OPINION
Tony Cascarino is way-off with his recent comments on Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks after the 23-year old appeared for the club in the Champions League final.
In an article for The Times, the former forward had a few words to say on the midfielder’s performance in the final, and claims that Spurs looked more dangerous once Winks left the field of play.
“Pochettino put Harry Winks in the team, which allowed Christian Eriksen to play farther forward,” wrote Cascarino.
“Winks actually did OK but it was the wrong call because Spurs became much more dangerous when he went off, which allowed Eriksen to build play from deeper and allowed Moura to come on and give Liverpool’s defenders something more to worry about.”
Arguably, this comment is very, very debatable, and it could be argued that Spurs were no more dangerous once Winks was subbed off compared to the start of the game when he was on the field.
Although Lucas Moura was brought into the action, and arguably did cause a few problems for the Liverpool back line, Spurs just didn’t look like they were going to win the game or make a real impact in the final, so it would be unfair to say that they were more dangerous once the 23-year old was subbed off.
Winks has been impressive for Spurs this season, featuring 41 times for the club, ten of which were in fact in the Champions League, which is a big ask for a player with limited experience on the European stage.
The midfielder shone before being removed, and how can taking off one of the side’s best performers off, make a team look better?
Although Mauricio Pochettino’s side managed over double the shots on target throughout the fixture with eight shots, compared to Liverpool’s three, it began to look a bit desperate for the club as the game came to an end, and it has to be said that Winks impressed for the most part whilst on the pitch.
It can’t be said that starting the midfielder was the wrong decision, and this would most probably be agreed with by the Spurs faithful, who have seen the 23-year old performing well consistently for their club throughout the season, in the Premier League and the Champions League respectively.