Tottenham Hotspur put on a much improved display against PSG, but it was still not good enough to secure any points.
Tottenham Hotspur were looking to bounce back after a shocking 4-1 defeat in the North London derby, but a visit to PSG was never going to be straightforward.
Spurs took the game to their opponent and even recorded a higher xG figure, but they conceded some cheap goals, resulting in a victory for the Champions League winners.
Here are the three winners and losers from Tottenham’s 5-3 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Randal Kolo Muani stunned his parent club
The worst has already been assumed of Randal Kolo Muani after he picked up a second injury since moving to North London. On top of this, he was yet to score a goal for Tottenham ahead of Wednesday’s fixture.
However, the striker was brilliant against PSG, assisting Richarlison in the first half and delivering two fine finishes in the second.
Muani has not had the easiest start to life at Tottenham, but he is in a good position to establish himself as a regular first-team starter. Dominic Solanke is still injured and despite his goals, Richarlison has been accused of failing to contribute throughout the 90 minutes. Therefore, the opportunity is there for Munai.
Lucas Bergvall gave Tottenham some much needed energy
Lucas Bergvall can always be relied on to bring life to his team. The 19-year-old made a few poor touches early into the tie against PSG, but he warmed into the game and was electric for the most part.
The Swede’s standout moment was in the buildup to Tottenham’s first goal. He played a sensational backheel to Archie Gray which led to the visitors taking a surprise lead.
Bergvall’s impact lessened toward the end of the match, but it is clear that he needs to start in the Premier League. Had he played against Arsenal, perhaps Spurs would have got forwards more and displayed some positivity.
Archie Gray impressed for Spurs
It has been a rough season for Archie Gray, whose contributions last season appear irrelevant to Thomas Frank. The midfielder has rarely been needed to replace injured defenders, so his match time has been limited.
Despite this, Gray came into Tottenham’s team in a tough fixture and delivered a good performance. The England u21s international hit the crossbar and played a part in two of his team’s goals.
There is a generalisation that Gray is a defensive minded midfielder, but he has something to offer in attack too. In fact, there is an argument that he might be a more versatile option to Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Now, let’s take a look at the three losers from PSG 5-3 Tottenham…
Cristian Romero made far too many mistakes
Just days after Romero received a Premier League suspension, the Tottenham captain started against PSG only to drop a performance riddled with errors. Cristian Romero was responsible for the goal which put PSG ahead, playing a pass to Pape Matar Sarr who was surrounded, rather than simply clearing the ball.
The Argentina international was once again the culprit as he gave away a penalty for a blatant handball. Romero might not have intentionally handled the ball, but a player with his experience should know better than to raise his arm the way he did inside the box.
To make things worse, the centre-back was nowhere to be seen after the game and allowed Bergvall and Gray to be the ones talking to the media. This follows Sunday when Vicario was the one to address the press and some Tottenham supporters would prefer to see their captain taking this responsibility after consecutive defeats.
Rodrigo Bentancur offers Tottenham very little
It is simply incredible how Rodrigo Bentancur continues to get a free pass into Tottenham’s team when his displays this season have generally been quite poor.
The midfielder did step up and win some duels in Palhinha’s absence, including one which led to Muani’s second goal. However, he also appeared to intentionally move out of the way instead of blocking a PSG shot which ended up beating Guglielmo Vicario.
Bentancur is usually seen as the composed figure in the centre of Frank’s side, but he is lucky not to be watching matches from the bench based on the way he is playing.
Djed Spence has been poor for a while
It would be fair enough to name Sarr as the final ‘loser’, but Djed Spence has earned the unwanted spot for his repeatedly poor performances. The full-back has looked off the mark for the past couple of months and his display against PSG was yet another underwhelming showing.
Spence failed to make an accurate cross for the 84 minutes he spent on the pitch, despite four attempts, and he only won two of his seven ground duels.
The 25-year-old has a sense of humour and he often expresses this on social media. However, he can sometimes come across as arrogant and this will not go down well when he lacks the goods to back himself up.
READ MORE – PSG 5-3 Tottenham match report, more positives than negatives for Thomas Frank in the Champions League