Jamie Carragher slams defender after noticing something — ‘I don’t like this’

Jamie Carragher didn’t hold back in his criticism of Djed Spence’s defending during Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Brighton, with the Liverpool legend openly saying, “I don’t like this” about the Spurs full-back’s positioning.

The pundit zeroed in on Spence’s role in Brighton’s late equalizer over the weekend. Tottenham, under Roberto De Zerbi, were leading 2-1 deep into stoppage time and looked set to grab a vital result in their fight against relegation. But Georginio Rutter struck in the 95th minute, crushing Spurs’ hopes and leaving them anchored in the drop zone with just six games left.

Goals from Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons had put Tottenham on course for their first Premier League win since December 28. Despite a much-improved performance, Spurs wasted a golden chance to climb out of the bottom three—before West Ham later drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace.

Reviewing Saturday’s match, Carragher said: “We’re talking about the 94th minute. Djed Spence came on in the 76th minute. He’s done well to close down his man. He can’t pull out of the press—he’s unlucky. But Djed Spence… I don’t like this. You’ve got to sprint back. He’s walking. He was a sub—he’s only been on for 15 minutes.

“Then you’ve got your two young midfielders [Bergvall and Gray], who we highlighted in the Sunderland game. They didn’t start this one, but they understand football. They know someone has to cover left-back because Spence is up the pitch. So they try to fill in.

“Now, Porro leaves his man, and Paulinha ends up at right-back. Keep an eye on Spence here. The ball comes to Danso, and everyone’s talking about his mistake—but Spence starts walking. Then walks again because he thinks Danso has the ball.

“Your two midfielders are covering left-back for him, leaving their positions in midfield, and that’s where Rutter scores. Brilliant left-footed finish, but it’s an absolute body blow for Tottenham. You can see their reaction. But listen, there were a lot of positives for Spurs in how they played. De Zerbi just won’t feel that right now.”

Tottenham return to action this weekend against already-relegated Wolves—a massive fixture for De Zerbi’s side, facing opponents with nothing but pride to play for.

Still, Carragher urged caution. “The last time they won? What month was that? December? They haven’t won a Premier League game since December. It’s unbelievable. So to think you’ll just go to an away game and win… I can’t see them losing to Wolves, and they could nick it, of course they could. But I’ve seen other teams go there and struggle against Wolves’ setup.”