Jonathan Woodgate was left stunned by the performance of Emerson Royal on Saturday as Tottenham Hotspur picked up a point.
It has been a difficult start to life in England for the Brazilian since he arrived in the summer from Barcelona with a lot of criticism (via Express) coming his way.
Was this Emerson's best display?
Yes
No
Having now made 28 appearances in the Premier League for the Lilywhites, Emerson has only been able to provide one goal and one assist for the north London side (via Transfermarkt).
And reports have suggested even his manager, Antonio Conte, has not been left impressed with what he has seen from the 23-year-old since he was appointed in November.
However, he played all 90 minutes against Liverpool and it was apparent he had left the former Spurs defender stunned by his improved performance:
“When I’ve watched Spurs before I’ve been critical of Emerson Royal. He’s defended the back post well and put him on the line. He’s done really well today,” Woodgate said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
TIF Thoughts on Woodgate’s comments…
It has certainly been a difficult spell in north London for Emerson who has definitely lacked the creative spark asked for by Conte from his wing-backs.
However, his display against Jurgen Klopp’s men was one which he should take a lot of pride in given they were able to hold out the league’s top scorers for a large chunk of the game.
It was a hearty display from the Brazilian which saw him make four successful tackles and clear the ball on five occasions, as well as completing 79% of his passes (via SofaScore).
In other news: ‘Scary’ – Alasdair Gold left stunned by what Conte said to the BBC at Tottenham