Worse than Kinsky: 4/10 Spurs dud who lost the ball 15x had a “nightmare” vs Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur entered last night’s North London derby with the opportunity to deal a final blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes but ended up giving their rivals a much-needed boost.

Ange Postecoglou’s side initially weathered Arsenal’s early pressure and even took the lead after 25 minutes. However, a defensive lapse saw them trailing 2-1 before halftime.

Despite pushing hard for an equalizer in the second half, Spurs looked just as likely to concede another goal, ultimately suffering a defeat that leaves them with only five points from the last 27 available.

Some Spurs players performed admirably under the intense pressure, including Lucas Bergvall, Son Heung-min, and Djed Spence. However, others fell short, notably Antonín Kinský and Pedro Porro, whose performances raised concerns.

Antonín Kinský’s display was particularly disappointing. Making his league debut for Spurs after promising outings in the League Cup and FA Cup, Kinský struggled to adapt to the high-pressure environment of a North London derby.

On multiple occasions, he lingered on the ball too long, misjudged passes, or took poor touches, putting his defense under unnecessary pressure. In one instance, this nearly allowed Kai Havertz to score early in the match. His most glaring mistake came when he failed to save Leandro Trossard’s decisive goal despite being well-positioned.

Criticism of Kinský was echoed by respected Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold, who rated the Czech goalkeeper a disappointing 5/10. Gold noted Kinský’s role in Trossard’s goal and highlighted how the youngster’s decision-making under pressure fell short

While it is too early to dismiss his potential, Kinský’s performance against Arsenal demonstrated the need for growth and composure at this level.

Pedro Porro’s performance, however, was arguably even worse. Despite his experience, Porro seemed perpetually out of position, with Arsenal exploiting his defensive lapses. Commentator Ally McCoist even remarked, “Where’s Pedro Porro?” during the match.

A particularly embarrassing moment occurred when Trossard sent Porro tumbling to the ground, epitomizing the Spaniard’s struggles. Offensively, Porro failed to make any meaningful contributions, unable to penetrate Arsenal’s defense or create chances to challenge Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Gold rated Porro a mere 4/10, noting his inability to recover defensively for Arsenal’s second goal and his overall lack of impact. The statistics further highlighted his poor performance, as he managed an expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.04 and an expected assists (xA) figure of 0.05 over 95 minutes.

He was dribbled past once, lost three of five duels, committed two fouls, misplaced five of six crosses, and lost possession 15 times. His passing accuracy of 78% reflected his struggles to maintain composure under Arsenal’s pressing.

Ultimately, the defeat exposed significant flaws in Spurs’ performance, particularly in defensive cohesion and individual decision-making. While players like Bergvall and Son showed resilience, others, including Kinský and Porro, failed to rise to the occasion.

The result not only dealt a blow to Tottenham’s season but also reignited Arsenal’s title ambitions. For Postecoglou, this match highlighted the urgent need for improvements across the board if Spurs are to achieve their goals this season.