Gary Neville has argued that Pedro Porro does not have the qualities to play as an inverted right-back, pointing out that the Spaniard nearly cost his side goals on a couple of occasions against Manchester United.
Postecoglou made two changes from the side that drew against Brentford in the opening game of the season, with Porro coming into the team in place of Emerson Royal while Pape Matar Sarr started in midfield over Oliver Skipp.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
While Sarr was one of Tottenham’s standout players on Saturday, Porro had an indifferent outing, with some encouraging moments and other suspect ones.
The 23-year-old was unlucky not to open the scoring for the home side as his shot thundered off the crossbar but he did have some nervy moments in the first-half, giving the ball away in dangerous areas on a couple of occasions.
Gary Neville was not impressed with Pedro Porro
The right-back did grow into the game in the second-half but Neville insisted that the former Sporting Lisbon man is a liability in the inverted full-back role since he is not comfortable on the ball.
When asked about Porro’s role, the pundit told Sky Sports – 19/08, 6:15 pm: “I’m not having it, I’m definitely not having it. Honestly, Porro thinks he’s Rodri meets Xavi!
“Honestly, all day long, if you’re a Manchester United player pressing, you want him to have that ball played into him and it’s nearly cost them goals. It doesn’t work if you’re not comfortable on the ball.”
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The jury is definitely still out on whether Porro can adapt to the inverted full-back role but Ange certainly seems to think he can. The Spaniard deserves some time to learn the role, given that he has played almost exclusively as a wing-back over the last few years.
I do not think it is a question of Porro not being comfortable on the ball. The 23-year-old is clearly a very good technician. However, he is evidently not used to receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch on the half-turn and appears to lack awareness of what is around him.
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