Serge Aurier had one foot outside Tottenham Hotspur at one point but he is now their most important defender.
It is not too long ago that Tottenham Hotspur fans wanted new full-backs to replace Serge Aurier and Danny Rose. The latter has left on loan but the Ivorian has become one of Jose Mourinho’s first names on the team sheet.
Aurier has played 24 times in the league this season. His performances have been criticised on a number of occasions by fans and pundits alike but is he really as bad as people make him out to be?
Let’s look at his stats this season. (WhoScored)
Surprisingly, Aurier has seen himself play further up the pitch under Mourinho than he did under Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite that, the Ivorian averages 3.2 tackles per game. Only Djibril Sidibe (4.6), Ricardo Pereira (4.3) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (3.9) have been better this season.
His disciplinary record on the field, despite a high tackle rate, is impressive considering that he has only been booked three times. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Wan Bissaka, arguably the league’s best, have twice as many this season.
Aurier’s tackle success rate is an excellent 80%; better than any other Spurs defender and other top right-backs in the Premier League at the moment.
The former Toulouse man’s offensive stats are not too bad either. Only Son Heung-min (7) has more assists in the league this season for Spurs than Aurier (4). The South Korean’s key passes per game of 1.4 is the best at Tottenham but it is only slightly better than the Ivorian’s 1.1.
Aurier has committed no errors from open play that have led to a shot or a goal this season, which is an impressive stat considering how he is judged compared to other defenders in the league. (SofaScore)
Are stats just too misleading or is Aurier actually Tottenham’s best defender? Spurs fans, you be the judge.
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