Rio Ferdinand blasts Japhet Tanganga for Tottenham loss vs Crystal Palace

According to Daily Mail, Rio Ferdinand did not mince his words when criticizing Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga after the loss against Crystal Palace. The former Premier League defender felt that the red card was due to inexperience and cost Spurs the game against the Eagles.

It was quite the anti-climactic return to action for Tottenham. Spurs went into the international break with three wins out of three. Hence, there was the expectation that they would have no problems with a Palace side yet to win a single game. Well, those expectations were sent out of the window.

Japhet Tanganga found himself at the centre of it all. Conor Gallagher played through after a challenge on Lucas. With Wilfried Zaha rushing ahead, Tanganga went on to push and shove the winger. Zaha too got physical and both of them were shown yellows. However, within a few minutes, Tanganga’s reckless challenge on Jordan Ayew was met with another yellow and subsequently a red.

Spurs played on the back foot for most of the game after that. But three goals from Palace meant that Spurs were handed their first loss of the season. Former Premier League defender Rio Ferdinand was not quite forgiving with his words when assessing the incident (h/t Daily Mail).

“I was looking after the melee to see if someone got hold of Tanganga. When game starts again you need someone to calm him down. It’s a lack of experience and rush of blood. He’ll get over it but it cost them today.”

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Tanganga’s red card left Spurs with lesser men on the pitch. After that Spurs could not cope with Zaha and later on, Odsonne Edouard. This will be a harsh learning experience for the young defender. Perhaps someone should have calmed him down but that’s a different argument. He will now miss the vital game against Chelsea next week.