Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield trio of Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray is a “huge problem” in the fight against relegation from the Premier League.
Spurs under increasing pressure after Leeds win at Man Utd
The relegation battle took a fresh twist on Monday night, with Leeds United securing a shock 2-1 victory away at bitter rivals Manchester United, in a result that moves Daniel Farke’s side six points clear of 18th-place Tottenham.
The Whites are due to host Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Elland Road before the season comes to a close, which puts them in a fantastic opportunity to avoid the drop, whereas Spurs are looking increasingly up against it.
Roberto De Zerbi got off to the worst possible start on Sunday, with his side suffering a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland, and to make matters worse, captain Cristian Romero is set to miss the remainder of the campaign, after hobbling off in tears in the second half.
Although Romero has been ruled out, and the Lilywhites have struggled from an attacking point of view as of late, failing to score in their last two Premier League games, Carragher believes De Zerbi’s midfield is his main issue.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the pundit suggested Gallagher has been poor since his arrival, whereas Bergvall and Gray don’t have the experience to dig Tottenham out of trouble, saying: “I actually think Bergvall, and actually Archie Gray have been two of the better players for Tottenham. They’re two young kids, I’m just looking at that midfield, and I was really worried yesterday after the game, and it was because of the midfield area.
“Are two young kids learning their trade going to get you out of a relegation battle? Conor Gallagher’s come in, who the manager likes because he’s tried to buy him, but it just hasn’t worked for him so far at Spurs. Listen, we know he’s been a decent Premier League player, but it’s just not happened for him at all, and that has been a problem from the very start of the season, their central midfield.
“When you think about something he’s got to do different, he needs to fix midfield. Because that has been a problem for three managers already. It’s only De Zerbi’s first game, but you can see when you compare the stats to Granit Xhaka, it’s a huge problem for them.”
Spurs must bounce back against Brighton
Carragher also suggests West Ham United have a better midfield than Spurs, and Nuno’s side are certainly showing more fight at the moment, having thrashed Wolves 4-0 to move out of the relegation zone on Friday night.
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Spurs are in serious trouble after a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
De Zerbi, on the other hand, clearly isn’t convinced by his options in the middle of the park, with all three midfielders being substituted against Sunderland, although Gallagher, perhaps a little surprisingly, given heavy criticism, managed to last until the 85th minute.
With Tottenham in serious trouble, the manager needs to turn things around quickly, starting next Saturday, when the Italian’s former employers, Brighton & Hove Albion, travel to north London.
