It is safe to assume the footballing world is now aware of the lavish young talent that is Mikey Moore.
Tottenham Hotspur maintained their 100 per cent record in the Europa League this season thanks to a 1-0 victory over 10-man AZ Alkmaar, with Ange Postecoglou’s side dominating possession even if they did find it difficult to break down stubborn opponents. Richarlison scored the winning goal on his first start of the season but Moore drew the focus.
Postecoglou handed the 17-year-old his first home start among nine changes from the weekend’s 4-1 win against West Ham United, and he seized his opportunity with a dazzling display. A Brazilian ended up as the match-winner against AZ, but it was a post-match comparison with Neymar that raised eyebrows.
Here, The Athletic’s Jay Harris breaks down the key talking points.
Has the time come for Moore to play ahead of Werner?
Timo Werner is desperate for a goal. The last time he found the back of the net was in a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in March. Since he joined the club from RB Leipzig in January, initially on a six-month loan that was extended by a year, he has only scored twice in 24 appearances across all competitions.
You cannot fault the 28-year-old’s application. In the first half against AZ, he repeatedly burst into good positions down the left wing. In the fourth minute, he cut back onto his right foot and whipped a cross into the box for Moore, who should have done better with a header.
Werner’s biggest problem is that he appears to panic when he is in the box.
It happened in the 3-0 win over Manchester United last month when he wasted two glorious one-on-one chances against Andre Onana. The same situation occurred against the Dutch club when Lucas Bergvall played a fantastic ball with the outside of his right boot that split AZ’s defence wide open. Werner had the space and time to take a couple of extra touches but rushed his effort and Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro made an easy save.
Werner was a threat throughout with his dribbling, but being replaced at half-time by Brennan Johnson will have knocked his confidence.
Step forward, Moore.
The 17-year-old had made a good impression in the first half on the right wing, but he was electric off the left after the break. He kept dribbling past multiple defenders at a time, creating space for his team-mates. Seiya Maikuma, a decade older than Moore, must have been dizzy by full time. James Maddison even joked: “I thought we had Neymar on the left wing.”
Moore looks fearless, capable of producing a piece of magic at any moment. Postecoglou has been slowly easing Moore into senior football but, if he keeps performing like this, he will surpass Werner in the pecking order sooner rather than later.
Will Richarlison benefit from Maddison’s generosity?
When the referee awarded Tottenham a penalty in the 52nd minute after Bergvall was fouled by Maxim Dekker, the crowd’s cheers were punctured by a few groans when they saw Maddison and Richarlison bickering over who would take it.
Maddison appeared to have won the argument after Rodrigo Bentancur whispered something into Richarlison’s ear, but it was the Brazilian striker who stepped up to score.
“Initially, we both wanted to take (the penalty),” Maddison told TNT Sports after the game. “I’m a senior player, the captain today, and I was going to take the penalty. But a little thought came into my head: Richy’s come back from an injury. It can be difficult, especially for a striker. I knew that last year as well when I had a long injury. It took me a while to get my first goal and that really gives confidence.”
Scoring from the spot, to open his account for the campaign, will have been a huge boost to Richarlison’s confidence.
The 27-year-old has struggled with a calf injury this season and this was only his second start since February. A fully fit Richarlison is a fantastic option for Postecoglou to use off the bench when they need a goal, or if Dominic Solanke needs a rest.
There was a perfect example of what Richarlison offers this team in the first half. He works hard out of possession and he closed down Maikuma in AZ’s half. Richarlison stole the ball and set up Werner, who fired a shot over the bar.
It is important to remember that Richarlison is low on match sharpness, yet you could see why Solanke is the first-choice striker. Solanke’s technical ability in tight spaces is exceptional and he is far better at linking up with his team-mates. There will be lots of opportunities for Richarlison to play, though, and this was an important step in the right direction.
“That will do him the world of good,” added Maddison.
What now for Dragusin?
The last time he started a game for Tottenham, it did not go to plan.
Radu Dragusin was sent off after seven minutes against Qarabag for pulling down their striker Juninho and the only game time he had enjoyed since was a brief cameo off the bench against Manchester United. So a runout against AZ was a big opportunity for him to impress Postecoglou. He looked nervous at times and was guilty of some erratic decision-making, but he did make a couple of key contributions.
The 22-year-old was Tottenham’s deepest outfield player. When AZ tried to counter-attack through Ernest Poku, it was often Dragusin’s responsibility to slow down the speedy winger to allow his team-mates to recover. He was aggressive with Troy Parrott and threw his body in the way of shots and crosses.
The Romania international showed his quality on the ball, too, as he executed a few crisp passes that flew over AZ’s defence into Maddison’s path.
Postecoglou likes his defenders to be comfortable on the ball and this is where Dragusin needs to make the biggest improvement. In the second half, he took too long in possession and had to pass it backwards to Fraser Forster. The ball was returned to Dragusin, via Bentancur, and he tried to dribble beyond Poku only for the winger to tackle him. Bentancur had to race back to block the shot.
If Dragusin can show more composure on the ball, he will push Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for a regular place in the starting XI. This performance will have been a valuable experience for the centre-back whose next outing, realistically, could be in the Carabao Cup against Manchester City on Wednesday.
What did Ange Postecoglou say?
On Moore’s performance: “It’s pretty hard for me to keep a lid on it now, ain’t it? He was exciting. You cannot deny it. There is no point denying it. I love the way Mikey is taking it all in his stride.
“He works hard every day. He wants to develop and understands this is a journey. It’s very easy for a young guy like him, who has just turned 17, to feel like he has somehow made it but you never get that sense. It’s exciting. You have got such a young player who wants that responsibility to make an impact, rather than, as sometimes (happens) with young players, being a bit worried about making mistakes.
“He is developing well. We have to be careful about how we use him, and when we use him. That is the key, particularly in these early stages. I have no fear throwing him in. absolutely not. I see it every day: he’s a great young player and there is more to come.”
What next for Spurs?
Sunday, October 27: Crystal Palace (away), Premier League, 14:00 UK time, 10:00 ET
Palace have yet to win in the Premier League this season, with Tottenham having only lost once in the league at Selhurst Park since 2015. Will Moore have another chance to impress?
(Top photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
