Tottenham Hotspur striker Carlos Vinicius scored his first goals for the club in an excellent all-round performance on Thursday night – as Spurs beat a lacklustre Ludogorets side 4-0 to put themselves within a point of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Carlos Vinicius Gives Tottenham Hotspur the Striker Depth Required to Challenge on All Fronts
Vinicius Instrumental in Comfortable Spurs Victory
It’s been an up-and-down season for on-loan Benfica striker Vinicius. He registered two assists on his first start for Spurs in the club’s 3-1 win over LASK. However, he was then hauled off at half-time in the drab 1-0 defeat at Royal Antwerp.
Since then, he has barely featured at all for the club, limited to substitute appearances. However, today’s performance against Ludogorets showed just what the Brazilian is all about.
Two goals and an assist is an excellent summation of the game for Vinicius. He showed great composure to open the scoring after 16 minutes and was rewarded for his good positioning as he tapped in a second.
His link-up play was superb throughout, too. The 25-year-old was constantly aware of what was around him, exemplified by his lay-off to compatriot Lucas Moura for Spurs’ fourth of the night, despite being on for a hat-trick himself.
Overall, it was a highly encouraging display from Vinicius, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Spurs. A tough domestic fixture list lies ahead, with games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool within the next few weeks. These games are interspersed with the remaining Europa League group stage fixtures.
Jose Mourinho knows he’ll be able to call on Vinicius and rest Harry Kane for those European games. Perhaps most exciting is the fact that Vinicius offers something different to Kane.
While Kane is an almost infallible target man, Vinicius offers both the ability to hold the ball up and pace to run in behind.
This, coupled with the fact that Vinicius is starting to find an eye for goal, means that Tottenham finally have the squad depth in the striker position they have craved for many seasons.
Dele Alli Back to His Best
It was also a big night for Spurs outcast Dele Alli, with Mourinho deciding to give the England international a chance once again on the European stage.
Like Vinicius, Alli was subbed off at half-time against Antwerp. Similarly to the Brazilian, Alli excelled against Ludogorets tonight.
Constantly pulling the strings in midfield, this was Alli’s most accomplished performance in a Spurs shirt for a long time. While not technically getting the assist for the first goal, it was his pass which split open the Bulgarian side’s defence, albeit through a deflection.
There was no questioning his contribution to the second goal of the night. Alli unselfishly laid the ball off to Vinicius after Tanguy Ndombele – who also had a superb game – had a shot parried.
It would have been tempting for Alli to go for goal himself from a tight angle. However, the awareness to instead give Vinicius a tap-in spoke volumes of his willingness to help the team, at a time of personal footballing struggle.
Alli should take confidence from his performance, which rubbished the idea that he doesn’t have a place in Mourinho’s system. He may not be an automatic starter for the next games. However, Alli should at least have earned himself a spot on the bench.
Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez Both Stake Claims to Replace Toby Alderweireld
Toby Alderweireld‘s injury during the 2-0 win against Manchester City threatened to derail Spurs’ form this season. The Belgian has been a key part of a defence which has tightened up considerably in recent weeks. Spurs have conceded just once in their last three league matches.
His absence for the next two to four weeks has opened up the door for Davinson Sanchez to return to the fold. Sanchez hasn’t started a game since the Antwerp defeat but was in good form against Ludogorets.
The same must be said of his centre-back partner Japhet Tanganga, who has been ravaged by injuries during 2020. Both defenders will be in with a chance of partnering Eric Dier against Chelsea on Sunday.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
