Mathys Tel was arguably the star of the show last weekend when Tottenham Hotspur had a commanding 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea, and he made sure that Roberto De Zerbi would not be able to divest from him as a starting 11 option against Crystal Palace this weekend by sealing the game with a late goal - and a brilliant one at that.
Well, Tel did not score against Crystal Palace in this latest 2-0 victory for Tottenham, but he was just as amazing in an all around sense. There were times when he was unplayable when charging at the defense, as he completed six dribbles and had four key passes for Spurs, tying Mateus Fernandes for the team lead in terms of creative output while leading the team in dribbles won, even above right winger Mohammed Kudus. Oh, and he added two fouls drawn to boot.
At this point, it is going to be impossible for someone else to unseat Tel as a starter. Though Savio is in play on the left wing, of course, he is a left footer. And De Zerbi wants inverted wingers. Omar Marmoush could invert on the left, but Tel is honestly outplaying the big money Manchester City signing. Plus, Marmoush on the left would mean that Dominic Solanke plays at striker, and he has been the clear attacking weak link compared to the others.
If it comes down to Tel or Solanke in the 11, Tel easily wins. And Tel has a stronger case to starting over Marmoush and even Kudus. Though Kudus has been important in recent weeks, too, Tel has been more decisive in terms of his actual creative output.
And though his finishing boots seemed to have left him a bit against Crystal Palace, he had less egregious misses than his Ghanaian counterpart. Not scoring is excusable, though, when the team wins and you are doing everything else right.
Mathys Tel brings more than just attacking output, too. With a tackle and two interceptions to the good in a game that Tottenham Hotspur otherwise completely dominated with nearly 80 percent possession, Tel showed pressing and a defensive work rate that was world class.
Tottenham are a better team when Tel is in the 11 and firing on all cylinders. And after doubling down on a big day against Chelsea by owning the right flank of Crystal Palace, Roberto De Zerbi has no reason to remove Tel from his lineup.
This article was originally published on www.hotspurhq.com as Mathys Tel made sure he isn't losing his starting 11 spot anytime soon .
