Pedro Porro has responded on social media after Tim Sherwood doubled down on his criticism of the right-back and questioned his defensive game once again.
After Porro’s first game for Tottenham almost a year ago, Sherwood absolutely ripped into the Spaniard, stating at the time that the 23-year-old was “so bad it’s unbelievable” (talkSPORT).
The former Spurs interim boss had another pop at the former Sporting Lisbon man earlier this season, referring to him as “a poor defender” (Premier League Productions).
It is fair to say that over the last few months, Porro has proved his critics wrong as he has not only continued to showcase his quality in the final third but has also been very competent defensively.
The 23-year-old’s one-vs-one defending has generally been impressive but he perhaps might feel that he could have done better to block Rasmus Hojlund’s shot for Man Utd’s opener on Sunday.
Tim Sherwood won’t leave Pedro Porro alone
Following Spurs’ 2-2 draw against the Red Devils, Sherwood has taken aim at Porro yet again, insisting that the Tottenham star will continue letting his team down defensively.
The pundit told Premier League Productions (15/01/24 at 5:50 pm) about the right-back: “He will let you down. I was very critical early doors of Pedro Porro and I still am. I think he’s not a good defender.
“When he is asked to defend, as we saw in this game as well, he will let you down. But going forward and expressing the fitness, the ability on the ball and the range of passing, it’s fantastic. The manager has recognised that and he is playing him to his strengths.”
Porro saw the funny side of Sherwood’s comments, responding with a laughing emoji and a hand-heart emoji on X.
Spurs Web Opinion
Whenever any of us are judging players, there is always a huge element of confirmation bias involved. When you do not rate a player, you are more likely to notice his mistakes and ignore the positive moments he produces.
When you hold a player in high regard, you are more likely to ignore/forgive them for the errors they make and notice the things that they do well. This is true for all of us and explains why some players are often scapegoated by fans on social media.
Sherwood has clearly made up his mind that Porro is not good enough defensively and has jumped to criticise the right-back on the first occasion that he has made a minor error in many months. Meanwhile, he has ignored all the fantastic defensive displays that the Spaniard has delivered for the last four of five months.