adminTottenham Hotspur might feel Jayden Bogle should have been sent off during their 1-0 loss to Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime, but that shouldn’t distract from a poor performance by the previously in-form visitors. Spurs arrived in Yorkshire on a run of three straight Premier League wins, yet in what was a largely forgettable top-flight match, they looked second-best to Daniel Farke’s side for most of the game.
Tottenham should have been brimming with confidence ahead of the two-week international break, but instead Noah Okafor’s late goal proved the difference. The north London club will argue they should have faced 10 men for most of the match after Bogle’s first-half challenge on Mathys Tel went unpunished despite a four-minute VAR review.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean disagreed with that call on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, saying it should “100%” have been a red card, especially after Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off for something very similar the previous weekend.
Several Spurs players simply failed to show up at Elland Road, including Pedro Porro and Omar Marmoush. Porro struggled defensively against Gabriel Gudmundsson all game and offered little attacking threat either.
The Spaniard was also lucky not to be sent off following a challenge on Lukas Nmecha, having been harshly booked for an earlier tackle that led to De Zerbi being booked.
Meanwhile, Marmoush continues to flatter to deceive in a Spurs shirt following his summer move from Manchester City, offering little as a centre-forward and on the left, where he moved after Tel had to be substituted.
Those two weren’t the only poor performers on the day, with Mohammed Kudus another to struggle badly.
Kudus Will Be Lucky to Start Against Ipswich
While Porro and Marmoush were notably below par in Yorkshire, Kudus produced one of his worst performances in a Tottenham shirt against Leeds. The Ghana international started on the right wing against Farke’s side but offered very little and was unable to provide the outlet they needed in the second half.
The 26-year-old was eventually replaced by Luca Williams-Barnett in the 83rd minute and was handed a 3/10 rating by the Standard for his display. Kudus is known for his ability on the ball, but his dribbling was worse than usual, and he managed only one accurate cross from seven attempts as Tottenham pushed for a goal.
Winning just three of the 13 duels he faced sums up his bad day at the office, and based on this display he will be fortunate to keep his place in the XI against Ipswich after the international break.
While De Zerbi has made no secret of being a big fan of Kudus, having previously tried to sign him for Brighton, he can’t keep starting him if he performs like that. The Italian boss has other options, with Luca Williams-Barnett, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski all on the bench on Saturday, while Savio could return after the international break following injury.
Tel could well be missing for several weeks after leaving Elland Road on crutches, but that doesn’t mean Kudus will start again against the Tractor Boys. Based on this display, he should be dropped regardless.
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