Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Winks has been one of the brightest sparks in the Lilywhites academy and in English football in general over the past two seasons.
Since emerging as a first-team regular, the youngster has improved his game year on year, adding driving runs, ball retention, killer passes, and pace to burn.
However, over the past few months, that seems to have all gone out of the window, which was encapsulated by his performance against Newcastle.
The Spurs academy graduate’s game was reduced to simple and boring sideways passing, which he still managed to give away on numerous occasions.
We are used to seeing Winks collect the ball, look up, pick a pass, and play is positively, smoothly, and sharpish into feet.
He keeps the game moving and makes it far harder for opposition teams to shift from side to side when defending. However, yesterday, he slowed the game down to a painful level.
Some Spurs fans were not happy on Twitter:
I hope that’s the end of the Winks/Sissoko experiment, it’s not pretty. And Jan must have insulted Poch’s wife to not be getting in ahead of Sanchez on that showing. Woeful.
— Kieron Bryan (@kieronjbryan) August 25, 2019
Harry Winks is one of the worse footballers I’ve ever seen. It’s an absolute myth that anyone rates him. He offers absolutely nothing.
He’s no better than Carroll or Jake Livermore.
— . (@SpursWHL1) August 25, 2019
harry winks has never seen a forward passing opportunity he couldn't make go sideways instead
— hot spur summer (@ComradeYouSpurs) August 25, 2019
Harry Winks and Lamela. Poch your a Legend but no other top 4 side would accommodate this pair.
— David (@David03638241) August 26, 2019
I agree he isn’t good enough! Poch needs to sort his shit out! KWP isn’t good enough! @HarryWinks @KWPeters
— James Anderson (@JimmyTheYid77) August 26, 2019
Absolute clueless and at snail pace the ball moves to the final 3rd…Rank average central midfielder-Harry Winks and our full backs-Walker Peters and Rose…..Davison Sanchez had a nightmare game..
— Jethinsays (@jethinsays) August 26, 2019
Add Harry winks who is an absolute passenger
— Paul Wetherall (@paul_wetherall) August 26, 2019
Seems 99% of ppl agree With me Harry winks doesn’t do enough way to many sideways & backwards passes …. again yesterday being English & an academy kid isn’t enough
— Matt (@gwizard74) August 26, 2019
What is the point of starting harry winks when he can only pass sideways?
— eric (@Ericnh1) August 25, 2019
When are we gonna criticise Harry winks for being bang average. All he does is pass it sideways .
— chris cumner-price (@chriscumner) August 25, 2019
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Friggin Toon played with 10 players defending … Spurs should have run at them forcing them to foul. Not that Dean would have been bothered considering his failure to notice the Grid iron tackling being used on Kane? Running at a pack like Toons is a good way to break down the ‘parked bus’. The commentators kept saying we needed more width, they just sat in front of the goal so that wouldn’t have worked.