Emerson has shown he still has Tottenham future despite Porro arrival
At the end of September, it was reported that Tottenham's Emerson Royal had spent £800,000 on his personal development as a footballer. This includes access to his own private hyperbaric chamber, while working closely with a neuroscientist to help cope with the pressures of being a professional footballer, forever scrutinised in the public eye.
In addition, it was reported that Emerson had personal scout reports drawn up on PSG's Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan widely regarded as the best wing-back in the game, and who was a revelation under now-Spurs boss Antonio Conte during their time together for Inter. The desire of the 24-year-old to establish himself as first choice in Conte's favoured 3-4-3 system was widely praised, particularly after Emerson had lost his first team spot to Matt Doherty for a brief spell last season.
Coupled with the summer signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough, many believed the Brazilian would move on to pastures new after just one season in north London, yet remained at the club. However, in the match following the revelation of Emerson's big spending to improve, he received his marching orders on the hour mark in Tottenham's 3-1 North London Derby defeat to Arsenal. Emerson returned a WhoScored rating of just 5.16, his worst in a Premier League match in his career.
Since moving to Tottenham 18 months ago, Emerson's routinely come under criticism from football fans across the country. In Spurs' quest to replace Kyle Walker, they have gone through a number of right-backs, ranging from Kieran Trippier, to Serge Aurier, to Doherty and Emerson. None have been able to live up to the billing with the position proving a problem for the north London side.
Many had felt the ship had sailed for Emerson, especially as the club pursued Pedro Porro throughout January, but with Spence sent out on loan to Rennes and Doherty's contract terminated, the Brazilian has remained at the club. And just as the links with Porro began to gather momentum, Emerson, having recently been in and out of the side at Doherty's expense, began to look far more comfortable for Conte's side.
Spurs' 1-0 win over Manchester City was notable in that the victory saw Harry Kane score his 267th goal of his Tottenham career, making him the club's all-time top scorer in history. The plaudits were for Kane, and deservedly so. His first half strike was his 200th Premier League goal, becoming only the third player after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney to reach the milestone.
And yet, it was Emerson, with a 55% share, who was voted as Spurs' player of the match. His last three league outings rank among his five best rated in the Premier League this season. Credit where credit is due, the former Barcelona man has upped his game in recent weeks just as Spurs sought to bring in another wing-back.
Porro will add the attacking impetus Conte demands from his wing-backs and while his defensive work has been called into question, the 23-year-old has all the makings of becoming a world class star in the position.
Yet fans may have to wait a little longer to see Porro in action given the recent decent outings of Emerson. The problem that'll forever plague the latter is that he doesn't have the attacking output of the former. This is best encaptulated in that Emerson has made six key passes in the Premier League this season. Porro, by comparison made more in his final Liga Bwin appearance prior to his move to Spurs (8). This is exactly why Conte demanded an upgrade at right wing-back last month.
Conversely, Emerson's defensive work is a quality not to be overlooked. The Brazilian thrives when games get a little chaotic and Spurs are on the backfoot. He's happy to throw himself about in order to protect the goal, and as the north London side sat back in recent wins over Fulham and Manchester City, fans saw why he'd been first choice for so long this season.
Considering Conte favours a 3-4-3 formation, Emerson is an extra body in the middle of the park that ensures the midfield does not get overrun. He also has the stamina to yo-yo up the right flank and while Emerson isn't always picked out in the best positions by teammates, he'll drag markers out of position that opens up space for the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Kane to exploit.
Of course, and as is the case in any Conte system, the primary objective of the wing-backs is to attack. One of Spurs' WhoScored strengths is 'attacking down the wings' and considering Emerson has been directly involved in just two league goals this season, fans have come to expect more from those in the role.
It's only a matter of time before Porro establishes himself in the Spurs setup, but Emerson has now given Conte a current selection headache. Having been heavily criticised for much of the campaign, it's only fair that Emerson come in for praise when he's be key for Spurs in wins over Fulham and City. Crucially is that Conte now has two wing-backs with differing strengths to their game, and can tailor his setup accordingly with Emerson the stronger defensively, and Porro the more effective in the final third.
Considering Emerson was linked with a January exit, this is the redemption arc for the much-maligned wing-back, who has used the arrival of Porro to up his performances to a standard that certainly suggests he has more of a long-term future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that many expected a few weeks ago.
