Young Mathys Tel's stock is finally on the rise. The Tottenham Hotspur left winger has been putting in some strong performances this season despite little reward, and after Thomas Frank continually snubbed him week after week, Spurs supporters were fearing the same as Igor Tudor was not regularly starting him either.
But now that Tudor seems to have settled in as the new Spurs manager, he is starting to trust Tel fully as a starter. After shining in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool with a bevy of key passes and dribbles completed as an electrifying outlet on that previously dead left hand side, Tel finally grabbed his assist with a perfect cross to Randal Kolo Muani to open the scoring in a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid.
Tel was great all night long yet again, putting defenders on skates and creating chances for his team. But Tel should have had a second assist, squandering a great chance to square the ball for his teammates by shooting instead.
Mathy Tel can't pass up golden assist opportunities
While Tel deserves praise for being a brave young forward and always having the willingness to try something to get a goal, including shoot and even shoot from range, he will have to remember to reign it in when there are better options.
In that game, Tel took the wrong option, but it ultimately was not costly. With the margins as tight as they are in a heated Premier League relegation battle like this year's, the next selfish mistake from Mathys Tel may not be forgiven so easily by the opposition.
Tottenham Hotspur need to keep trusting in Tel, because he has the potential to be a top left winger for them in the aftermath of Son Heung-min's departure to MLS. But what Tel needs to do is remember what made Son so great on the left wing and what makes a great winger is that virtue of playing for the team and not letting even a well intentioned zeal for goals get in the way of what will ultimately help the team.
Now that Tel is starting regularly, it is time for him to tackle the next developmental milestone in his career. He needs to be more present and aware. The tools and the potential to have the understanding of a true, top class winger are there, but Tel has to put it into practice and do so consistently. That starts with not botching these obvious assist opportunities.