Tottenham Hotspur’s January signing Antonin Kinsky got his first taste of a North London Derby on Sunday night as Spurs lost 2-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League.
We saw glimpses of his potential against Liverpool in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, but yesterday showed us where he needs to improve, especially in high-pressure situations.
Mistakes could have been hefty for Kinsky
Making his English top-tier debut in one of Europe’s most famous rivalries, the 21-year-old shot-stopper was on the receiving end of a consistent Arsenal press that exposed his (and Tottenham’s) weaknesses in playing the ball from the back, and while the Lilywhites faithful had high hopes for Kinsky, his errors in possession, including misplacing 11 passes and completing only 44% of his long balls, gave Arsenal opportunities to capitalise.
To highlight, Kai Havertz came close to forcing a mistake inside the visitors penalty area, and pundits like Rio Ferdinand have been critical of Kinsky’s approach as the Man United icon spoke about how the 21-year-old’s hesitancy on the ball made the entire team appear weak and unsettled.
Ferdinand said live on TNT Sports (via. TBR Football):
“If someone hasn’t given him a rocket at half-time to say listen, speed it up. Because that’s where pressure starts. It creeps through the team then straight away. If the ‘keeper is like that and gets caught on the ball, the rest of the team gets nervy. What’s wrong with just kicking the ball up the pitch sometimes, particularly when you are under pressure?”
However, it wasn’t all negative for Kinsky. There were glimpses of good as well, one of them being his aerial command with four successful punches and two high claims during set-piece situations. While the NLD showed a few of his flaws, it will also be a much-needed learning experience regarding the small margins of error against top-level opposition.
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For now, Tottenham will need to get back from the loss as they prepare to face Everton at Goodison Park this weekend as the pressure continues to mount on Ange Postecoglou given how the Lilywhites are struggling in the Premier League this season. Unless results pick up soon, the Spurs boss will continue to find himself under the scanner.
