Chris Waddle has praised Tottenham attacker Lucas Moura after his excellent performance in the 1-1 draw against Barcelona on Tuesday night.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man steered Mauricio Pochettino’s side through to the knockout stages as his late goal ensured a vital draw for the visitors at the Nou Camp.
Waddle was impressed with the Brazilian: “I think Moura is a player Tottenham needed,” he told the Football Daily podcast [11/12; 16:25]. “He can pick the ball up. I think Son is the player who was basically the one who went at players and took people on and tried to get to the byline or have a shot.
“Moura is that type of player and Tottenham need that type of player. They needed someone who could run with the ball. He’s the sort of player you can throw on and he’ll get at you, he’ll take you on, he’ll create – and they needed that.”
OPINION
Waddle is bang on the money, here. Moura gives Tottenham something different that they didn’t necessarily have before he arrived in January. There are many tricky, creative players at Spurs, such as Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Harry Winks, but there aren’t as many players with the sheer pace and ability to change a game in an instant that Moura possesses. He showed again against Barcelona that he is a key man for Pochettino’s side now. He made the difference off the bench against the Spanish champions and scored the crucial goal. He is the ideal player for when you’re chasing a game because his pace causes huge problems for the opposition, especially against teams that will look to play like Barcelona and consequently leave space for Moura to run into. He can be the difference in big games, as he showed against Manchester United earlier this term. He’s going from strength to strength and, Waddle’s right, he is the type of player Tottenham needed.