Nine months ago, Serge Aurier conceded a penalty against Manchester City following a clumsy, ill-timed challenge inside the area.
On that occasion, Ilkay Gundogan was thwarted from the penalty spot by a Hugo Lloris save and that moment defined the rest of the match. Had Gundogan netted from the penalty spot, the visitors would likely have gone on to win three points and control the game as Jose Mourinho’s side would have been forced to push out from their deep defensive shape.
Fast forward to Saturday and Spurs replicated their result against Pep Guardiola’s team from last season, picking up a 2-0 win. It was a performance which was a true triumph of defensive resilience, concentration, and tactical discipline. It was, from a defensive point of view, a near faultless performance which shut out avenues of attack for City to frustrate the visitors and force them into errors.
Aurier played his part in this supreme defensive effort; afforded his chance after first-choice right-back Matt Doherty tested positive for Covid-19 during the international break. The role of the Ivorian was potentially one of concern for Mourinho due to his tendency to have lapses of concentration but unlike earlier this year, he did not make any rash challenges or abandon his duties at any point.
The 27-year-old’s future at Spurs was called into question after the signing of Doherty from Wolves this summer. No longer first-choice, it was suggested that he would seek an exit from the club and in August, football.london cited a report from Calciomercato that highlighted interest from Italian giants Milan.
However, Aurier remained in north London and has started six matches to date this campaign - even if he had been named in the Premier League starting XI just twice in the opening eight rounds of action.
His attacking potential is obvious and was underlined by his excellent performance at Old Trafford last month, where he netted and provided a direct assist in the 6-1 rout. This was a continuation of his long-term form at the club - he scored twice and provided seven direct assists across the Premier League and Champions League last season - but it was at the other end of the pitch were there were doubts.
As per Whoscored.com’s analysis of the match, Aurier won three aerial duels during Saturday’s game against City while he made five successful tackles. Furthermore, the right-back made a notable four clearances and also blocked one shot from City, committing just two fouls throughout the game. Indeed, Aurier was the highest rated outfield player in the encounter and was only behind Spurs goalkeeper Lloris in the rankings.
The challenge now for the Ivorian is to establish himself in Mourinho’s starting XI and to prove himself as a genuine alternative for Doherty. His attacking output is unquestioned but concerns over his defensive discipline will continue to leave question marks in the mind of the management.
However, in a season with a particularly congested and compressed fixture schedule, rotations are going to be utilised more frequently than in a normal campaign and Aurier is, at the very least, likely to be deployed regularly both in Europe and domestic cup competitions.
Tottenham have a run of fixtures to come against their rivals in the Premier League, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Leicester City and Liverpool among the next five fixtures for Mourinho's men.
And Aurier has given himself a great chance of being involved again, having been excellent and dependable when called upon to date this season.
His attacking skill set against Manchester United was obvious, it was his defensive excellence against City that is likely to hold the most sway in helping him rejuvenate his career in north London.
