Chris Sutton says Tottenham defender Emerson Royal is ‘not good enough’

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Chris Sutton believes Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal is ‘not good enough’ and has branded him as the ‘weak link’ in Spurs’ squad.

Antonio Conte’s men take on Marseille in a hugely important Champions League game tonight. They need to avoid defeat to go through to the next round, but it will not be easy, especially if Emerson starts and has a shocker at the back.

Chris Sutton says Tottenham defender Emerson Royal is ‘not good enough’

Spurs made life difficult for themselves with a shocking first-half display against Sporting Lisbon last week. They were brilliant in the second 45, but their poor display before the break cost them a win.

That means Tottenham will have to take tonight’s game against Marseille very seriously to qualify for the next phase of the Champions League, but Sutton is worried about one player.

The pundit believes 23-year-old Emerson, who came under immense criticism for his ridiculous no-look-pass last week, is not good enough defensively, and he’s one player Marseille will be hoping will start tonight.

Sutton wrote in his column on The Daily Mail: “Emerson Royal is a weak link for Tottenham. He’s got too many mistakes and daft decisions in him, like the needless no-look pass that went out of play against Sporting Lisbon.

“He’s not good enough defensively and he doesn’t offer much in an attacking sense. Supporters are already asking what incriminating evidence he has on Conte to repeatedly make his starting line-up.

“Marseille would be glad to see Royal in the Tottenham team when they have better wing-backs in Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon. Spurs were so much better in their comeback at Bournemouth once Perisic and Sessegnon were on the pitch together.”

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A lot was expected of Emerson when he first joined Tottenham last year, but it’s safe to say, he just hasn’t lived up to all the hype.

The Brazilian, on his day, is a good player, but he has really struggled in a Spurs shirt. He has made numerous mistakes defensively, and some of his antics at the other end of the pitch haven’t impressed anyone either.

Sutton is right, Marseille players will take on Emerson if he starts tonight – especially Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean is not the superstar he once was at Arsenal, but he’s still really, really dangerous. If he’s allowed to run, he could hurt Tottenham tonight.

Starting Emerson is a really big gamble and whether Conte is willing to take that risk tonight remains to be seen.