Joao Palhinha struggled against Chelsea.placeholder image
Joao Palhinha struggled against Chelsea. | Getty Images
Thomas Frank's side struggled for bite in midfield as Chelsea won 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur were easily outplayed by London rivals Chelsea on Saturday evening with the 1-0 scoreline perhaps not painting an accurate picture of what was dominance from Enzo Maresca’s side.
Thomas Frank’s men lacked the spark needed to make something happen against the Blues and were booed off at half-time and after the final whistle by home supporters. Spurs haven’t won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the league since the opening weekend of the season.
After the match, attention was centred on the performances of Djed Spence and Micky Van de Ven following a disagreement with Frank on the pitch, but it was another Spurs man who was criticised by ex Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
‘Not Capable’: Jamie Carragher slams Tottenham Hotspur midfielder
Speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football, the pundit analysed Spurs’ shortfalls against Chelsea and spoke about an inability to break through the visitors’ lines. In particular, he had criticism for midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Carragher said: “For me, for Thomas Frank, that’s something he has to grow. One of his first signings is Palhinha. He is not capable, I don’t think, of doing this. There’s a reason why teams in the Premier League didn’t buy him from Fulham and there’s a reason why Bayern Munich bought him and didn’t play him. That would be a worry.
“For Thomas Frank, going forward, when you think of pragmatic managers in the past who have made that jump from a smaller club to a bigger one, that has always been a problem. Can they coach the rotations, the build up play, to break the lines?”
LondonWorld rated the 30-year-old a 5/10 for his performance against Chelsea. We wrote: “A similar showing to colleague Sarr in the centre of the park. Completely outclassed by a Chelsea midfield that was a level above.”
Spurs have option to buy Joao Palhinha
Palhinha is on loan at Tottenham Hotspur from Bayern Munich but the Premier League club does have the option to make that loan move permanent for £27 million. Palhinha has also been praised for his efforts this term, scoring important goals against Manchester City and Wolves.
Just last month, Carragher himself had praised the midfielder. He told The Telegraph: “The best signing under Frank so far is Joao Palhinha, a highly effective ball-winner more so than a playmaker. In the early stages of his Spurs career, Palhinha is exactly what Frank and his new club need, and it could bring instant success.
“Going forward, there will have to be an evolution, as the pairing of Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur is perceived by supporters to be over-cautious in home games.”
In other news, Premier League supercomputer predicts where Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham will finish after latest results.
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