On paper, Tottenham Hotspur right back Pedro Porro should be one of the best players in the Premier League at his position, and, therefore, an invaluable player to Spurs. He should be considered one of the top, top players in the league, and while he has all the tools on both ends of the pitch and is a nailed on starter for Spurs, it never feels like he is accepted as a top class player.
And that's because there is always something missing with Pedro. He works hard, he wins the ball, he puts in crosses, he creates chances, but at the end of the day, he is a regular starter on a losing team and never has the same importance in games as the true core of Tottenham players like Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.
In Saturday's 2-1 loss to Fulham, Porro proved why Tottenham fans just can't trust him as a core player or consider him anywhere near world class, even if he is a very talented player and statistically a great right back.
Pedro Porro is a stat padder
Because, once again, Porro had the statistics. He had three key passes, three tackles won, and three interceptions for Tottenham. And what did those statistics mean for Tottenham on Saturday night against Fulham? Absolutely nothing. They were empty calories and emblematic of Porro's playing style. Selfish, focused on his own numbers, and with no regard for the team.
Porro is a player who makes basic positional errors and sacrifices stability tactically in order to win the ball to pad his stats. He focuses more on spamming crosses instead of focusing on precision or waiting until there is someone available to receive in the box. And his shots from outside the box? They are basically a gift to the opposition, not even worth trying.
Compounding all of that, Porro has a serious attitude problem. After a game in which he had 3 of 16 accurate crosses and made defensive lapse after defensive lapse off the ball, he decided to throw a tantrum and make Lucas Bergvall a target of his ire. Bergvall, who has far more talent and team spirit than Porro, actually played a decent game and was interacting like a normal, reasonable person with the fans after a tough loss. Porro decided to scream at him and hurry down the tunnel like a petulant child.
Mad about a loss? That's perfectly fine. Yelling at a young star a few years your junior? Unacceptable and a clear sign that Porro is not a leader. At the age of 26, you have to expect more maturity from Porro, but immaturity is exactly what Spurs have come to expect from the Spanish international, whose stat padding over the last couple of seasons has belied the fact that he is a very average player with the ego and attitude of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo.