Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to slam Davinson Sanchez for his performance in the north London derby.
The Colombian was drafted in at right-back by Mauricio Pochettino for the 2-2 draw with Arsenal, but never looked comfortable in his new role.
Prior to Sunday, the 23-year-old played every single one of his 143 career appearances in the heart of defence, as per Transfermarkt, and his inexperience showed in a shaky performance against the Gunners.
Sanchez was consistently stretched by the pace and cunning of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe – who made a habit of switching wings throughout the afternoon – and looked somewhat unsure of himself in the face of Sead Kolasinac’s marauding drives from left-back.
It was his hacked clearance and poor positional sense that led to the Gunners’ opening goal right on the stroke of half time.
And in the closing stages, the South American looked as if he was running through treacle as his lack of fitness began to tell.
Here are some of the best tweets below.
https://twitter.com/COYS_THFC4LIFE/status/1168186122255699968?s=20
https://twitter.com/Dante_Banks/status/1168185276835016707?s=20
Sanchez is doing a rubbish job at right back… weak link #COYS
— Mayhem (@SaniLeroi) September 1, 2019
To be fair to Pochettino, this could have been a masterstroke on paper.
Sanchez has the potential to be a great defender, and has already averaged 1.7 tackles and 3.7 clearances per match in the Premier League this season, as per Whoscored.
He has also registered a pass completion rate of 92.5% from an average of 70.7 passes per game, and is blessed with an impressive turn of pace for a centre-half with such a fearsome frame, standing at 6’2″ [Transfermarkt].
In that respect, you can understand why Pochettino thought that Sanchez might be able to slot in on the right side of defence, but surely this was not the time to experiment.
Sanchez is having a nightmare of a campaign no matter where he is on the pitch. #COYS
— Ryan (@Ryan_LPMPodcast) September 1, 2019
Sanchez is gone – useless, crap. Get him off #ARSTOT #COYS
— Shane Knight (@theshadymclone) September 1, 2019
Sanchez’s poor performance may well have cost his side two points, if we’re being hyper critical, but on another day, if Arsenal had made good on the early pressure they thrust upon their visitors, it could have been much worse for Spurs.
Pochettino’s decision becomes even more baffling when you consider the fact that Serge Aurier is completely fit and available.
The Ivorian hasn’t always been the most popular figure during his time in England, but he averaged 2.5 tackles and 2.1 clearances per game in the Premier League last season, as per Whoscored, as well as making one key pass per 90 minutes.
More pertinently, however, he is a specialist right-back, and on the basis of Sanchez’s performance on Sunday, that is what Spurs need more than anything else right now.
Sanchez is making me nervous. #ARSTOT #COYS #THFC #Tottenham
— ??~Bobby P~?? #COYS #GoHabsGo ????????? (@BobbyPrica) September 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/HaarisCOYS/status/1168187764761931781?s=20