Radu Dragusin woeful, Joao Palhinha pointless – Tottenham player ratings vs Fulham
Tottenham fell to a 2-1 defeat away to Fulham.
After a heavy defeat in last week’s North London derby, Igor Tudor was hoping for a reaction away to Fulham, but he failed to get that.
Spurs found themselves 2-0 down at the break, with Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi both getting on the scoresheet for the hosts after yet another lacklustre first-half performance from Tottenham.
It didn’t improve after the break either, but Richarlison’s introduction saw Tottenham pull a goal back after 65 minutes, with Archie Gray getting the assist.
That proved to be nothing other than a consolation goal for Tottenham, who fell to a 13th Premier League defeat of the season.
Radu Dragusin is stealing a living at Tottenham
You can count on one hand how many times Dragusin has impressed for Tottenham, and that speaks volumes about the lack of depth in that area of the pitch currently.
The Romanian can count himself unfortunate not to have been awarded a foul in the build-up to the first goal, but his performance outside of that once again demonstrated why he is nowhere near the required level.
Dragusin completed just one of his five attempted long passes, showcasing his limitations on the ball, but the biggest concern was in regard to his lack of defensive awareness.
The 24-year-old conceded three fouls against Fulham, lost two of his three ground duels, and won just one tackle.
Ultimately, it was yet another day to forget for Dragusin.
Joao Palhinha is not needed at Tottenham
For his role in the team, Joao Palhinha did a handful of positive things.
He completed three tackles and made four interceptions against Fulham, but also won just five of his 10 defensive duels.
Added to that, the midfielder conceded four fouls.
However, at Tottenham, much more is needed from him on the ball, and he failed quite incredibly to offer that at Craven Cottage.
The 30-year-old failed to complete any of his five attempted long balls, as well as completing just 59 per cent of his total passes in the game.
His lack of quality on the ball prevented Spurs from taking any control of the game in the central areas.
Tottenham player ratings
Guglielmo Vicario – 5
Archie Gray – 6
Micky van de Ven – 6
Radu Dragusin – 3 (for Danso 90′)
Pedro Porro – 4
Xavi Simons – 5 (for Richarlison 58′)
Joao Palhinha – 3
Yves Bissouma – 5
Conor Gallagher – 5 (for Sarr 58′)
Dominic Solanke – 6
Randal Kolo Muani – 5 (for Tel 58′)
Subs
Mathys Tel – 5 (for Kolo Muani 58′)
Pape Sarr – 4 (for Gallagher 58′)
Richarlison – 7 (for Simons 58′)
Kevin Danso – N/A (for Dragusin 90′)
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