Tottenham suffered a late 2-2 draw against Brighton.
Tottenham had another difficult outing at the weekend, where there was a moment (right at the end when most of Spurs fans were already celebrating) when Rutter flipped the points scheme from three to one each.
Danso had a strong game despite a 4/10 performance
It looked like Spurs had done enough on the night, with Roberto De Zerbi dragging them out of the bottom three. But then one hesitation (more of a loose touch) from Kevin Danso and Tottenham continue to be in that drop zone going into the last five games of the season.
TTLB rated Danso at 4/10 for that goal given, but it was one mistake and not the whole story of the proceedings of the game.
Right now, from a Tottenham fan’s perspective, it is quite easy to keep looking at that error (something that happens many times in the English top tier, where a centre-back loses the ball and the team ends up conceding the goal and the points).
But it was just one moment of lapse in what was a good game from Danso. He was doing exactly what RDZ would expect of him. He had nine clearances with 12 defensive actions throughout the game. The Austrian was not a player hiding but one who was constantly involved. (stats via. Fotmob)
And every player has one of those at some point. It was also a fantastic strike from Georginio Rutter which, on any other day, could have gone sideways. But this should not be cited as a reason for De Zerbi to drop him.
De Zerbi spoke on Danso after the game
The former Brighton manager hailed Danso for his “fantastic” performance after the game, showing he realized that the 27-year-old had a strong game. De Zerbi did not isolate the mistake and shift blame. But the 46-year-old leaned into the idea that errors are made with courage and they are preferable to passive performances without intent (something that we have seen time and again from Tottenham players this season). Reflecting after the Lilywhites’ 2-2 draw vs the Seagulls, he said:
“Danso played another fantastic game, but the ball was with Danso. He lost the ball and then we conceded a goa. But I prefer to make mistakes with the personality to play than to concede a goal without personality, without courage.”
That being said, reality is that Danso just cost Tottenham two points that can end up with the Lilywhites playing in the championship. But let’s be honest, he also has the capacity to be able to help the North Londoners earn points in the upcoming five games that keep the Lilywhites up.
What do you make of Danso’s mistake? Is it enough for him to be dropped? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.