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Despite their recent good form, Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were the better team for the majority of the match but a mix up at the back involving Kieran Trippier allowed Marcus Rashford to fire the Red Devils ahead in the first half, and the visitors were able to cling on to that slender advantage.
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Aside from that momentary lapse, United caused few problems for the home team’s rearguard, but it was telling that when Spurs did come under pressure it was usually Toby Alderweireld who was on hand to bail them out.
The rest of the back four – left-back Ben Davies, centre-back Jan Vertonghen and right-back Trippier – all had shortcomings in their game. Davies struggled with the pace of Martial and Rashford, Vertonghen was too often on his heels and unable to get to grips with the pace of the game, and Trippier was at fault for the goal.
Alderweireld, though, was solid and reliable. His classy performance was typified by how little he actually had to do. Over the course of the ninety minutes, he made no tackles and no interceptions. However, he was always well positioned to ensure that United couldn’t manoeuvre the ball beyond him and into dangerous areas.
His three clearances exemplify the quality of his positioning as he was so often on hand to deal with a loose ball. He would, however, have expected to win more than the one aerial duel.
On the ball, the 29-year-old was just as trustworthy. His pass accuracy rating of 85% would have been much higher had he not been forced to play some long, searching balls into United’s defensive third as Spurs went in search of an equalising goal.
All in all, whilst question marks remain over the rest of Pochettino’s defence, the 84-cap Belgium international remains reassuringly consistent.
