The whistle has blown for half-time at the City Ground Stadium, and it’s time for our Spurs player ratings vs Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Tottenham trail 1-0 at the break, following a horrible mistake from both Guglielmo Vicario and Archie Gray gifted the home side the lead.
Tottenham first-half player ratings vs Nottingham Forest
Guglielmo Vicario – The Tottenham number one was called into action early, making a save inside the opening five minutes following Forest’s fast start. 6.
Pedro Porro – The full-back is operating in a hybrid role, frequently drifting into midfield to give Tottenham extra numbers in central areas. He is also willing to offer width by overlapping Mohammed Kudus. However, he has had little to do defensively with Forest attacking down Tottenham’s left. 6.
Cristian Romero – The Argentine has approached this game with real bite, with Thomas Frank holding a notably high defensive line against Forest. Romero has been keen to get tight to Igor Jesus and put in a series of crunching tackles, refusing to allow any passengers around him. 7.
Micky Van de Ven – Reacted sharply to bail out Xavi Simons after a loose pass in the opening forty-five minutes, when Morgan Gibbs-White intercepted and threatened to run through on goal. Van de Ven showed his recovery pace and awareness to rescue his international team-mate. 7.
Djed Spence – Forest’s best chance of the game came down Spence’s side, with Dyche’s team working the ball into a dangerous area and delivering a cross that Sangare met, only for the post to deny him. Omari Hutchinson has tried to cause Spence problems, but the full-back has largely stood up to the challenge. 6.
Rodrigo Bentacur – Has looked sharp in the middle of the park, constantly eager to stick a foot in to make a tackle or intercept the ball. 7.
Archie Gray – Produced a strong block when Hutchinson picked up the second ball from a corner and looked to flash it across the goal. However, the teenager was caught in possession while Tottenham attempted to build from the back, with Forest pressing high and eventually scoring from his mistake. He almost made amends when a loose ball fell to him in the box and he struck it cleanly, but the effort was saved. 4.
Xavi Simons – The Dutchman has been given licence to roam, with Tottenham clearly trying to get him on the ball more often. He has looked lively, but has also been untidy with his passing and first touch at times. 5.
Mohammed Kudus – Not one of his better displays. He has rarely been able to run at the Forest defence and, when he has, he has tended to run into trouble. 5.
Richarlison – Has barely been involved, losing the physical battle with Milenkovic and Murillo. Spurs have gone long too often, but it is a clear mismatch, with the Brazilian unable to compete with Forest’s centre-backs. 5.
Randal Kolo Muani – Deployed out wide and largely ineffective. He had one promising moment when he carried the ball from deep into the Forest half, but his decision-making let him down, failing to get a shot away or bring team-mates into the attack. 5.