden Aaronson.
Before the cross, Porro lost the run of Aaronson, who slipped behind the full-back and managed to direct a shot on target, which in turn forced Guglielmo Vicario to parry the ball into the path of Okafor, who slotted the ball home.
| Errors leading to a shot | 1 |
| Completed passes/Attempted passes | 27/45 |
| Possession lost | 27 |
In an overall firm defensive display from Frank’s side, the Spanish international was sloppy in his outing and proved to be a player Leeds could exploit in their quest to gain a favourable result against Spurs.
As the right back recorded a 5.7 rating, the defender who held the second-lowest rating in the Tottenham lineup was Kevin Danso, who achieved a rating of 6.6.
Poor defensive trends from Pedro Porro
The Lilywhites have started the season well with four wins, two draws, and just a solitary defeat in the league, as well as an unbeaten start in their Champions League campaign.
They have kept five clean sheets in all competitions this season, and on the whole have not shown glaringly worrying signs among their back line.
But based on Porro’s performance yesterday, he has highlighted areas the-full back needs to improve.
| Challenges lost | 11 |
| Errors leading to an opponent’s shot | 2 |
| Pass completion percentage | 69.2 per cent |
The Spaniard has several areas in which he needs to develop, but his performance at Elland Road spotlighted this and can give opposition teams an indicator of what weaknesses they should target when facing Spurs.
Although his side were weak in defence, Frank still hailed the character shown from his side to secure all three points.
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A blip for Pedro Porro but he remains crucial for Spurs
A positive that Porro can act on is the fact that the downsides to his game aren’t greatly harming Spurs, so he has the luxury of playing himself out of his bad habits.
The full-back has played over 30 league games in each of his last two full seasons in North London and has become a player they can rely on when considering his fitness.
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2023-24 | 37 | 4 | 8 |
| 2024-25 | 51 | 4 | 9 |
Porro’s attacking contribution in recent years has been crucial for Tottenham, and at just 26 years old, he has the potential to maintain these levels for years to come.
In essence, the full-back has time on his side to refine the defensive aspects of his game, while still offering an attacking output for Frank’s side.
Porro registered an assist against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, which acted as a reminder of the tremendous work he puts in when pushing the Spurs team into the attacking third.
As Newcastle United, Chelsea, and an away trip to AS Monaco await the Lilywhites in the coming weeks, this will provide Porro with the perfect opportunity to bounce back after a poor performance in West Yorkshire.
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