Taking a closer look at Ryan Mason’s performance for Tottenham Hotspur against Hull City.
Much has been said about Ryan Mason in recent weeks, with the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s form taking a worrying dive.
Despite that, the 23-year-old continued to be picked by Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, even with so many other midfield options available to him.
That was the case again at the weekend, when Mason took his place alongside Nabil Bentaleb in the centre of Tottenham’s midfield. But rather than disappointing, the former put in a good performance, with his assist for Danny Rose’s goal a moment of brilliance.
That assist in itself proved what Mason is capable of and it went some way to justifying Pochettino’s apparently unwavering faith in him.
That he also had a 90 per cent passing accuracy and recovered the ball on five occasions showed how much he had upped his game from recent weeks; but in truth, it was still not enough to suggest he is the first-choice midfielder Tottenham need to reach the next level.
| Passing Accuracy | Goal Assists | Key Passes | Shots | Duels Won | Interceptions Won | Tackles Won | Ball Recoveries | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Mason | 90% | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 79 |
Yes Mason has talent, and his assist was wonderful, but if Tottenham want to be pushing for a top-four finish next season, a new quality addition in that area of the field is vital.
It seems slightly unfair to criticise Mason when he really did perform well against Hull, but with no shots in the entire match and only one tackle won, he is not the box-to-box star Spurs need.
As an effective back-up, he has plenty to offer, but Tottenham’s ambition next season will be directly reflected in their first-choice midfield pairing.
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