Tottenham Hotspur stars had a day to forget vs Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur were given a harsh reality check by Crystal Palace, who secured a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park on Sunday in the Premier League.
With the Lilywhites having won seven of their past eight matches, while the Eagles were winless in the Premier League, most people would have expected an away win. Ange Postecoglou’s white army were riding high on the back of wins over West Ham United and AZ Alkmaar but were pulled back on earth by a struggling Crystal Palace side, via a first-half strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The result—a big setback to what we were building—has left Tottenham eighth in the table. Ange Postecoglou had made changes to his Spurs’ starting XI from the AZ Alkmaar win, handing Mikey Moore his first start in the Premier League. The teenage sensation had started in a front three alongside Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson.
In the aftermath, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara questioned Ange Postecoglou’s team selection for such a tricky away fixture. He believes the Tottenham head coach should have stuck with the more experienced Timo Werner on the left flank.
“I think Ange [Postecoglou] got it wrong. I think he picked the wrong team. Starting a 17-year-old away from home against Crystal Palace is a big, big ask. He [Moore] did alright but it’s a big ask to come in for that game and make something happen,” Jamie O’Hara told Sky Sports.
“Use him for 20 or 25 minutes, but the damning indictment of that is that Timo Werner has been so poor he [Postecoglou] has had to start Mikey Moore. But, I would have stuck with Werner and given him another game, especially away from home as he’s experienced.”
Spurs were atrocious at Selhurst Park, laboured in passing, sluggish in movement, lacking invention and uninspiring in attack. None of our attacking players were bright, with young Mikey Moore failing to build on an impressive display against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League in midweek.
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The Tottenham faithful were crying for Big Ange to start Moore in the Premier League and he obliged on Sunday, but the teenager couldn’t grab the opportunity with both hands. The Englishman is a big talent but fans must be patient with his development. Big Ange perhaps went a bit early starting the academy kid in a high-stakes London derby away from home.
It would be extremely harsh to criticise Moore as he is only 17 and learning the trade, especially when the entire Spurs team were awful. While Werner hasn’t set the world alight with his performances, O’Hara is right with his claim that Big Ange should’ve gone with the German on the left ahead of rookie Moore purely due to his experience and ability to cope with situations away from home.
