It is not yet this Tuesday that Mathys Tel (21 years old, 36 matches, 4 goals and 2 assists) will be unanimously appreciated by Tottenham supporters. Starting last night in a crucial match against Leeds in the Premier League, the Frenchman went through all the stages. First there was joy when he opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a curling shot from the right. Then there was disappointment when he was involved in the Peacocks’ equalizer. In fact, he was penalized with a foul in his own area after a high foot at Ampadu’s head. In the process, Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the penalty awarded by the man with the whistle (1-1, 74th). An error which costs Tottenham victory, which therefore remains stuck in 17th place in the championship and which will have to fight until the end to maintain itself.
Scorer then guilty of an error
After the meeting, England did not spare Frenchy, capable of the best and the worst. Goal gave it a 6 and added: “he almost caused a huge problem for his team with a poorly cleared ball in his own area. He more than made up for it with a superb finish, but spoiled his good action with a bizarre clearance attempt which caused contact with Ampadu. The Evening Standard gave it a 7. “From heroes to zero. Author of incoming crosses which initially caused serious problems for his team, he then opened the scoring with a superb toe strike in the corner. But he then conceded a penalty by kicking Ampadu in the head as the latter tried to clear the ball. Same note for Football London.
“A hesitant start to the match, with a poor clearance attempt in his own area, forcing Danso to intervene. Good sequence in the 25th minute, concluded by a deflected shot over the bar. Redeems himself for his lack of efficiency in the first half by scoring a sensational goal with a curling shot in the 51st minute. He was at the origin of the equalizer then after an acrobatic return in his area, which surprised Ampadu and provoked a penalty. If Tel’s ratings are not catastrophic, the English media did not appreciate his lack of composure and lucidity. This is the case of Telegraph. From hero to zero: “Tel’s moment of madness costs Tottenham the draw against Leeds (…) How did Mathys Tel summarize this in two masterful actions that turned their world upside down?”
England severely criticizes him
The publication adds: “the 21-year-old French winger, so disappointing in such a disastrous collective season, scored a magnificent goal to give Tottenham the advantage and raise hopes of an almost assured continuation in the Premier League. Tel then conceded a penalty unnecessarily following an acrobatic return which hit Ethan Ampadu in the face as the Leeds United captain tried to head the ball back. Same for The Sun. “Tel goes from hero to traitor as Spurs squander their advantage and the fight to stay is more uncertain than ever. West Ham and former Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo were on the brink of defeat when Mathys Tel scored the first goal just after the break.
The Sun continues: “Tottenham’s four-point lead over the Hammers – actually five thanks to a better goal difference – seemed simply insurmountable with two games remaining. But Tel then went from hero to zero by touching Ethan Ampadu’s head rather than the ball during his attempted acrobatic clearance – and a lifeline was thrown in the direction of the London Stadium. Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the resulting penalty, after viewing the video. And now the gap in favor of Spurs is only two points. A huge missed opportunity to put Spurs at the door of maintaining.” THE Daily Mail concluded this concert of criticism.
De Zerbi flies to his aid
“The Frenchman was on his way to becoming the hero after opening the score for Spurs (1-0) with a superb curling strike at the start of the second half. Then, referee Jarred Gillett initially did not sanction Tel, but after consulting the VAR, he awarded a penalty which Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted. Tel had previously sent a dangerous ball into his own penalty area during a chaotic action. He made a costly mistake.” Jamie Carragher did not appreciate Tel’s performance. “This is a simply insane decision on Tel’s part. Sometimes, we say to ourselves that it has already happened to us, as players, not to see the opposing player coming. But he is about to make his decision and he sees it, he looks at it. So he’s made his decision, but as soon as he knows someone is there, she has to change her mind. He still has time, he must change his mind. I thought he hadn’t seen it at first, but he did. This is a really bad decision. We are talking about a young offensive player who made two ridiculous decisions in this match.
Fortunately, Mathys Tel can count on the support of Roberto De Zerbi. “Nothing (he’s not going to say anything to him after his mistake, editor’s note). A big hug and a big kiss. Nothing more, because he is a young player, a great talent, and he scored a superb goal. He made a mistake due to lack of experience, because he doesn’t have many matches under his belt yet, and we have to accept that. But I am proud and happy with the state of mind that we displayed. We didn’t have as great a game as at Villa Park, but we had a good game and we did what was necessary to win. We could have lost in the end, because until the last 15-20 minutes they didn’t have a single shot on target and only one in the first half. We got 14 corners to two, five scoring chances to two, we entered the box 50 times to 27, but we failed to score.” Such will certainly learn the lesson. Master RDZ will see to that.
