Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been criticised over his lack of pace following the North London Derby defeat to Arsenal.
Hojbjerg has been a stalwart in Jose Mourinho's midfield since making the move from Southampton on a deal worth £15million in the summer.
But he hasn't always convinced, and after Sunday's 2-1 derby defeat to Arsenal, he faced heavy criticised for his performance with many questioning his ability to star in the Tottenham midfield.
And the latest criticism centres around his pace, or lack thereof, with former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher claiming Hojbjerg 'couldn't keep up' on Sunday.
“The tactic was when the ball goes wide ‘I’m off’. Emile Smith Rowe has come short and Hojbjerg is with him, the ball is not even at Tierney’s feet and he’s off, he’s gone.
“Freddie Ljungberg mentioned something before the game worrying about Hojbjerg’s lack of pace and I think this is what we saw here, he couldn’t keep up with him.
“You see the pace, he's spun in behind and Tottenham’s centre-back never covers, and he’s too quick for Hojbjerg.”
That lack of pace could be a concern for Mourinho going forward, particularly as Spurs look to find some way into the Champions League, be it through the Premier League or Europa League.
Though, it has to be said that Tottenham do face an uphill battle to reach the top four, now eighth and six points behind Chelsea in fourth, albeit with a game in hand.
Crucially, Spurs don't have a game in hand over two of the teams above them with Everton, who are one point ahead, and West Ham, who are three ahead, both having played the same number of games.
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