The circumstances were challenging for Sergio Reguilon to make his Tottenham Hotspur debut.
Just days after publicly questioning whether Spurs could compete in the Carabao Cup this season, Jose Mourinho picked the Spaniard to start at left-back against one of the most potent, dangerous attacks in the English game right now.
Indeed, Chelsea’s free-flowing forward play had Reguilon on his toes from the start.
The pace of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner, who swapped wings throughout, would have been enough to test even the most seasoned of full-backs and there were times at which the 23-year-old struggled.
Reguilon was partially culpable for Werner’s opener after 19 minutes, diving into a tackle on Cesar Azpilicueta when he should have stayed on his feet and forcing his fellow Spaniard into taking him on.
The Chelsea captain made the former Real Madrid full-back look foolish, waiting for Reguilon to slide past him before picking out a teammate in the middle, with the ball ultimately ending up in the back of the net.
Of course, Reguilon was primarily signed to provide Spurs with an attacking outlet down the left side and it was notable how high he was positioned for much of the match.
Despite lining up in an orthodox back four, Reguilon was effectively deployed as a wing-back.
It was clear from this performance that Mourinho wants the newbie to be a major source of width for Tottenham, allowing the likes of Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min when he returns from injury freedom to cut inside.
After a difficult opening 20 minutes, Reguilon grew into the game, showing impressive mobility to get up and down the left wing time and time again.
This was an admirable effort considering the Spaniard hadn’t played a competitive game since Sevilla’s Europa League final victory over Inter last month. Reguilon’s fitness doesn’t seem to be in question.
Nobody made more crosses over the 90 minutes (four, as per WhoScored) than Reguilon, with the left-back even forcing new Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy into a flying save in the second half.
It was a moment that illustrated how Reguilon will make runs into the final third, adding a unique dimension to Tottenham’s attack.
This was reinforced by his assist for Lamela’s equaliser; he burst into the Chelsea box and found his Argentine team-mate at the back post with a good cross.
It was a moment not too dissimilar to the assist Reguilon provided for Suso in last month’s Europa League semi-final win for Sevilla over Manchester United.
There were signs of an understanding between Reguilon and Moura, and between Reguilon and Lamela on the opposite flank, although the Brazilian looked a little unsure at points of when his new team-mate will and won’t overlap him.
This was, however, the first time the two wide men had played together and so this will be something that naturally improves over time as Reguilon grows more accustomed to the movements of his new teammates, and they grow accustomed to his.
Reguilon also made two tackles and five interceptions over the 90 minutes – nobody on the pitch made more – in what was a solid debut for the Spaniard.
The performance was a little rough around the edges, but the way Reguilon improved as the match progressed will have surely pleased Mourinho.
