Two weeks is a very long time in football, and Tottenham Hotspur are a perfect example of that.
Midway through last month, the North Londoners were in a supposed crisis, having dropped points away to Leicester City and lost to Arsenal and Newcastle United in back-to-back games.
However, with their backs against the wall, Ange Postecoglou’s entertainers went on to win their next four games, with the 3-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon the pick of the bunch.
Things are looking up for the Lilywhites now, but the win over United showed that Postecoglou has to devise a different solution to Son Heung-min’s absence on the left wing going forward, as Timo Werner simply isn’t good enough.
Werner's poor form
When Spurs first announced the signing of Werner on loan in January, there was a level of cautious optimism among fans and pundits alike that the former Chelsea ace would be unlocked in Postecoglou’s free-flowing system and produce a level of output similar to his initial stint with RB Leipzig and look a different player to the one who flopped at Chelsea.
After all, Arteta has improved Kai Havertz and Jorginho’s fortunes in the last 18 months, so why couldn’t the Australian do the same?
Unfortunately, while the Stuttgart-born poacher was useful here and there, he was ultimately rather underwhelming, and by the time a thigh injury ended his campaign in late April, he had racked up a meagre haul of two goals and three assists in 14 games.
However, the club had obviously seen enough. In late May, it was announced that they had agreed to extend his loan for another season, in a deal that includes an option to buy for around £8.5m, although based on his form so far this year, we aren’t sure that’s an option that will be taken up.
So far, the 28-year-old has made six appearances, two of which have been starts, yet he has failed to score even a single goal, and against Coventry City in the League Cup, he looked completely off the pace, which would explain the 2/10 rating he got from Spurs writer Alasdair Gold.
Now, were he to continue to make minor substitute appearances here and there, then his abysmal form wouldn’t be a huge problem, but following Son’s injury last week, he started against United and could be in line to continue starting until the South Korean is back.
Luckily, his inclusion from the start didn’t cost the team on Sunday, but that might not be the case going forward, so Postecoglou must take action and hand one of the club’s most exciting prospects his chance in the first team until the captain is fit and firing again.
Why Postecoglou should turn to Mikey Moore
Yes, the exciting youngster Ange should now turn to in place of Werner is academy graduate Mikey Moore.
Although the 17-year-old left-winger has had very minimal first-team experience up until now, making just five appearances in the last year, that shouldn’t bar him from making his first start this evening.
Indeed, if a player is good enough, they are old enough, and the Southwark-born gem is certainly good enough.
For example, in his 33 games for the club’s various junior sides, the “outstanding” prospect, as talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him, has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists.
This means that the sensational attacker is currently averaging a goal involvement once every 0.94 games at the youth level, and while that level of output obviously won’t translate into the men’s game, it’s still incredibly encouraging.
Appearances
33
Goals
20
Assists
15
Goal Involvements per Match
1.06
Moreover, while the right-footed dynamo was only on the pitch for 14 minutes against United, he looked utterly unphased and right at home, even coming exceptionally close to scoring with a brilliant curled effort from outside the box.
Ultimately, Son is one of Spurs’ best players, and there really isn’t anyone else in the squad who will be able to replace his output while he is sidelined. However, we know Werner isn’t good enough, and from all indications, Moore looks like he just might be.
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Therefore, Postecoglou should drop the German from his starting lineup and give the young Englishman a chance to start first-team games.