Tottenham Hotspur’s poor run of form got even worse last night.
Ange Postecoglou returned to Glasgow to take on Rangers in the Europa League, but instead of getting one over his old rivals, he oversaw a rather dismal 1-1 draw.
However, while it ended a point a piece, the hosts were undoubtedly the better team and, on another night, could and probably should have been two or three goals up before the Lilywhites equalised.
That said, while it was a night to forget for Spurs, there was at least one starter who could hold his head high, a starter Lionel Messi thought could have joined him at Barcelona in the past.
Spurs' poor performers
Before we get to the player in question, we have to look at some of Spurs’ worst performers from last night, as while they got out with a point, it was an abysmal showing from one of the Premier League’s ‘big six.’
The starter who has been getting the most stick is Timo Werner, who was hooked at halftime for what might have been his worst game for the club since his arrival mid-way through last season.
That’s an opinion likely shared by Postecoglou, as in his post-match press conference, he slammed the German, saying his display “wasn’t acceptable,” which might even be too kind, as in just 46 minutes he lost the ball 16 times and received a 2/10 match rating from journalist Alasdair Gold.
Other than the former Chelsea ace, Pedro Porro was a disaster in attack and defence; Brennan Johnson went from ineffective off the right to anonymous off the left when Dejan Kulusevski came on, and the midfield duo of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur might as well have sat on the bench all game as they were so easily bypassed.
Overall, it was the sort of showing that can get a manager the sack.
However, aside from Kulusevski, who scored but still looked somewhat off his best, there was one starter from last night who almost single-handedly kept Spurs in the game, a player lauded by Messi over a decade ago.
The Spurs star who proved Messi right
So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is, of course, goalkeeping veteran Fraser Forster.
The six-capped Englishman spent a significant period of his career playing for Celtic, and it was with the Hoops that he left a seriously good impression on the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner following a 2-1 Champions League victory against Barcelona in 2012.
The 36-year-old was an immovable object for those 90 minutes, facing 14 shots on target and keeping the Catalans out until Messi finally scored a consolation goal in the 91st minute.
It was such an incredible showing from the Hexam-born shot-stopper that the Argentine megastar later told the press that it was the “best goalkeeping performance I have seen” and that the team “even talked about him playing here.”
“There was one game in Scotland where he was not human, it is the best goalkeeping performance I have seen. When Victor Valdes said he was leaving, we even talked about him playing here. I was sure that he would end up at Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United. “
Unfortunately for the Englishman, that path never presented itself to him, but last night, against Rangers, he rolled back the years once more and ensured that Spurs came away with a point from Ibrox.
In his 93 minutes of action, the “magnificent” veteran, as dubbed by former manager Neil Lennon, made five saves, four of which were inside the box, prevented 0.73 goals, made one punch and high claim, took 41 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 85%, and made one clearance.
Unsurprisingly, it was a showing that impressed the watching press, with Gold awarding him an 8/10 match rating at full-time and crediting him for his ‘crucial’ save against Cyriel Dessers just five minutes from time.
Minutes
93′
Saves
5
Saves inside the Area
4
Goals Prevented
0.73
Punches
1
High Claims
1
Touches
41
Passing Accuracy
23/27 (85%)
Clearances
1
Ultimately, the majority of the Spurs team were utterly dire against Rangers, but Forster put in another strong showing against his old rivals and, in turn, justified Messi’s high praise from all those years ago.
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