5 lessons from Tottenham's 5-0 win over Gillingham
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides fifth goal with Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
What did Tottenham learn against Gillingham?
Tottenham fans got to enjoy a rather comfortable victory yesterday at White Hart Lane. Spurs were able to dispatch Gillingham pretty easily by a scoreline of 5-0. Fortunately, manager Mauricio Pochettino was able to learn quite a bit about his squad in the one-sided affair.
Part of the education came as a result of the manager’s ability to employ a heavily rotated side. Several Tottenham starlets were handed their Premier League debuts in the match. Each player acquitted themselves quite well.
The club also got serious contributions from some of their senior players as well. Christian Eriksen played a dominating match from the midfield, and Vincent Janssen got off the mark with his first goal in a Tottenham kit. In addition, Erik Lamela put in an excellent shift for the full 90 minutes.
At the very least, the easy win buoyed spirits around the club in advance of this weekend’s match against Middlesbrough. Read on to discover the five most important things Tottenham learned from the dominant performance.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham Hotspur scores his sides third goal from the penalty spot during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
5. Vincent Janssen can contribute without scoring
Much attention will be paid to Vincent Janssen’s goal against Gillingham, but I was more concerned with his other contributions. In particular, his play with his back to goal helped to unlock quite a few attacking sequences.
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The Dutch international may not have scored from open play, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t instrumental in any goals. In particular, his ability to shield defenders from the ball allowed him to lay the ball off to oncoming attackers on several occasions. That might be his best skill as a striker in the short-term.
It’s one of the things that Janssen does considerably better than Harry Kane. The Englishman is certainly a more natural finisher, but he isn’t the physical force on the ball that Janssen can be. That means he doesn’t generally provide quality layoffs that lead to scoring chances.
Against Middlesbrough this weekend, be sure to pay considerable attention to what Janssen does to create space for Spurs’ attacking midfielders. He may not get on the score sheet right away, but that isn’t the only way he can be hugely influential for the Tottenham attack.
ENFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 13: Kevin Wimmer of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Tottenham Hotspur training session at Tottenham Hotspur training centre on September 13, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
4. Kevin Wimmer is alive
Despite rumors that Wimmer was buried somewhere in Mauricio Pochettino’s backyard, the Austrian did manage to play the full 90 minutes yesterday. Spurs fans around the world are certainly relieved to find out he’s still among the living.
Perhaps predictably, he looked pretty rusty out on the pitch. He didn’t seem to play with the sharpness that made him so effective last season. He looked a step slow even against a very sloppy Gillingham attack.
Watching him play next to Cameron Carter-Vickers made me think that perhaps Pochettino was telling the truth about simply preferring the American international. While Wimmer looked average at best, Carter-Vickers was excellent.
While it was glad to see Wimmer back on the pitch, it’s clear he has a long way to go before he’s ready to be a Premier League starter again. Hopefully injury doesn’t make that a necessity any time soon.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Joshua Onomah of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
3. Too many fans have forgotten about Josh Onomah
It’s easy to forget about Josh Onomah as a factor in Tottenham’s attacking midfield at the moment. The Deadline Day purchases of both Moussa Sissoko and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou pushed the young Englishman well down the depth chart.
While he may not impact a Premier League match anytime soon, it’s wrong to forget about his importance to the club’s future. His energetic performance against Gillingham served as a real reminder to the Tottenham fan base that he’s got a bright future at White Hart Lane.
Most fans will remember Onomah’s goal, but there was more to his performance than that. He ran his socks off for the full 90 minutes. You can be sure that Gillingham midfielders were tired of seeing him by the time the final whistle blew.
Onomah is quickly becoming the ideal Pochettino midfielder. He may not be ready for the big time this season, but he’ll be a real factor for years to come.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: Marcus Edwards of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League 2 match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on September 9, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
2. Marcus Edwards is going to be a star
I’m not exactly sure when Marcus Edwards is going to be ready to be a huge factor at Tottenham, but the day is absolutely coming. He’s the most exciting prospect that’s come through the club’s Academy in quite some time.
Some fans ridiculed Pochettino for comparing him to Lionel Messi this week, but I can certainly understand where the manager is coming from. That’s not to say that he’s anywhere near Messi’s level as a player at the moment, but there are absolutely some stylistic similarities.
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Both men have amazingly close control of the ball that allows them to wriggle into space that other men just can’t find. Edwards repeatedly carried the ball into Gillingham’s final third and unleashed a wicked strike at goal late in the second half. It easily could have found the back of the net.
It’s Pochettino’s job to dampen expectations for the young starlet, but I’m not bound by the same standards. I’m all aboard the Marcus Edwards hype train.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Harry Winks in action during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
1. Harry Winks is ready for senior football
The young midfielder deserves a ton of credit for how far he’s come in just one calendar year. 12 months ago he looked as if he might wash out, and now he’s clearly ready for first team football.
He used to be miles behind Tom Carroll, and now he’s surged ahead of his midfield counterpart. The match against Gillingham made it painfully obvious that Winks has left Carroll in his proverbial dust.
When watching Winks I couldn’t help but be reminded of some of Scott Parker’s best performances in a Spurs shirt. Neither man is blessed with exceptional size, but they both are incredibly tidy on the ball. Bonus point go to Winks for avoiding Parker’s trademark move of turning around in circles on the pitch.
The most encouraging thing about Winks’ performance was his willingness to carry the ball forward. It’s something that Ryan Mason did effectively during his time with the club, and no one has taken it up in his absence. Winks looks very capable of learning how to be a key part of Tottenham’s future as a box-to-box midfielder.
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