Tottenham Hotspur’s Serge Aurier was sent off against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.
Serge Aurier of Tottenham in action
Pundit Jamie Redknapp has told Sky Sports that he felt Serge Aurier was ‘a liability’ for Tottenham Hotspur against West Ham – even before his red card.
Aurier, 24, was making just his second start for Tottenham following a deadline day move from Paris Saint-Germain, with Mauricio Pochettino handing the Ivorian right back his first Premier League start.
It was a positive day for Tottenham, as they came away with a 3-2 lead, having gone 3-0 up through a Harry Kane brace and a Christian Eriksen goal, before Javier Hernandez and Cheikhou Kouyate scored for West Ham to set up a tense finale.
Whilst Spurs will be pleased with the three points, the performance of right back Aurier may give Pochettino cause for concern, with the Ivorian sent off for two bookings between Hernandez and Kouyate’s goals.
Serge Aurier of Tottenham after being sent off
Having received a booking just six minutes earlier, Aurier’s rash challenge on Andy Carroll on 70 minutes showed a complete lack of discipline, and an early bath was certainly not how the Spurs new boy would have wanted his first Premier League start to end.
Manager Pochettino may have suggested that Aurier was unlucky to be sent off, but pundits weren’t quite so willing to defend the Spurs defender.
At half time, Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports that he felt Aurier had been ‘a liability’ for Spurs, before proving his comments about being ‘rash’ correct with his red card, prompting Redknapp to claim that Kieran Trippier will be encouraged about his playing time after Aurier’s display.
Alan Pardew also slammed Aurier for his ‘unacceptable’ challenge, noting that he would have taken him off before his second booking, and wonders what Pochettino must think of his actions.
“Aurier has been a liability for Spurs,” said Redknapp before the Ivorian’s red card. “Arnautovic has got after him and he’s looked very rash – he could have conceded two penalties. He’s been the only problem for Tottenham in an otherwise controlled performance.”
“Trippier must be sitting on the bench and thinking, ‘I’m going to be playing every week.’ He had a blinder,” he added after the final whistle.
“I would have taken him off before the booking. Then it is unacceptable to make the challenge he did on a booking. I can’t imagine what Pochettino thinks of that,” added Pardew.
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