The 3-1 defeat to Benfica at White Hart Lane on Thursday night was Tottenham’s fourth loss in the last six games and has heaped further pressure on under-fire boss Tim Sherwood.
Benfica were too organised, sharp and quick to exploit Tottenham’s shambolic defending, scoring once through Rodrigo and twice through Luisão. Christian Eriksen did curl in an elegant free-kick in between Luisão’s goals as Spurs suffered their first home defeat in Europe in 12 games.
Tottenham’s Brazilian midfield contingent did not escape criticism with Paulinho given a rating of just four out of ten by fans’ site Fanatix. The Brazil international was described as “lacking in any quality on the ball”.
Team-mate and compatriot Sandro fared slightly better, however. The 24-year-old, known affectionately as ‘The Beast’, was given seven out of ten for his performance. The same site said that he “was full of effort” but that “an early booking meant he couldn’t play his usual tenacious game”.
Dane Christian Eriksen was the only Spurs player to score a higher rating then Sandro, achieving an impressive eight out of ten in what was ultimately a miserable night for the north London club.
