On Tuesday, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 5-2 defeat against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Cristian Romero returned to Spurs starting lineup, after serving a domestic suspension for his red card against Manchester United.
The Argentine international played alongside Micky van de Ven in the heart of Tottenham’s defence. However, the duo and their teammates couldn’t stop Atlético from scoring four goals in the first 22 minutes.
Igor Tudor made a surprising decision by starting Antonín Kinský ahead of Guglielmo Vicario in goal. That went down well with many Spurs fans, who felt the Italian deserved to be dropped.
AS slam Tottenham manager
Wednesday’s edition of AS is critical of the Croatian’s decision to start Kinský. Prior to yesterday’s clash, the goalkeeper had only played two EFL Cup matches for the north London club this season.
Tudor then made another surprising move by replacing Kinský with the Italy international, who has been Spurs. No.1 this season, in the 17th minute. This happened two minutes after Atlético scored their third goal.
Pedro Porro scored Tottenham’s first goal in the 26th minute before Julián Alvarez regained Los Rijiblacnos’ four-goal lead in the 55th minute. Dominic Solanke reduced the deficit by scoring Spurs’ second goal in the final quarter.
AS say beyond Diego Simeone’s tactics, the ‘most influential factor’ was Tudor’s decision to start Kinský.
Spanish newspapers give Spurs player ratings
AS work their ratings by spades, on a 0-3 spades basis. T
hey gave a blank rating to Tottenham’s Kinský, Romero, Van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Randal Kolo Muani, Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Mathys Tel.
Richarlison and Djed Spence both got a single spade while Porro got two, which is the highest for a Spurs player.
Another Spanish newspaper, Marca, work on a star basis of 0-4.
Marca gave a blank rating to Kinský, Van de Ven, Danso, Kolo Muani, Sarr and Tel.
Porro is the only Tottenham player to get two stars while the remaining quarter got a single star.
The return leg will take place in the English capital on March 18th, and there’s an uphill task for whoever is in charge at Spurs at that time.
Our take: Atlético defeat can impact Tottenham group
Tudor’s decision to start Kinský against Atlético may not go down well with Vicario. He is ikely to be disappointed and it could make his conviction to leave the club stronger.
Sport Witness recently covered claims from Italy of Inter Milan, Juventus and AS Roma’s interest in Vicario for the summer.
The manager’s decision to replace Kinský after 17 minutes would have shattered his confidence. He may seek for a move away from the north London club in the summer.
Meanwhile, Tudor’s immediate future at the Premier League side would also be in danger. He is yet to win a match since replacing Thomas Frank and the latest defeat could push Spurs to take immediate action.
Transfer values may also be impacted. That’s a growing concern with Micky van de Ven, who was fortunate not to see a red card and is increasingly making rash decisions.