Player Watch: Serge Aurier

[thelak]

Would you rather have him in there or Trippier (and "neither" isn't an option in this case)? Serious question- not a wind-up; I'm fascinated as to who out of those two people would prefer if given (or forced into making lol) the choice.

For me I'd much prefer serge because he has shown improvement both defensively and offensively and I honestly think that if utilized correctly he can be an effective option for us, particularly if used as a Wing Back. I've literally witnessed his crosses improve, to the point where he starting to become a problem for the opponent. I've also seen him (admittedly marginally, but hey...) improve defensively, morphing from being a black Juan Foyth into becoming a decent one-on-one defender and in the process committing less atrocious, "OMFG- PLEASE TELL ME HE DID NOT JUST DO THAT!"-type errors, at least compared to when he arrived.

The thing about Serge is that he is athletic as all hell, and that (at least for the most part can't be improved upon) can't really be improved upon. Take his reflexes, for example: yesterday he stopped a cross coming in from one of their players by timing his jump to perfection and literally karate-kicking the just-blasted ball out of what could have been real danger. Trippier, for example, wouldn't have been able to do that if his life depended on it and he had 20 tries to get it right whereas Serge, otoh, made it look easy. So yeah- the guy has amazing reflexes, decent speed, good strength-- all important qualities for a position- Fullback- which covers so much ground.

But the thing I am the most hopeful about (keep in mind I said "hopeful," not "expectant") is down to the fact that he seems coachable as long as the right guy is working with him, which I think Mourinho is. If Jose can get Serge's on-field thought process(es) together, clearly delineate his role in the team (whatever that is) and get players and employ systems which afford him the chance to accentuate his gifts we'll have a player on our hands. I think Jose likes him, and I think Serge needs to be "liked." I'm hopeful this combo will result in us singing his name as opposed to cursing the day he was born lol.

Im not sure how to even answer this question. Why do we have to chose between two sub standard players. Neither good enough

I wish we had never sold Walker and had signed Pereira if we are doing hypothetical scenarios

 

[cozzo]

 

[Eric_s]

Only an idiot can blame Aurier solely for Southampton' goal.

 

[cozzo]

Serge Aurier is useless. Of course he is, we can all see that. The guy can’t defend, can’t cross. He’s a complete waste of space.

I mean, let’s start with his tackling — I’d probably have more chance of winning the ball off a Premier League winger. And Tottenham Hotspur’s new system under Jose Mourinho means he barely has to do any defending anyway. He basically plays as a winger himself.

What’s that? Only one Premier League player who’s featured for 1,000 minutes this season has more successful tackles per game than Aurier’s 2.65?

OK, so he wins a lot of tackles, fine. Making so many is probably why he gets booked all the time. Hmm. He’s actually only been cautioned three times this season. Six of his Spurs team-mates have more, including Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen, who have all played significantly less football than he has.

Alright, maybe he’s not as bad as I thought defensively, but give him the ball and he’s like a bull in a china shop.

Huh? Of regular Premier League defenders (ones who have played at least 1,500 minutes this season), only three have created more chances per 90 minutes this season than his 1.33? And in the Tottenham squad, only three players with more than 800 minutes of league action have created more chances per 90 than him this season? Meaning he’s created chances more frequently than Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele?

Oh, whatever… Maybe he got lucky with a few passes, but his crossing is a joke — everyone knows that. Look, I don’t care that his 0.94 successful crosses per game is the fourth-highest for a regular Premier League defender this season and is comfortably the best figure of any Spurs player (Son Heung-min is next best at 0.23).

Anyway, enough with these secondary, irrelevant stats. Give me something proper if you’re so desperate to defend him.

Well, Aurier has assisted seven goals in all competitions this season — the only Premier League defender who has set up more is Trent Alexander-Arnold (12). Of Tottenham players, only Son has posted more (eight) — a tally Aurier would also have if assists for own-goals by the opposition were included.

Ugh, fine. Maybe he’s not that bad. But you just know he’ll drop a clanger sooner or later. After all, how many errors has he made leading to goals this season? Um, that would be zero. (Thank you Opta for not classifying his slip against Southampton on Saturday as one of these).

OK, have I made my point? Yes, his Spurs career started badly with a series of errors, bad throw-ins and injuries. But he was very impressive in Champions League games against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in particular and he has now hugely improved. On Saturday at Southampton for instance, he gave the ball away a fair bit but was Spurs’ second-best player for all four of tackles, interceptions, clearances and possession gained.

To reiterate: more chances created than Dele and Kane, as many tackles, crosses and assists as anyone and no errors leading to goals.

Surely it’s time to stop dwelling on the past and embrace the improvement?

He’s a more mature man these days, too. Since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2017, Aurier has calmed down considerably from a period when he attracted controversy for insulting team-mates and making homophobic comments in a video. That was shameful. Now though, he lives a quiet life in London, centred around his one-year-old daughter Nehcha. One prominent French journalist told The Athletic that Aurier is enjoying “a new dawn” this season.

As for his role in the dressing room, midfielder Oliver Skipp told The Athletic in November that Aurier is one of the best characters at the club. “Serge has always got energy, he’s one of the jokers,” Skipp said.

Aurier is very close with midfielder Moussa Sissoko, a former team-mate at Toulouse, and could be seen laughing and joking with another Spurs star who has Ligue 1 roots, Hugo Lloris, on Wednesday against Norwich City as the goalkeeper made his first appearance since an October elbow injury. Over the last two and a half years, he has become one of the most popular players inside the club.

The view at Paris Saint-Germain meanwhile was, according to one insider, broadly of a “kind, laid-back, easy-going friendly guy” who simply couldn’t help himself in terms of making stupid mistakes on and off the pitch.

True, his relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino was certainly strained. By the end, Aurier was desperate to leave and thought he would be granted his wish last summer. He had tired of Pochettino’s demanding style and was keen to join AC Milan but the move was blocked. He’d actually thought about leaving soon after joining Spurs as he initially struggled to settle. Aurier lacked the drive and relentlessness associated with Pochettino prototype players. But come last year he was not the only one who could no longer cope with the manager’s exacting methods.

Under Mourinho, in a system that plays to his strengths, the 27-year-old Ivory Coast international has enjoyed the most consistent period of his career and feels more settled than he has ever done at the club. He has started every Premier League game since Mourinho took over and has rarely put a foot wrong.

Alright, alright, enough. Next you’re going to tell me Aurier has been Spurs’ best player this season.

Er, well, that’s not my view necessarily — but my colleague Jack Pitt-Brooke did make that claim in a recent episode of our The View From The Lane podcast.


Forget it. You guys just don’t understand. Surely we can agree that Tottenham need a new right-back?

Um, never mind.

(Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

 

[whitelightwhiteheat]

Of those to have played consistently from the start of the season he's probably our best player. GLC is probably is only his only competition and he's only recently started to become prominent.

 

[Eric_s]

View attachment 62305 Serge Aurier is useless. Of course he is, we can all see that. The guy can’t defend, can’t cross. He’s a complete waste of space.

I mean, let’s start with his tackling — I’d probably have more chance of winning the ball off a Premier League winger. And Tottenham Hotspur’s new system under Jose Mourinho means he barely has to do any defending anyway. He basically plays as a winger himself.

What’s that? Only one Premier League player who’s featured for 1,000 minutes this season has more successful tackles per game than Aurier’s 2.65?

OK, so he wins a lot of tackles, fine. Making so many is probably why he gets booked all the time. Hmm. He’s actually only been cautioned three times this season. Six of his Spurs team-mates have more, including Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen, who have all played significantly less football than he has.

Alright, maybe he’s not as bad as I thought defensively, but give him the ball and he’s like a bull in a china shop.

Huh? Of regular Premier League defenders (ones who have played at least 1,500 minutes this season), only three have created more chances per 90 minutes this season than his 1.33? And in the Tottenham squad, only three players with more than 800 minutes of league action have created more chances per 90 than him this season? Meaning he’s created chances more frequently than Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele?

Oh, whatever… Maybe he got lucky with a few passes, but his crossing is a joke — everyone knows that. Look, I don’t care that his 0.94 successful crosses per game is the fourth-highest for a regular Premier League defender this season and is comfortably the best figure of any Spurs player (Son Heung-min is next best at 0.23).

Anyway, enough with these secondary, irrelevant stats. Give me something proper if you’re so desperate to defend him.

Well, Aurier has assisted seven goals in all competitions this season — the only Premier League defender who has set up more is Trent Alexander-Arnold (12). Of Tottenham players, only Son has posted more (eight) — a tally Aurier would also have if assists for own-goals by the opposition were included.

Ugh, fine. Maybe he’s not that bad. But you just know he’ll drop a clanger sooner or later. After all, how many errors has he made leading to goals this season? Um, that would be zero. (Thank you Opta for not classifying his slip against Southampton on Saturday as one of these).

OK, have I made my point? Yes, his Spurs career started badly with a series of errors, bad throw-ins and injuries. But he was very impressive in Champions League games against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in particular and he has now hugely improved. On Saturday at Southampton for instance, he gave the ball away a fair bit but was Spurs’ second-best player for all four of tackles, interceptions, clearances and possession gained.

To reiterate: more chances created than Dele and Kane, as many tackles, crosses and assists as anyone and no errors leading to goals.

Surely it’s time to stop dwelling on the past and embrace the improvement?

He’s a more mature man these days, too. Since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2017, Aurier has calmed down considerably from a period when he attracted controversy for insulting team-mates and making homophobic comments in a video. That was shameful. Now though, he lives a quiet life in London, centred around his one-year-old daughter Nehcha. One prominent French journalist told The Athletic that Aurier is enjoying “a new dawn” this season.

As for his role in the dressing room, midfielder Oliver Skipp told The Athletic in November that Aurier is one of the best characters at the club. “Serge has always got energy, he’s one of the jokers,” Skipp said.

Aurier is very close with midfielder Moussa Sissoko, a former team-mate at Toulouse, and could be seen laughing and joking with another Spurs star who has Ligue 1 roots, Hugo Lloris, on Wednesday against Norwich City as the goalkeeper made his first appearance since an October elbow injury. Over the last two and a half years, he has become one of the most popular players inside the club.

The view at Paris Saint-Germain meanwhile was, according to one insider, broadly of a “kind, laid-back, easy-going friendly guy” who simply couldn’t help himself in terms of making stupid mistakes on and off the pitch.

True, his relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino was certainly strained. By the end, Aurier was desperate to leave and thought he would be granted his wish last summer. He had tired of Pochettino’s demanding style and was keen to join AC Milan but the move was blocked. He’d actually thought about leaving soon after joining Spurs as he initially struggled to settle. Aurier lacked the drive and relentlessness associated with Pochettino prototype players. But come last year he was not the only one who could no longer cope with the manager’s exacting methods.

Under Mourinho, in a system that plays to his strengths, the 27-year-old Ivory Coast international has enjoyed the most consistent period of his career and feels more settled than he has ever done at the club. He has started every Premier League game since Mourinho took over and has rarely put a foot wrong.

Alright, alright, enough. Next you’re going to tell me Aurier has been Spurs’ best player this season.

Er, well, that’s not my view necessarily — but my colleague Jack Pitt-Brooke did make that claim in a recent episode of our The View From The Lane podcast.


Forget it. You guys just don’t understand. Surely we can agree that Tottenham need a new right-back?

Um, never mind.

(Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

His haters will just ignore the stats and focus on a couple of his errors so they can build on their narrative Aurier continously made costly mistakes. However they do not dare produce stats comparing the stupid errors walker made to Aurier's that led to goals in a single season as that would show up their narrative as bullshit.

 

[Riandor]

Aurier had a very solid game, no question... but that is what made it even more annoying when he made that mistake, because it was frankly unnecessary. That video is great at showing everything good he did, but the key part where he loses the ball is cut so that you don't see how he got himself into that situation.

He was at fault for losing the ball in a dangerous position. Had he passed or cleared, that situation never happens and Southampton probably don't score for the rest of the match, as we had started to re-take control of the game. It doesn't excuse others, it's a team game, but it was just so bloody typical of Aurier to a large chunk of all his good work.

 

[Wig]

The thing is, before this one moment, he was having a very solid game.

He lost the ball still quite high up the pitch. It's not as if he lost it in the 6 yard box and they tapped it in. The team still could have done better as a whole and i also think Jose took way to long to take off one of the AM who had no legs in them.

This is coming from someone who gives Serge a hard time. Yes it was a brain fart but i think people are acting like he gave them the goal single handedly which isn't true, yes he didn't help but Dele, Son and Lucas lost the ball countless times which led to them attacking, which kept putting unwanted pressure on us for large parts of the game.

It also doesn't help that the forwards missed countless good chances that would have won the game. If we won 4-1 rather than drew 1-1 then there would have been less spotlight on Serge for that one moment.

 

[whitelightwhiteheat]

Although - In terms of errors - Do they not count fouling someone in the box to give away a penalty an error?

 

[spursfan77]

View attachment 62305 Serge Aurier is useless. Of course he is, we can all see that. The guy can’t defend, can’t cross. He’s a complete waste of space.

I mean, let’s start with his tackling — I’d probably have more chance of winning the ball off a Premier League winger. And Tottenham Hotspur’s new system under Jose Mourinho means he barely has to do any defending anyway. He basically plays as a winger himself.

What’s that? Only one Premier League player who’s featured for 1,000 minutes this season has more successful tackles per game than Aurier’s 2.65?

OK, so he wins a lot of tackles, fine. Making so many is probably why he gets booked all the time. Hmm. He’s actually only been cautioned three times this season. Six of his Spurs team-mates have more, including Eric Dier, Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen, who have all played significantly less football than he has.

Alright, maybe he’s not as bad as I thought defensively, but give him the ball and he’s like a bull in a china shop.

Huh? Of regular Premier League defenders (ones who have played at least 1,500 minutes this season), only three have created more chances per 90 minutes this season than his 1.33? And in the Tottenham squad, only three players with more than 800 minutes of league action have created more chances per 90 than him this season? Meaning he’s created chances more frequently than Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele?

Oh, whatever… Maybe he got lucky with a few passes, but his crossing is a joke — everyone knows that. Look, I don’t care that his 0.94 successful crosses per game is the fourth-highest for a regular Premier League defender this season and is comfortably the best figure of any Spurs player (Son Heung-min is next best at 0.23).

Anyway, enough with these secondary, irrelevant stats. Give me something proper if you’re so desperate to defend him.

Well, Aurier has assisted seven goals in all competitions this season — the only Premier League defender who has set up more is Trent Alexander-Arnold (12). Of Tottenham players, only Son has posted more (eight) — a tally Aurier would also have if assists for own-goals by the opposition were included.

Ugh, fine. Maybe he’s not that bad. But you just know he’ll drop a clanger sooner or later. After all, how many errors has he made leading to goals this season? Um, that would be zero. (Thank you Opta for not classifying his slip against Southampton on Saturday as one of these).

OK, have I made my point? Yes, his Spurs career started badly with a series of errors, bad throw-ins and injuries. But he was very impressive in Champions League games against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in particular and he has now hugely improved. On Saturday at Southampton for instance, he gave the ball away a fair bit but was Spurs’ second-best player for all four of tackles, interceptions, clearances and possession gained.

To reiterate: more chances created than Dele and Kane, as many tackles, crosses and assists as anyone and no errors leading to goals.

Surely it’s time to stop dwelling on the past and embrace the improvement?

He’s a more mature man these days, too. Since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2017, Aurier has calmed down considerably from a period when he attracted controversy for insulting team-mates and making homophobic comments in a video. That was shameful. Now though, he lives a quiet life in London, centred around his one-year-old daughter Nehcha. One prominent French journalist told The Athletic that Aurier is enjoying “a new dawn” this season.

As for his role in the dressing room, midfielder Oliver Skipp told The Athletic in November that Aurier is one of the best characters at the club. “Serge has always got energy, he’s one of the jokers,” Skipp said.

Aurier is very close with midfielder Moussa Sissoko, a former team-mate at Toulouse, and could be seen laughing and joking with another Spurs star who has Ligue 1 roots, Hugo Lloris, on Wednesday against Norwich City as the goalkeeper made his first appearance since an October elbow injury. Over the last two and a half years, he has become one of the most popular players inside the club.

The view at Paris Saint-Germain meanwhile was, according to one insider, broadly of a “kind, laid-back, easy-going friendly guy” who simply couldn’t help himself in terms of making stupid mistakes on and off the pitch.

True, his relationship with manager Mauricio Pochettino was certainly strained. By the end, Aurier was desperate to leave and thought he would be granted his wish last summer. He had tired of Pochettino’s demanding style and was keen to join AC Milan but the move was blocked. He’d actually thought about leaving soon after joining Spurs as he initially struggled to settle. Aurier lacked the drive and relentlessness associated with Pochettino prototype players. But come last year he was not the only one who could no longer cope with the manager’s exacting methods.

Under Mourinho, in a system that plays to his strengths, the 27-year-old Ivory Coast international has enjoyed the most consistent period of his career and feels more settled than he has ever done at the club. He has started every Premier League game since Mourinho took over and has rarely put a foot wrong.

Alright, alright, enough. Next you’re going to tell me Aurier has been Spurs’ best player this season.

Er, well, that’s not my view necessarily — but my colleague Jack Pitt-Brooke did make that claim in a recent episode of our The View From The Lane podcast.


Forget it. You guys just don’t understand. Surely we can agree that Tottenham need a new right-back?

Um, never mind.

(Photo: Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Read that earlier. Not correct for me.
I've maintained since he joined us that he needed a regular run of games to see what he can do. He's only now getting that under Mourinho.
But, he isn't the best defender, he's out of position a lot, switches off and loses the ball in areas he shouldn't (e.g. against southampton).

He's not going to be replaced this month, but I don't think there is much doubt we will be revisiting both fullback positions in the summer.

 

[Riandor]

It also doesn't help that the forwards missed countless good chances that would have won the game. If we won 4-1 rather than drew 1-1 then there would have been less spotlight on Serge for that one moment.

Absolutely true, the forwards, i.e. Son and Moura were total pony, but that's where any defender needs to read the situation. Because of those misses Aurier should be conscious of doing the basics right. But look, I am not singleing him out as I do believe he has improved under Mourinho. It's just annoying that he didn't round off his good game on a positive note.

 

[HildoSpur]

He is still quite rash and plays by the seat of his pants which does give the impression that he doesnt really know what he is doing. Having said that, his style of play aside there is no doubt he is a good player and I'm glad to see him get more consistency to his game. Jose is getting the best out of him.

 

[Mark_147]

No shot, he's already older than Kyle Walker was when he left us. This is who he is, a decent player who is prone constant brain farts. The good does absolutely not out weigh the bad. RB still a top priority to improve.

He's actually the same age now as walker was when he left.

 

[SonicSarr]

He is still quite rash and plays by the seat of his pants which does give the impression that he doesnt really know what he is doing. Having said that, his style of play aside there is no doubt he is a good player and I'm glad to see him get more consistency to his game. Jose is getting the best out of him.

Because he hasn't made him defend, which has dragged our CM's out of position and screwed us royally. I have no problem with him as RB if he could be bothered to defend or if we called him a right winger.

 

[Kiedis]

I think he's improved quite a lot in both ends of the pitch. The only main gripe I have with him is that he'll quite often look totally oblivious to situations that should have every alarm bell ring for a defender. Opponents can break and attack 4 v 3, or the opponents can be working towards a cross from our left with us outnumbered in the box, and Aurier will often be seen jogging casually back, even if he's the only one close enough to be able to help out.

 

[Haddock]

His haters will just ignore the stats and focus on a couple of his errors so they can build on their narrative Aurier continously made costly mistakes. However they do not dare produce stats comparing the stupid errors walker made to Aurier's that led to goals in a single season as that would show up their narrative as bullshit.

Whilst I agree that Aurier deserves recognition for this first half of the season - you can't just disregard that he's prone to rash and erratic mistakes. It's not a "narrative" and a "couple of errors". It's a fact that Aurier is simply not a very good defender. He's always been good offensively and he had a lot of assists in Ligue 1. But it's usually the errors in defence that decide the outcome of a match.

 

[olliec]

He’s always got a huge mistake in him which is why I can’t be on board the Aurier train. I wish he could prove me wrong but time after time he has a brain fart moment which causes us either a goal or anxiety.

 

[TheVoiceofReason]

I don’t know how you can say he hasn’t been great this season. I have been one of his biggest critics.

My only worry is, does playing him higher up the pitch leave us short at the back? But maybe it’s the other defenders that are making the errors and CMs leaving gaps?

One thing for sure, he’s not a right back. Mourinho has created a new position for him, Wing Back Premium, and he’s great at it.

 

[mansfield]

Improved under Mourinho recently while having Lo Celso and Lamela in the right side triangle opposed to Sissoko and Lucas must also make massive difference in transition and possession phases.

 

[Eric_s]

Whilst I agree that Aurier deserves recognition for this first half of the season - you can't just disregard that he's prone to rash and erratic mistakes. It's not a "narrative" and a "couple of errors". It's a fact that Aurier is simply not a very good defender. He's always been good offensively and he had a lot of assists in Ligue 1. But it's usually the errors in defence that decide the outcome of a match.

I disagree that he is prone to errors. Winks for example makes more stupid mistakes than Aurier. Every player will make a mistake or two in a game every now and then. Aurier definitely is not one who makes mistakes regularly. Some so called mistakes laid at his door are not his mistakes but others in the team. However his haters used out of position or laziness to shaft others' mistakes at him.