Serge Aurier moved to Tottenham from Paris St-Germain in the summer. He was considered to be the natural replacement to Kyle Walker after his transfer to Manchester City.
The Ivorian has a troubled past but is considered one of the top right-backs in world football. However, since moving to North London, Aurier has struggled to nail down a first-team spot. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has instead preferred long-time understudy to Walker, Kieran Trippier in that position.
Given recent displays in the Premier League, there are growing calls for the Argentine to trust Aurier more and give him additional opportunities to showcase his ability.
Is it Time to Trust Serge Aurier?
The Pace of Aurier
One of the complaints in the recent loss to Arsenal and draw with West Brom was the lack of pace in the Spurs side. This lack of pace makes the side very predictable, with the majority of the attacks coming through the middle of the field.
In the past few seasons, the majority of the pace has come from the Tottenham’s full-backs. However, since the departure of Kyle Walker and injury followed by controversies surrounding Danny Rose, the side has lacked pace. Serge Aurier can bring the speed that Spurs lack and provide another outlet in attack.
Defensive Indiscipline
So far, Pochettino has mainly used Aurier in the Champions League, preferring Trippier in the Premier League. Trippier is more defensively solid, however, Aurier’s attacking ability is too good to leave on the bench.
Aurier has had a few dodgy moments at Tottenham so far. Most notably, he gave away the penalty against Real Madrid in the ChampiLeagueague this season. However, Trippier is rarely able to dribble past his man, which limits Tottenham. Trippier’s final ball is top class. Unfortunately, it takes too much effort for Tottenham players to get him into a position to actually use this ability.
The Pedigree of Serge Aurier
A bagful of trophies won at PSG, as well as two appearances in both Ligue 1 and African Team of the Years; Aurier is clearly highly rated and can provide the winning mentality this Tottenham side lacks.
The Ivorian was considered by a host of Europe’s top clubs but his past put a lot of them off pursuing a deal. Pochettino will be hopeful he can replicate his past form and help bring Spurs to the next level.
Verdict
In games where Tottenham need to break down sides and require that extra bit of ability, Serge Aurier needs to play. Kieran Trippier is a quality full-back but he is not a wing-back.
The wing-back must play two roles, not one and a half. Without pace and ability to take on his man, Trippier is often left redundant during Tottenham’s attacks. His inability to provide an outlet has cost Tottenham recently.
People can moan how long it is taking Aurier to settle in but if he only plays one out of every three or four games in the Premier League then he will obviously struggle to settle in. Games bring confidence and Aurier’s defensive mishaps will only stop when he’s given the chance to play his way out of them.
Main Photo
