After being handed a rare chance to start, poor old Ryan Sessegnon endured a nightmare display on Tuesday night.
The England U21 international had played just 11 times all season before the clash against RB Leipzig, with his hamstring injury earlier on in the campaign also playing its part in his limited game-time.
But with Tottenham needing another Amsterdam-worthy miracle, Jose Mourinho – to his credit – showed his faith in Sessegnon, and thrust him straight into the starting line-up. The last time the 19-year-old played in Europe, he netted away from home against Bayern Munich, and would surely have been itching to enjoy something similar.
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Instead, the teenager looked woefully out of his depth against a slick Leipzig team that brushed Spurs aside with ease. Julian Nagelsmann’s men registered a comfortable 3-o victory on the night, and it was Sessegnon who unfortunately stuck out like a sore thumb.
As per Sofascore, his 5.6 match rating was the worst of any player on the pitch by a long way, and when looking at the underlying numbers behind his performance, it’s clear to see why. Sessegnon was involved in 14 total duels over the course of the 90 minutes (nine on the ground, and five in the air), and he lost every single one of them.
Standing at 5 foot 10 with a very slight physical frame, it’s unsurprising that the wing-back had difficulties in the 50/50s, but to not win one duel at all just showed his inability to get to grips with the intensity of the game.
He conceded possession 23 times too (the joint-most of any Spurs player), and failed to complete any dribbles or provide any key passes. He was just as ineffective defensively, as he was going the other way. If Mourinho brought him into the team to provide some attacking impetus, then he sadly failed to deliver.
The north London side needed him to show a bit more fight and aggression, but instead he looked completely lost. Mourinho may have second thoughts about bringing him in for the big games over these coming weeks.
Meanwhile, this Spurs star just offered another reminder of Pochettino’s magic.