The half-time whistle has sounded in Alkmaar to conclude the first forty-five minutes of Europa League action between Dutch side AZ and Tottenham, and it’s time for our player ratings.
It’s a welcome return to the matchday squad for some of Spurs’ most valuable assets, as the green light has finally been given to the trifecta of Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, and Dominic Solanke.
To begin with, they still remain on the sidelines, as Ange Postecoglou has named the three of them amongst the substitutes.
Nevertheless, the Australian will likely be keen to give them minutes in an attempt to build match fitness ahead of two more matches before the international break.
Throughout the first half, we examined each player’s individual performance, rating them on a scale of 1-10. Let’s take a look at how they got on.
Tottenham first-half player ratings vs AZ Alkmaar
Guglielmo Vicario: Vicario made a huge save to deny Parrott on the half-hour mark one-on-one, and wasn’t really tested otherwise. He was important when he needed to be, which is good. 7.
Djed Spence: Spence wasn’t allowed the time or the space to carry the ball like we’re so used to seeing him do, and defensively, he left Gray exposed to the AZ onslaught down his right flank. He’ll be hoping for a better second half. 4.
Kevin Danso: Danso looked slightly uncomfortable in that first half, and although he made a few positive, progressive passes, he was caught out a number of times and his defensive line was sliced open too often as well. 3.5.
Archie Gray: Gray had a tough task on his hands dealing with Poku, who got the better of him a couple of times. He was composed when he needed to be though, and he was nowhere near one of the worst performers in a white shirt out there. 5.
Destiny Udogie: Udogie was quiet and not heavily involved in that first half, often choosing to play safe or just clear the ball at times. He’ll be hoping to make more of an impact in the second half. 4.
Rodrigo Bentancur: Bentancur swept up when necessary but there were a few times that he was caught out of position which allowed AZ to slice through the Spurs team, often with only one or two passes. 5.5.
Lucas Bergvall: After a slow start all over the pitch from Spurs, it was Bergvall who made the difference, unfortunately, on the wrong net. He completely miskicked a clearance, resulting in the ball looping over Vicario and Spence, who was defending on the line. Outside of the own-goal though, he was exciting and determined to drive with the ball. A lot of his passes were a bit short, however. 6.5.
James Maddison: Maddison wasn’t good enough in the first half, struggling to create and wasting his only opportunity – a nicely positioned free-kick – when he overcomplicated a routine with Son. He got on the ball a lot but failed to do anything instrumental with it. 4.5.
Brennan Johnson: Brennan hugged the touchline for much of the half, intent on drilling low crosses into the danger zone. His attempts were rarely successful though. His one-dimensional style makes him very easy to predict and defend. 3.5.
Mathys Tel: Tel dropped deep on a number of occasions throughout the first half and struggled with his back-to-goal. He didn’t have any chances on goal, lacking any real attacking presence, let alone threat. The AZ backline kept him quiet. 4.
Heung-min Son: The Tottenham captain was the player with the most chances in the opening half, but almost all of his shots were blocked before they could get anywhere near the goal. We need more from him in the second half. 4.5.