Harry Winks’ performance against Burnley left a lot to be desired as Tottenham suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at Turf Moor. The Spurs midfielder, who has made 36 appearances in all competitions this season, had been in fine form in recent weeks – impressing in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. But he struggled to make an impact on Saturday and drew criticism on social media from supporters.
Oh, and wasn’t it Winks who was shouting his mouth off about title contenders last week? Where was he today? Completely and utterly anonymous – nothing, zero. #BURTOT #THFC
— Shane Knight (@theshadymclone) February 23, 2019
Winks didn't have the best game but by taking him off you get rid of the only player in the team capable of controlling a game in midfield. Sissoko was back to usual Sissoko today and if anyone went off it would have been him and Lucas should have been the first sub made.
— 👑 (@DemGOAT1882) February 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/HotspurSam/status/1099318990046969862
https://twitter.com/TownEndJimmy/status/1099320850048864256
Bewildering stuff man. Why a 3 at the back when Burnley sat back the whole game? Bizarre. Winks anonymous. Need a real defensive centre mid and players who can cross the ball.
— reallyprofound (@reallyprofound) February 24, 2019
From a Burnley perspective I'd say the Spurs midfield was just too weak. Sissoko and Winks didn't make an impact on the game at all so Eriksen and Kane had to come deeper and deeper to get the ball. We did what we're good at and out fought them from the first minute.
— Jonny Lupton (@jlup1980) February 23, 2019
I hate to be negative but I can't see us getting anything here. Burnley parked the bus again and we can't break them down. Harry Winks looks lost. #COYS #BURTOT
— Jack (@LoveofSpurs) February 23, 2019
Winks made 48 touches, 40 passes with 92.5% accuracy, one chance, one dribble and made two clearances. He failed to make a tackle or interception or win an aerial duel against Burnley and was substituted in the 61st minute for Fernando Llorente. Winks has impressed alongside Moussa Sissoko for most of the campaign, but he was found wanting on Saturday and the defeat is catastrophic for Spurs’ hopes of winning a league title.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men now finds themselves being five points adrift of leaders Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool. It could be an eight-point deficit if Liverpool beat Manchester United on Sunday too. They should still finish in the top-three, but it would take a minor miracle to catch the top-two with 11 games remaining.