Player Watch: Serge Aurier

[Dazzazzad]

We've got 5 FBs who I'd be thrilled to have as number 2s in their position. Well... maybe Rose is a level above when fit, but it's not very often these days.

 

[Lou3000]

His final delivery against PSV was really poor throughout the game. I'd say it's rustiness from his injury and lack of game time, but it was rarely better last season. Not good enough if we want to progress.

I honestly don't want anyone whipping in cross after cross, and I'm much happier when a FB plays more direct. Aurier did it on a number of occasions and created some of our most dangerous chances early in the match. This is how Walker and Rose played when they were at their best in the 16/17 season.

Granted we ended up winning with a cross from a FB, but PSV aren't City/Barca/Inter. They were defending with 11 behind the ball. I think a player like Aurier is what we need when we play a better side.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

What a lot of crap. The guy was playing very well pre injury and just needs a run in the side to find some rhythm and confidence. Just like in the Trippier thread, the levels over of the top criticism are astounding and says far more about the posters in question than about the player,

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

Give me footballers over athletes every day.

I don’t think Aurier is a great athlete but I’d feel way more confident with him facing up against Zaha this weekend than Trippier, that is asking for a repeat of Barca, City, Wolves.

 

[allpaths]

Give me footballers over athletes every day.

I'm a big fan of cerebal footballers, that's why my favourite all time spurs player is Luka Modric. But we have a squad full of players who's ability to think the game outweighs there athleticism. Kane, Eriksen, Vertonghen, Alderwiereld, Davies,Winks, Lamela, Dier, Trippier ect. We can do with one more intelligent ball moving midfielder, but we also need the combo of pace and power to open up space for Eriksen and Kane who doesnt have the ability to create space for themselves. And also to cover the spaces that Vertonghen and Alderwiereld cant. We need a better balance of athleticsm and smarts.

 

[aussiespursguy]

After watching the PSV game, am I wrong in wishing Trips came on earlier? We needed delivery in that game badly.

 

[blackburn]

I'm afraid the discussion about Aurier sums up the mentality of the club and why we've reached our ceiling - he is nowhere near the standard required to win the league but people say he needs time, a run of games etc. He gives away penalties needlessly, can't take a throw, runs the ball out for a corner, is slow and can't cross it.

I'm sure he's a lovely lad that loves his mum but he wouldn't get near the City or Liverpool team and shouldn't be in ours.

 

[spursfan77]

Really shocking to think what our scouting process is when flush with over £50m and knowing for 6 months we would need a new RB that we waited until deadline day for this guy. It smacks of Levy thinking “ooh PSG need to sell, they are mugs, he must be a bargain” rather than who is the best available player.

To be fair to the dear departed BC he did warn us that Aurier was useless.

During that window it seemed we dilly dallied over a replacement and were far more interested in extracting the maximum cash possible from Man City for Walker than picking up a replacement. But yeah, Aurier was the last chance, don't have to spend a fortune option, that fell into our laps.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

People are rewriting history with the Aurier transfer. It wasn't a last-minute, fell into our laps panic buy. We put a lot of legal work into that transfer over the whole summer. You may not like how it's gone since, but don't say we took the easy option with Serge's transfer.

 

[Jonboy]

Agree withluka van dear bale, if I remember rightly we were waiting a long time for the outcome of some pending legal issues, although I can't remember the details

 

[Khilari]

I honestly don't want anyone whipping in cross after cross, and I'm much happier when a FB plays more direct. Aurier did it on a number of occasions and created some of our most dangerous chances early in the match. This is how Walker and Rose played when they were at their best in the 16/17 season.

Granted we ended up winning with a cross from a FB, but PSV aren't City/Barca/Inter. They were defending with 11 behind the ball. I think a player like Aurier is what we need when we play a better side.

Yes - we need a full back willing to take on defenders and be happy to do something different than simply cross it in. But I thought a lot of Aurier's efforts at crossing were really poor - overhit, straight to the keeper etc.

And on a number of occasions, he was out of position.

Trippier has been rather suspect defensively of late but the problem is, I don't think Aurier is enough competition for him to improve (the way Ben Davies made Danny Rose a better player 3 years ago).

I think Pochettino's game relies heavily on offensive wingbacks but I don't think any of Davies/Trippier/Aurier this season are really doing that, meaning more of our play relies on going through a congested centre of the pitch.

We should be thinking about an upgrade here.

 

[Kingellesar]

I think he is one of those players that given a run in the team can do a good job but I don't think he will ever be a key player for us.

He does have a red card and mistake in him though, bit like Kaboul was for us. Trippier is not having a great season so we probably do need to give Aurier a run in the team.

 

[dtxspurs]

People are rewriting history with the Aurier transfer. It wasn't a last-minute, fell into our laps panic buy. We put a lot of legal work into that transfer over the whole summer. You may not like how it's gone since, but don't say we took the easy option with Serge's transfer.

All you need to do is go back and look at the first few pages of the thread to see people were very excited about this transfer.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

All you need to do is go back and look at the first few pages of the thread to see people were very excited about this transfer.

It was a very exciting transfer.

 

[dtxspurs]

How has no one talked about that nutmeg? That was freaking hilarious that he pulled that off, right after the Trippier mishap. Different situation as the likely outcome was the ball off the PSV player for a throw in rather than out in the open, but wild none the less.

 

[ralvy]

How has no one talked about that nutmeg? That was freaking hilarious that he pulled that off, right after the Trippier mishap. Different situation as the likely outcome was the ball off the PSV player for a throw in rather than out in the open, but wild none the less.

Because it goes a bit against the narrative that he sucks

 

[daryl hannah]

Because it goes a bit against the narrative that he sucks

Trippier doesn't suck, per se, he sucks in a back 4 against an attacking team. His crosses are generally the best we've had for ages and brings a huge amount going forward and finding Kane.

Aurier has one or two good elements about him, but on the whole, he sucks.

 

[Tottenhamboy85]

How has no one talked about that nutmeg? That was freaking hilarious that he pulled that off, right after the Trippier mishap. Different situation as the likely outcome was the ball off the PSV player for a throw in rather than out in the open, but wild none the less.

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

It really is amazing how people squeeze the truth because they desperately want to create a narrative they can stick to.

He was caught out of position several times. He dived in on Arnautovic, letting him get away, and nearly cost us dearly, could have given away two pens. Was lucky not to get booked before he did, even of the first booking was harsh maybe, then fucktardily stupid to then go and get booked again. He gets up and down well, but actually provided nothing of quality going forward, a lot like Walker used to do.

Getting caught out of position will happen in our system, it happened all the time to Walker, but the funny thing is how Trippier's never been caught that many times in one game so far but was absolutely slaughtered the odd time he was, called "slow" and not fit to lace Walker's boots" etc. Aurier gets caught out and everyone's looking the other way, seemingly because they've decided they want him to be "great" before they've even seen him play properly and have formed a proper opinion.

He could turn out to be a very decent player for us, he has some good qualities, but he wasn't great today, he was patchy at best, a couple of good moments, some pretty ropey ones and a fucking stupid one that cost us dearly.

I have seen a shitload of Aurier. I said there will be issues. He's quick, strong, and tenacious, but he can be reckless and he can do stupid stuff. He'll get up and down like Walker, sometimes his delivery can be decent, but his end product can be hit and miss too.

In the final third of the pitch I would still take Trippier over Walker or Aurier. And I really don't think Trippier's a catastrophe as a defender either. But I wish we'd just kept KWP in the side after Newcastle, because I think he could end up being a better all round package than all of them.

Fair dos to the dear departed BC I never really saw eye to eye with him but amidst all the hype at the start of this thread his summary of the relative merits of our 3 RBs seem prescient.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Give me footballers over athletes every day.

These days you can have both, and if you don’t, you’re missing a trick.