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Matt Doherty has started just 12 Premier League games for Spurs this season. PA

What now for Matt Doherty?

The Irish international has had a difficult first season at new club Tottenham.

PRIOR TO this season, if you were to ask most people to identify the best Irish player of the past couple of campaigns, the common refrain would be Matt Doherty.

The £15 million move to Tottenham from Wolves last August appeared to confirm the Dubliner’s status as a top-class Premier League player.

Yet it has been a troubled season for both Spurs and Doherty.

Last weekend’s defeat to Man United severely dented the North London side’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot.

With seven games to play, Tottenham sit seventh, six points off fourth-place West Ham.

Jose Mourinho’s men can scarcely afford to drop more points if they are to retain any hope of qualifying for next season’s edition of Europe’s premier club competition.

Spurs, even before Mourinho’s arrival, have looked a team on a downward spiral.

The 2016-17 campaign saw them achieve 86 points — the most they have ever picked up in a single Premier League season and a tally that would have been good enough to claim the title in a number of campaigns.

Since then, their decline has been clear — 77 points (2017-18), 71 points (2018-19), 59 points (2019-20). In their first full season under Mourinho, this negative trend could be set to continue, with the club having picked up just 49 points as it stands.

And perhaps even more fatally, they ostensibly face a fight to keep hold of star player Harry Kane, with widespread reports that the 27-year-old striker wants to leave Spurs to further his career amid links with Man United, Chelsea and PSG among others.

And Kane’s exit could be part of a summer overhaul for a Spurs team that has flattered to deceive on too many occasions this year.

British media reports have suggested at least six players could leave Tottenham come the end of the campaign.

Season-long loan deals for Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius are unlikely to be renewed.

In addition, Hugo Lloris, Serge Aurier, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela and Juan Foyth have been listed as some of the players facing uncertain futures.

Doherty’s situation could come under scrutiny too.

The Irish player is currently out with an injury picked up during the international break, and Mourinho yesterday indicated he would not be available for tonight’s clash with Everton.

But even before that setback, the former Bohemians player was not in the Portuguese coach’s good books — just prior to going away with Ireland, he was being left out of matchday squads, with Serge Aurier and Japhet Tanganga often selected ahead of him.

In total this season, Doherty has started 12 of Tottenham’s 31 Premier League games, suggesting Mourinho does not fully trust the player.

It is a fairly unique position for the Irish star to be in, as he was a virtual ever-present in the starting XI during his time with Wolves and widely considered one of the best players in his position in England’s top flight.

The 29-year-old’s biggest problem appears to be that Mourinho is not convinced by his defensive capabilities.

For the majority of his time at Molineux, he thrived as a right wing-back. Since moving, he has generally been employed as a right-back and thus has more defensive responsibilities.

Mourinho, it seems, likes playing with an attacking full-back on one side and a more defensive-minded one on the other.

It is why when Doherty starts, it is almost always with the more defensively sound Ben Davies on the left.

The arrival of the similarly attack-minded left-back Sergio Reguilón last September complicated matters.

Doherty and Reguilón have started in the same team on just five occasions in the Premier League this season, against Brighton, West Brom, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Arsenal, and one of those saw the Madrid-born player begin the game in midfield.

More worryingly for Doherty, reports have indicated that Tottenham have targeted a new goalkeeper, centre-back and right-back as the key areas for improvement next season.

S0 is there any hope of rescuing a difficult situation for the Irish international?

It’s hard to imagine Mourinho switching to a 3-5-2 anytime soon, given how poor his options are at centre-back currently.

The best hope from Doherty’s perspective may be a managerial change.

Chairman Daniel Levy is unlikely to make any definitive calls until the season ends, but should the club fail to achieve a top-four spot for the second consecutive campaign under Mourinho, following four top-four finishes on the trot during the Mauricio Pochettino era, then they may seek a change.

Maurizio Sarri, Julian Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers, Massimiliano Allegri and Diego Simeone have been mentioned among the potential successors should the 58-year-old depart, and it’s not difficult to imagine Doherty flourishing under many of these more attack-minded coaches.

A player not dissimilar to Doherty, Luke Shaw, also had a problematic time under Mourinho at Man United, but has looked reinvigorated since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the Dubliner has the talent to make a similar recovery.

Upcoming Premier League fixtures:

Friday

Everton v Tottenham (20.00)

Saturday

Newcastle v West Ham (12.30)
Wolves v Sheffield United (20.15)

Sunday

Arsenal v Fulham (13.30)
Man United v Burnley (16.00)

Monday

Leeds v Liverpool (20.00)

Tuesday

Chelsea v Brighton (20.00)

FA Cup semi-finals

Saturday

Chelsea v Man City (17.30)

Sunday

Leicester v Southampton (18.30)

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17 Comments
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    Mute Eoin Fitzgerald
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    Apr 16th 2021, 4:18 PM

    Even when Spurs signed him, I felt he would have a better career at Wolves. The main problem is that he is being played out of position. He plays better in a back 5. Playing with a back 4 at spurs doesn’t suit him. He was brilliant at wolves playing as a RWB. The attacking stats speak for themselves. This season his only attacking returns are 2 assists. Last season at Wolves he had 4 goals and 8 assists. That is a huge fall this season.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Apr 16th 2021, 4:38 PM

    @Eoin Fitzgerald: One of those rare moves that worked for nobody.
    Doherty was a key player at an exciting Wolves team, playing every week and scoring goals. He is now a bit part player at an underperforming Spurs and Wolves have missed him big time.

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Apr 16th 2021, 5:32 PM

    @Justin Gillespie: as a wolves fan you are overestimating the importance that MD had in the team. Yes he was a good club man (10 years or so at the club) & was played well going forward but he always had shortcomings in his defensive position. I like many wolves fans thought that the sale price was a little lower than expected but with wolves moving to a more possession based style it was clear that Nuno didn’t have faith in him. There is no denying he has gone backwards under Jose so if he is let go I hope he goes to a club like Southampton or Burnley, a good man manager will get him back on track.

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    Mute Eoin Fitzgerald
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    Apr 16th 2021, 5:41 PM

    @Richard Cronin: That’s bu11sh*t that Nuno didn’t have faith him. He played every game for Wolves when he was fit. He was one of their best and most important players.

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:07 PM

    @Eoin Fitzgerald: the only BS here is coming out of your mouth, same happened with Barry Douglas. In the championship he was a important part of the team in the premier league how ever is a different animal, that’s why he was given the heave ho. With back 3 & 2 wing backs then MD plays well as that is where his strengths lye, in a back 4 however shows his weaknesses. Danny Batth gave him the protection he needed before Nuno took over & moved the style to counter attack. If Nuno saw him as important as you think, price tag would have been higher & they would not have had Nélson Semedo already lined up to replace him.

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    Mute Eoin Fitzgerald
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:21 PM

    @Richard Cronin: so you’re telling me that wolves very much wanted to get rid of a RWB who had 4 goals and 8 assists in the PL last season and that he wasn’t an important member of the team? What wolves would do for someone with those stats now.

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:44 PM

    @Eoin Fitzgerald: where did I say wolves wanted to very much get rid of him? What I did say is that in a back 4 Nuno saw his weaknesses & didn’t mind letting him go. 4 goals & 8 assists stats are lovely but they only come in a formation that suits him as a individual, if not then where are those 4 goals & 8 assists for Tottenham? Also selling Jota, Jimenez injury along with Johnny Otto & Boly. No pre season to get the team settled to the new style, not to mention most of the players & managerial staff not being able to be with there families had a bigger effect this season than MD being sold.

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:58 PM

    @Richard Cronin: I’m a Wolves fan myself and when Doherty was sold last season Wolves had come through two seasons where they were blessed on the injury front.
    This season has been very different and while Semedo is a decent player he hasn’t been brilliant in defence and has contributed nothing up front.
    Id say if Nuno knew then what he knows now he would have held on to Matt & he would havee stayed.
    We will never know, I just want this season to be over now.

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Apr 16th 2021, 7:10 PM

    @Justin Gillespie: I know it looks like I don’t rate MD, he is a good player & I was sorry to see him go but he is at the limit of his capabilities & there is very little more he can give. Keeping him at wolves he would have become a bit part player this season anyway, the change of style was already being started, better to let him go. I’m the same with this season, the sooner the better, loosing to the West bARstARds made me sick as a parrot.

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    Mute Fr Romeo sensini.
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    Apr 16th 2021, 4:18 PM

    I’d imagine Jose could be gone before matt.So it out matthew.

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    Mute Nigel Hayden
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    Apr 16th 2021, 5:34 PM

    Sack mourinho and get a manager who can inspire the players

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    Mute Hugh
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    Apr 16th 2021, 5:54 PM

    @Nigel Hayden: no one has inspired the scrubs at Spurs

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Apr 16th 2021, 9:21 PM

    @Nigel Hayden: I’d say Kane and Son want out

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    Mute Eddie
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:30 PM

    Won’t bother him,he has a decent contract

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    Mute Doug barking
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:01 PM

    I’d rate him as a player but definitely not top 6 material. He’s looked lost on many occasion on the park. He was way more suited to Wolves playing style.

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    Mute Nigel Hayden
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:09 PM

    @Doug barking: at the moment I wouldn’t mind spurs playing the way wolves played last season. They’ve been atrocious to watch under mourinho

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    Mute Gareth Matthewson
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    Apr 16th 2021, 6:46 PM

    A blind man on a galloping horse could see that coming

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