Tottenham star Pedro Porro ranks among the most-dribbled past defenders in the Premier League.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Thomas Frank after Tottenham Hotspur’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Tuesday night.
Cristian Romero inspired the Lilywhites to pinch a point against Newcastle United from what was another drab display. With little progress being made at N17 both on the pitch and off it, sections of the fanbase have already turned on against Thomas Frank.
As a team, the performances have gone from bad to worse in recent weeks. No wins in the Premier League since beating Everton away on October 26 speak volumes about Tottenham’s struggles. And there are worrying things on an individual level too.
Pedro Porro has been one of the Spurs players to have made headlines of late. He appeared to row with his teammate Lucas Bergvall before storming down the tunnel following Spurs’ 2-1 home defeat to Fulham in the Premier League last weekend. For the home fans already angered by the Fulham loss, the right-back’s reaction poured fuel on the fire.
Pedro Porro among the most-dribbled past defenders in the league this season
It would not be wrong to suggest the Spaniard’s performances have dipped lately, just like several of his Tottenham teammates. There is growing concern among fans about Pedro Porro, and that’s really reflected in the numbers. Nobody questions his technical ability on the ball, but increasingly his inability to defend, especially in 1v1 situations, is becoming quite a talking point.
There is a reason why fans’ patience are starting to wear thin with the defender’s performances, and stats back up the eye test. According to WhoScored on X, Porro has been among the most dribbled-past defenders in the Premier League. He is third in the list, having being dribbled past 17 times thus far.
Brighton’s Mats Wieffer and Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams occupy the first two spots with 19 and 18, respectively. Hugo Bueno of Wolves and Aston Villa star Matty Cash are joint-fourth with 16.
Porro is an attacking-minded, aggressive right-back, but he’s been suspect defensively several times this season. The Spanish international has struggled to contain tricky wingers, especially in transitions, contributing to the team’s poor defensive displays of late. This is something Thomas Frank desperately needs to fix with coaching or more protection. It cannot be ignored that the lack of tracking back from right-winger Mohammed Kudus has often left Porro exposed in 1v1 situations.
Perhaps, Frank could instruct Kudus to fall back more and help out Porro in transitions when required, or not allow the Spaniard to become extra adventurous. Either way, it would help the full-back from not getting exposed defensively, as well as the team.
