Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Stevenage

Cudicini 4 – He was unconvincing on crosses, struggled to punch one high ball from under his bar, and played the victim act a little too much for my liking.

Walker 4 – Playing in a slightly unfamiliar role he wasn’t his usual energetic self, and was largely a spare part. He did strike a couple of decent cross-field passes, but generally wasn’t up to scratch. He also really should have buried a headed chance at the far post.

Dawson 4 – He was defensively sound on the whole, but his constant long passing was a cause of immense frustration – even Livermore was seen to be telling him to pass the ball back inside rather than try to force a long pass forward.

Nelsen 7 – On his full debut he was resolute and generally calm in possession. Worryingly, he was easily beaten for pace in the dying moments, but on the whole he was commanding.

Kaboul 6 – Often the spare man of the back three, and attempted to drive forward but to limited effect. When he went to right back he made much more progress than Walker had before him, despite seeming to be suffering from cramp.

Rose 7 – Our outstanding player of the first half, making numerous progressive runs down the left, and finding some decent crosses. He put a fantastic cross on a plate for Walker, but he got under it and sent it over the bar.

Livermore 6 – Very calm in possession and made one fantastic run forward on the right. Struggled to find the killer pass, but kept his head when others were trying to needlessly force passes.

Parker 5 – Worked hard as ever, but was a little loose in possession. Our formation didn’t suit him as he was asked to make forward runs – he struggled in the box and was often let down by his touch at the key moment.

Bale 5 – Constantly played in front of the Stevenage back four, and didn’t try hard enough to get in behind. One lovely strike was saved by Day, but he was otherwise ineffective (largely due to the role that he was asked to play).

Defoe 3 – Totally abject; sloppy touches, lack of hold-up play, and poor finishing on the rare occasions that he did find space.

Saha 3 –The same as Defoe plus offside far too often. Was a little unlucky with the disallowed goal, but his performance was not deserving of a match-winning goal.

By Windy from the excellent WindyCOYS blog – Follow Windy on Twitter @WindyCOYS

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