Tottenham Hotspur cannot afford to falter any further in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Roberto de Zerbi’s side actually played well against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday night, but were still unable to maintain their slim advantage and Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time goal, beating Antonin Kinski, forced a draw.
How they will react is the question on every Lily Whites fan’s mind. Spurs face bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers, then Aston Villa, before taking on relegation rivals Leeds United. The next few weeks are clearly critical.
Tottenham’s last win in the Premier League was 15 games ago in December – and after such a poor run of performances, it was good to see De Zerbi get some form out of his players, even if he couldn’t get a win.
How Spurs improved against Brighton
Mainly, there was more spirit and initiative in Tottenham’s performance. Improvements still need to be made, as was painfully clear as the players stood looking dejectedly at the turf after failing to pick up a valuable victory over Nottingham Forest’s win over Burnley on Sunday.
However, now is not the time to regret missed opportunities as kitchen sink time approaches. De Zerbi will make that clear in training, but he will also point out the progress that was evident against the Seagulls.
Despite the visiting team having more control of the ball (58%), the hosts had a better xG (1.09 vs. 0.82).
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability that a shot will result in a goal.
The midfield, which had been sluggish, was also revamped, with Rodrygo Bentancur starting and James Maddison starting on the bench following a long-term injury.
But another player looked set to come into his own in the final game and could provide the formula to lift the Londoners out of the relegation zone and into a positive future.
De Zerbi discovers ‘Poch-era Dele Alli’ at Spurs
Conor Gallagher made a big contribution to Tottenham’s side as they secured a point at the weekend, despite having struggled since joining the club. It was a huge blow, but also a stepping stone to the victory that will surely come in the coming weeks.
Conor Gallagher vs Brighton | |
|---|---|
match statistics | # |
Play time (minutes) | 76 minutes |
Goal + Assist | 0+0 |
touch | 42 |
exact path | 22/25 (88%) |
A big opportunity has arisen | 1 |
Successful. dribble | 3/3 |
collect | 4 |
Def. contribution | 3 |
intercept | 2 |
won a duel | 7/9 |
It was close to the all-action style the ENIC group had in mind when he arrived from Atletico Madrid in a £35m package in January. From the first half to the second half, Tottenham had perhaps a bigger threat than their opponents, and Gallagher’s energy and enthusiasm were a key part of that.
Despite struggling this season, being anonymous at times and often lacking bite and confidence in key moments, De Zerbi has played against Gallagher frequently, suggesting he highly admires the 26-year-old’s skill set. That opinion will likely remain the same after the draw against Brighton.
He has a lot more to offer. After all, The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brook once described him as “the Dele Alli of the Poch era” when he was a Chelsea star.
It would be an understatement to say that Gallagher’s performances in recent months have not been reminiscent of Dele in his prime at Tottenham. But he showed against Brighton that he can play with more freedom and progression than we have seen so far.
In his last Premier League campaign, at Stamford Bridge in 2023/24, he scored five goals and provided seven assists, excelling in a mobile midfield role. He created 11 big chances, won an average of 5.7 duels per game and completed 68% of his dribbles.
It’s typical of Dele, albeit a lower standard than when the former England international wreaked havoc on Premier League defences.
With Bentancur providing stability in midfield, De Zerbi can now encourage Gallagher to break away from the pragmatism that is perhaps holding him back and play more freely.
Maddison could also fill a Christian Eriksen-like playmaking role, allowing Gallagher to step into dangerous territory and create without assuming primary responsibility.
Will Gallagher Dele be reborn? No, obviously not. But the ability to move forward and combine combative midfield work with fluid attacking play is what N17 has been lacking this season, and if Gallagher uses this platform to kick on, it could prove all the difference.
Spurs have acquired raw talent Xavi Simmons and could let them go
Roberto De Zerbi must unleash a young Spurs player who could become Xavi Simmons 2.0.
