Tottenham are back on track after their win against Everton.
Thomas Frank shook things up against the Toffees as Kevin Danso excelled in Cristian Romero’s absence.
Tottenham hadn’t had the best return from the international break after failing to win against Aston Villa and Monaco, but they’ve put things right by handing Everton their first loss at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Of course, Micky van de Ven has grabbed the headlines for Tottenham, after the Dutch defender bagged a first-half brace, keeping a clean sheet in the process.
However, Frank and Tottenham fans really should be thanking one man in particular who is holding everything together for the Lilywhites at the minute.
MORE SPURS STORIES
Joao Palhinha is the glue that held Tottenham together vs Everton
Being away from home against Everton, Tottenham always faced a difficult task of the roaring Blues fans that were always going to get behind the Toffees.
As expected, Everton created lots of chances in the game, and some may argue that Tottenham were unlucky not to concede after VAR controversy in the first-half.
However, despite set-pieces being key for Tottenham, without Joao Palhinha, the Lilywhites would not have brought the three points back to North London.
There haven’t been many players that have been consistently selected by Frank in all competitions for Spurs so far this season, but Palhinha has, and it’s clear to see why.
Against Everton, Palhinha completed 75 per cent of his attempted tackles and was crucial in breaking up the play, and getting Tottenham on the front foot.
Palhinha now averages 4.3 tackles per game in the Premier League with Tottenham, and yet again proved just how important he is to Frank’s side against Everton.
Not many people would have thought Palhinha would have been as instrumental as he has been so far for Tottenham, but his form comes at the expense of another midfield star.
Palhinha’s form causes worry for Pape Sarr
Tottenham have been linked with Morten Hjulmand, a defensive midfielder who plays in Portugal with Sporting CP, a side Palhinha once played for.
Pape Sarr has struggled for game time this season, as he came off the bench against Everton, making an impact, scoring the third and final goal for Spurs on Sunday night.
The Senegalese didn’t express much happiness when he bagged his second goal of the Premier League season, and it may only be an indication of his current situation with Frank.
Unfortunately for him, Palhinha’s form is too consistent for the Portuguese man to be dropped, as Rodrigo Bentancur also seems preferred over Sarr.