Opinion: Tottenham’s three winners and three losers of the festive period

It has been another strong week for Spurs, as they took points from Liverpool and advanced to the Semi-Finals of the Carabao Cup.

After a series of disruptions due to Covid, Spurs were back in action this week and treated us fans to some great results.

So which players shone, and who will be looking to improve on their performances.

Winners:

Steven Bergwijn

In my season instalment of winners and losers this man was on the wrong side of the list. What a contrast for him this week.

He was given a chance to shine against West Ham, and boy did he take that chance. A goal and an assist to send us through to the Semi-Finals will do him the world of good.

Not only did he get on the scoresheet, but he looked confident on the ball and was pressing high and working for the team. Hopefully, this is the start of a new chapter for the Dutch international.

There is certainly a player in there!

Harry Kane

This is another man beginning to turn his early-season misery on its head. Unlike with Bergwijn however, I think people saw this coming.

Kane was back amongst the goals this week and helped to stretch a poor West Ham defence on Wednesday night. Whilst it is not quite yet the levels we expect of him, it is a step in the right direction.

Dele Alli

This is more of a controversial inclusion as he only started one match. However, he was so good in that match, he had to make the list.

When we saw the team sheet for Liverpool, a lot of fans may have been worried. However, Dele was fantastic. He was all over the pitch working hard and even made some of those runs from deep it feels like we haven’t seen for years.

He may still be out of favour, however, he is most certainly not down and out yet, and showed against Liverpool he does still have something to offer.

Honourable mentions: Harry Winks and Lucas Moura

Losers:

A hard part to write, as Tottenham had a fantastic week. Therefore, I will focus on some losers who aren’t necessarily players.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Now including this man isn’t to say he was poor in any of the games he featured.

However, his absence against Liverpool brought to an end his impressive record of starting every Premier League match since he joined the club.

The fact that we played well wouldn’t have helped Pierre. It shows Conte that he is not as vital perhaps as first thought, and there is a system that works without him, one which allows us to create more chances.

Tottenham Hotspur’s finishing

Now this isn’t anyone in particular, however, it is worth a mention I believe. For years we have come up short to Liverpool, and this week was our chance to change that.

As a team, we wasted too many chances against The Reds, and that is not good enough at the top end of the table. We did come away with a draw, however, it could have been so much more.

We could have been out of sight in the first half!

This is a concern, and Spurs will need to aim to become more clinical and ruthless to compete for the bigger prizes.

The Premier League

As someone attending the Palace game myself, I was left angered by the communication from the Premier League.

On the eve of the game, it looked as if it was a certainty the match would not go ahead, only for it to be confirmed as being played on Sunday morning.

This lack of clarity is not good enough, and the late confirmation I’m sure left a lot of fans travelling from further away unable to make it.

If football is to continue and not have a break, communication and rules will need to be clearer. The rules on postponements seem to be such a grey area and it is not fair on the fans.

However, all-in-all a great week for Spurs, and a real boost to our chances of the top four and a trophy.

COYS!

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