Tottenham fans have not had the kind of week that they’d have wanted. The Lilywhites have lost two games, both disappointingly, at home to RB Leipzig and away to Chelsea, and whilst these are results that could be season-defining, it’s important to try and take the positives away where we can.
That’s why, when looking at the loss at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, there is one key moment that can be looked at as a huge relief for Tottenham supporters, and that is that their chief creator since Christian Eriksen’s departure to Inter Milan (BBC), Giovani Lo Celso, avoided a red card and will likely avoid a ban.
The Argentine was at the epi-centre of the latest VAR-drama, and this time around it was the Spurs man who benefitted from a huge slice of fortune, as despite his stamp on Chelsea’s skipper Cesar Azpilicueta, the video assistant referee David Coote deemed it not to be a red card offence at the time, despite the fact he later U-turned and admitted that he’d made a mistake (BBC).
Lo Celso is proving to be a real game-changer at Spurs, and with neither Heung-Min Son or Harry Kane fit, having the Argentine available for selection was always going to be key, and it looks like the Lilywhites have dodged a major bullet with him not receiving a red card here.
The stats behind Lo Celso’s displays sum up just how important he is, especially considering Tanguy Ndombele is still remarkably off the pace. The ex-PSG and Real Betis man has averaged 1.6 tackles, 0.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game (WhoScored), and losing him for three games to suspension would have been a huge blow.
Should Giovani Lo Celso have been sent off?
Yes
No
Those next three games that Lo Celso would have missed are against Wolves at home in the Premier League before another home game against Norwich, this time in the FA Cup, followed by an away trip to Burnley, three games in which winning the midfield battle will be key, and games that Lo Celso will no doubt feature in.