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World Cup Overview

An Overview of World Cup 2018: How Spurs Players Got On

The World Cup is over, and despite the disappointment that many England fans may have felt after crashing out of the semi-finals to Croatia, Spurs fans can rejoice at the impressive performances that many of their players offered their countries. Here, we’re taking a closer look at how the Spurs players got on in the tournament in Russia.

World Cup 2018 in Russia

Harry Kane

Having been announced as the winner of the golden boot, Harry Kane had a truly phenomenal World Cup. The striker is the first man to have joined Gary Lineker as the only English players to have ever been awarded this trophy. Having finished two goals clear of any player in the World Cup (with Lukaku, Griezmann, Mbappe, Ronaldo, and Cheryshev all sitting on 4), many believe that Kane was highly deserving of the title. The 24-year-old has now proven that he truly can perform at every major stage, although some critics believe that Kane’s performance wasn’t a deserved one, with five of six goals appearing in the group stages; 3 of the 6 being penalties, and one being a fortunate deflection!

Dele Alli

Dele Alli has been a controversial name in Spurs history with his ‘bad boy’ play style, even racking up a tear-jerking 44 yellow cards since 2012. (Figures include Dele's MK Dons career). However, Spurs fans are willing to forgive his previous antics thanks to his impressive gameplay in the group stages of the tournament this year. England’s win against Sweden in the quarter-finals saw Alli send the ball hurtling towards the net in his only goal of the tournament and helping catapult England towards the semi-finals. The often-controversial player also managed to get through the tournament without a single yellow card. However, Alli never seemed to fully recover from the troublesome thigh injury which he picked up against Tunisia in the group stages, so we can be certain that Russia didn’t see Alli reach his true potential.

Hugo Lloris

One of the shining stars of the World Cup, helped to lead France to world Cup victory this year - and was the first Spurs player to do so. The Frenchman did make a howler of a mistake against Croatia in the final however, which led to the Croatians slightly narrowing the gap. Nevertheless, Lloris enjoyed a great number of incredible saves, but some believe he may have even clinched the save of the tournament, denying Uruguay’s Martin Caceres in the quarter-final with an incredible save after a set-piece. With inhuman strength in his right palm and the ability to acrobatically leap to deny the goal, Lloris was undeniably one of the top keepers of the tournament this World Cup.

Kieran Trippier

Trippier emerged as one of England’s top stars as the tournament progressed, and his goal against Croatia is certainly one that will be remembered. It was Trippier’s free kick against the side who eventually knocked England out of the semi-finals, which saw the whole country believe that they would reach the final. But that was not the only reason that Trippier became one of the best players in the England squad. It was his passing and delivery which really helped to set the tone of the England team, and the right back helped to prove himself as one of the world’s best wing-backs in this particular tournament. Unfortunately, he suffered injury and England being knocked out of the semi-finals by Croatia, but he did make the line-up for the Third Place play-off and will certainly remain in the memories of many a football fan for a long-time to come.

Eric Dier

Despite Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson being Gareth Southgate’s first choice, a choice which was mocked by many fans on social media, Dier was certainly a force to be reckoned with for the position in midfield. It was his winning spot kick in the penalty shoot-out against Columbia which really led to Dier taking the limelight in the World Cup, which ultimately saw England reach the semi-final for the first time in 28 years. (First, they had to beat Sweden in the quarter-final.) Dier had a number of opportunities throughout the tournament to really make his mark, but it was his part in that historic penalty shoot-out which will keep his name in lights – and hopefully put him in the starting XI for future England games.

Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld is one of the most solid centre backs of the Belgian team and remained very consistent throughout the entirety of the tournament. It was his performance against Tunisia which really helped the player to stand out, with excellent delivery to Chelsea’s Eden Hazard which bought about the second goal. Toby also made a spectacular clearance off the line after Eric Dier’s shot had beaten goalkeeper Courtois in that third-fourth place final. His performance at the World Cup seemed to spark the interest of Manchester United, who began to target him in the transfer window, with French defender Pavard set to take his place if Alderweireld is to leave this summer.

Son Heung-min

It was a disappointing World Cup for Son’s team, South Korea, who went out in the group stages of the tournament. Son did better on a personal level, scoring two of the his country's only three goals as they lost to Sweden and Mexico – despite stunning one of the favourites, Germany, with a 2-0 win in their last game. Let’s not forget Son's stunning goal against Mexico either, despite their defeat. There are also some rumours that Son may now need to carry out his mandatory military service, with some seeing this as punishment from the government. Son has already reached an agreement with Spurs to allow him to play during the 2018 Asian Games, and if South Korea are able to obtain a gold medal at these games this year, then Son may be exempt from military service altogether.

The Other Spurs Players

There were a great number of other mentions in this year’s World Cup, with Jan Vertonghen grabbing one goal in six matches for Belgium, and also appearances for Danny Rose (England), Mousa Dembele (Belgium), Christian Eriksen (Denmark) and Davinson Sanchez (Columbia). Spurs saw promising performances from almost every single one of their players who took part in the World Cup tournament in Russia this year, and while many of them will need a little bit of rest time before the start of the Premier League, we must hope to see Spurs reach new heights next season if the players’ performances continue.

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