To The Lane And Back
·29 January 2021
To The Lane And Back
·29 January 2021
According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required), Tottenham Hotspur star Serge Aurier was left infuriated by Jose Mourinho’s decision to take him off against Liverpool at half-time.
Roberto Firmino scored in first-half stoppage time to send Jurgen Klopp’s side 1-0 up at the break. This led to an inquest in the Spurs dressing room following which Aurier was taken off for Serge Doherty. It was one of two substitutions made by Mourinho at the break with Erik Lamela coming on for an injured Harry Kane.
An infuriated Aurier stormed off and left the stadium at half-time. He was not around to watch Spurs concede two more to lose 3-1 on the night.
Aurier can consider himself hard done by Mourinho’s decision. The Ivorian did lose Mane in the lead-up to Liverpool’s opener but he was far from the only one who could have done anything.
Both Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier did nothing to cut out Mane’s cross to Firmino, who was left with a simple tap-in. Speaking after the game, Mourinho admitted that the mood in the dressing room was one of frustration at half-time.
A similar issue occurred earlier in the season between Frank Lampard and Marcos Alonso at the Hawthorns. The Spaniard has not made an appearance for Chelsea since. (h/t The Athletic) (Subscription Required)
While disciplining the players is necessary, it remains to be seen if Spurs will take a similar stand with Aurier. Tottenham next face Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
While it would be fair to assume Aurier will be dropped for the weekend’s clash, any punishment if at all should not be at the detriment of the team.
Matt Doherty has struggled too, making Aurier our best right-back at the moment. While the player has the right to feel wronged, he should have handled his displeasure in a much more mature manner. The storming out just screams of immature petulance.