Pedro Porro’s performance for Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium yesterday may have gone slightly under the radar.
The 24-year-old started from the off at right-back and was tasked with dealing with the threat of Jeremy Doku.
It’s fair to say that before this season, Pedro Porro’s defensive work was questionable, to say the least. The Spaniard had struggled to adapt to the Premier League after arriving from Sporting Lisbon back in January.
But to the surprise of many, he’s excelled as an inverted full-back this season after he was signed as a wing-back under Antonio Conte.
And he continued his encouraging form into Tottenham’s clash against Manchester City on Sunday.
Porro quietly excellent against Man City
Porro faced off against his former side yesterday and he certainly impressed at right-back.
Doku has been in exceptional form for City this season and has caused problems for many defenders already.
According to Sofa Score, the Belgian only completed one take-on in the 3-3 draw yesterday. That’s the joint-fewest he’s managed in a Premier League start for City.
And that was largely down to Porro’s brilliant defensive work down the right-hand side.
Porro made two tackles, three blocks and produced one key pass on the day, according to FBref.
The defender also completed 88 per cent of his passes and wasn’t dribbled past once in the whole 90 minutes.
Indeed, Doku’s only real moment of quality in the game came when he found himself 1v1 with Ben Davies and the winger rattled the woodwork with his effort.
There’s no doubt that Tottenham rode their luck at times on Sunday, especially in the first half. But that was to be expected given the fact that Postecoglou had to name a make-shift backline, with Emerson Royal and Davies at centre-back.
Yet, Porro continues to impress at right-back and his improvement on the defensive side of his game is there for all to see.
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