Emerson Royal offered his best performance for Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, playing his part as as they defeated Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Brazilian right-back joined the club from Barcelona this summer, but the transition into English football hasn’t been an entirely smooth one.
However, his showing against the Villains gave fans a brief insight as to why Tottenham shelled out a €30 million (£25.6m) figure for him.
Emerson Royal Shows Why Tottenham Hotspur Signed Him
A Constant Threat Down The Right
Tottenham entered the clash against Villa with a big point to prove – coming into the fixture on the back of three straight league defeats and a convincing loss in the North London Derby.
Emerson started last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on the bench but was trusted by Nuno Espirito Santo for the visit of Dean Smith’s side at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 22-year-old grabbed that opportunity with both hands and produced a convincing performance down Spurs’ right-hand flank.
He marauded forward more confidently than in any other fixture he has appeared in while maintaining his defensive responsibilities the other way.
Emerson wasn’t afraid to show himself to receive possession and recorded 86 touches of the ball, which was the most by any player on the pitch, while closely followed by teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with 83.
He also won nine duels, made seven clearances and four interceptions against a tricky Villa side containing a forward tandem of Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings.
Espirito Santo Could Have Defensive Right Side He Can Trust
The fixture against Villa also provided Espirito Santo with a chance to reset and find a defensive line that showed stability and confidence.
The Portuguese coach has found himself to be in the firing line after enduring a bad couple of weeks form-wise following the international break, which forced him to rethink his structure. And to his credit, he managed to achieve that against a tricky opponent.
Espirito Santo deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation instead of his preferred 4-3-3, which offered more protection to full-backs Emerson and Sergio Reguilon.
The introduction of central defender Cristian Romero on the right side also provided Spurs with some extra stability, as he continues to work on his own path into regular starting contention.
Both Emerson and Romero showed a solid mix of aggressiveness and assertiveness alongside each other when Spurs needed it most, and that is something which Espirito Santo will be delighted to see as he seeks to steady a rocking ship.
Emerson Can Cement Right-Back Position at Tottenham
Although it is still relatively early days for Emerson in north London, he can be a solution to Tottenham’s inconsistencies at right-back.
Espirito Santo has often elected to use Japhet Tanganga as a more defensive full-back, though that hasn’t always gone to plan against aggressive sides.
The England U21 international was omitted from the Spurs squad altogether against Villa, which presented an opportunity for Emerson to slot into the starting lineup.
Emerson’s adjustment to English football was tough with results not going the way he would have desired, but his showing against Villa has given Espirito Santo something to think about regarding what he can offer to the side.
It is just one game and Emerson will have to prove himself in the long-term, but he evidently has all the tools at his disposal to cement the right-back spot as his own.
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