Tottenham winger Bryan Gil should be handed one final opportunity to impress against Burnley in the FA Cup
Bryan Gil has not had the season he would have hoped for at Tottenham this year, and could soon find himself running out of chances in north London if he doesn’t improve soon.
Gil has struggled ever since he joined the Premier League in a deal which saw Tottenham pay Sevilla £21.6million and Erik Lamela for the winger’s services (Sky Sports News, 21 July 2021).
In hindsight, it is not a deal which represents good value for money, and the north London side would have arguably been better off just keeping Lamela around at Hotspur Way.
Gil is yet to make an impact in England, rejoining Sevilla on loan last season where he won the UEFA Europa League, and many Spurs supporters probably wouldn’t be too upset to see the back of the Spaniard at this moment in time.
When Ange Postecoglou arrived at the club, there was hope that a more attack-minded manager would bring the best out of Gil, who struggled under Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Having spent the first part of the season on the treatment table, Postecoglou’s comments about Gil in late October would have fueled that hope.
“He’s in the same place as everyone else, at some point he’ll get an opportunity and then it’s up to him. He certainly has all the criteria to play in that position for us and his training is getting stronger now, he’s part of the group and I’m sure he’ll get an opportunity,” (Tottenham Hotspur Official Website, 20 October).
Nonetheless, since returning from injury, he has struggled to make any form of meaningful impact.
Gil has started just two games and played a total of 175 minutes of football, failing to register a goal or an assist in that time.
His recent cameo performance in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on New Year’s Eve was particularly underwhelming.
As per Sofascore, Gil was introduced in the 82nd minute, and while he did complete 100 per cent of his passes, he failed with his one dribble attempt, attempted cross into the box, lost both of his ground duels and gave possession away three times, while being dribbled past once.
What was most worrying about his performance, was the big chance that he missed.
From point-blank range, the 22-year-old had an opportunity to head home Spurs’ fourth, but instead somehow managed to rattle the crossbar with his effort.
His lack of impact in the final third has been a big issue so far, and if he is missing chances as gilt edge as that one, it will certainly do his confidence no favours.
Nonetheless, an FA Cup third-round home tie with Burnley could have arrived at the perfect time for Gil, who could use the game as a platform to build that confidence up.
Vincent Kompany is likely to rotate, and Gil must be handed an opportunity against the Premier League strugglers.
His first start of the season in the 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa on 26 November proves that there is some quality there, as he completed three of the four dribbles he attempted and played one key pass.
Sometimes all it takes is a goal, something which Gil is still waiting for in a Spurs shirt.
If he is handed an opportunity against Burnley and can grab that goal, he could certainly become a real option for Postecoglou for the rest of the season. In contrast, another disappointing performance could spell the beginning of the end of Gil’s unsatisfying time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to date.
In other Tottenham news, one Spurs defender is on the radar of one high-flying La Liga outfit.