Kevin Kilbane has praised Vincent Janssen’s pressing – but slammed Christian Eriksen.
Kevin Kilbane during his time at Hull City
Pundit Kevin Kilbane has told BBC Sport’s Match of the Day 2 Extra that he felt Vincent Janssen’s pressing gave Tottenham fans a lift against West Ham United.
Spurs went into Saturday’s London derby with West Ham having failed to win in seven games in all competitions, and it looked like it would be a difficult night when Michail Antonio headed West Ham into a first half lead.
Tottenham had an unbeaten Premier League record to protect having avoided defeat all season so far, and hit back when Harry Winks – making his first Premier League start – equalised after half time.
Manuel Lanzini did put West Ham back in front from the penalty spot, but Tottenham produced a stunning late rally as Harry Kane equalised from Heung-min Son’s cross, and after Son had been fouled by Havard Nordtveit in injury time, Kane stepped up to score the penalty and win the game.
Spurs’ turnaround in the second half was huge, and one pundit has highlighted the role of striker Vincent Janssen, who has endured a difficult start to life in English football so far.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen in action
The Dutchman, who joined Spurs from AZ Alkmaar over the summer, has yet to score a goal in open play for Tottenham, and not only failed to find the net against West Ham, but also gave away the penalty leading to Lanzini’s goal.
However, pundit Kevin Kilbane has told BBC’s Match of the Day 2 Extra that he felt Janssen actually got Tottenham fans going against West Ham as he was pressing the Hammer defence at the start of the second half, giving White Hart Lane the lift it needed.
Kilbane added that he has been disappointed with playmaker Christian Eriksen’s performances this season, suggesting that the 24-year-old Dane was poor yet again versus West Ham on Saturday night.
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen looks dejected after a missed chance
“They weren’t great, I have to say that,” said Kilbane. “They got out of jail a little bit towards the end of the game. They started the second half quite well but in the first half, they were awful. I think they had about 70% of possession but created nothing, and West Ham were the more threatening side.”
“All of a sudden, they come out after half time, and it was Janssen who went and closed Ogbonna down, it got the crowd up, and that’s what they did really throughout the second half; they got back on the front foot, created a few chances and got themselves back in the game.”
“One player who I have been disappointed with is Christian Eriksen. I think he has struggled this season, and again he was quite poor in the match [on Saturday]” he added.
What did you think of Janssen and Eriksen’s performances against West Ham?
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