The failure of Etienne Capoue to kick on after a promising start at Tottenham Hotspur this season is one of the most disappointing aspects of their season.
The emergence of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason has undoubtedly been one of the big plus points to Tottenham Hotspur’s season.
On the flip side of the coin, the way midfielder Etienne Capoue has failed to usurp either of them for a first team place has been one of the more disappointing.
The seven time capped French international’s future at the club is in question, but it all started off so brightly this season, having started out as first choice.
After four games this season in the Premier League, Capoue had completed more accurate passes than any player in the entire division.
| Team | Accurate Passes | Touches | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etienne Capoue | Tottenham | 342 | 429 | 4 |
| Aaron Ramsey | Arsenal | 310 | 454 | 4 |
| Morgan Schneiderlin | Southampton | 268 | 361 | 4 |
| Gareth Barry | Everton | 267 | 348 | 4 |
| Cesc Fàbregas | Chelsea | 263 | 357 | 4 |
Since then however it has been a different story entirely. Since mid-September and after the first four games of the season, Capoue has not even matched that number of passes, and only made four more touches.
| Team | Accurate Passes | Touches | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etienne Capoue | Tottenham | 282 | 433 | 8 |
It’s why despite his bright start, Capoue’s failure to prove his worth is the biggest disappointment. He hasn’t played in any competition since featuring in the FA Cup loss to Leicester, a match that in itself he could use a lack of match sharpness to mitigate his poor display.
Underwhelming seasons from Emmanuel Adebayor, Robert Soldado and Paulinho mean he is not the only one, but just after the way the 26-year-old began the season, the way he has fallen out of favour threatens to lead to an underwhelming end to his Spurs career this summer.
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