The Ivory Coast international has endured a mixed time in North London, but for all his flaws he is a lot better than his recent performances suggest
Beyond a lingering suspicion over Erling Braut Haland, there remains little evidence of advancement in biologically engineering the perfect footballer.
Even Lionel Messi, in the minds of many the greatest footballer ever to have played the game, has a vertical limitation. Genetics bequeath imperfections, as does basic humanity, and imperfections can be immensely intriguing: we may never know how much better (or worse) the little Argentine maestro might have been if he was a foot taller.
That does not, however, impede our enjoyment of him, or of most players. The ‘flaws’ are crags in the rock-face of their greatness to which we can latch on.
Why, then, does it appear that perfection is expected of Serge Aurier?
Why are the undeniable failings of the Tottenham Hotspur man considered terminal?
It would be difficult to argue that the Ivory Coast international’s time in England has been anything other than very mixed. His two-year stay at Spurs has brought eye-catching displays and slapstick in almost equal proportions, and the club’s lack of other options at right-back this season has only served to further magnify those peaks and troughs.
For a microcosm of his career in North London, it is not necessary to look too far. The month of September served up the good, the bad, and the blackly comedic.
For the first game of the month against archrivals Arsenal, he was left on the bench, and watched on as centre-back Davinson Sanchez predictably had a rotten afternoon of it moonlighting as a full-back. Tottenham would relinquish a two-goal lead in the game, and end up hanging on by the skin of their teeth under a ton of Gunner pressure inside the Emirates Stadium.
The next league game against Crystal Palace, Aurier was recalled to the side from the start, and delivered an impactful performance: his signature deliveries were a consistent menace (one whipped one forced Patrick van Aanholt to turn past his own goalkeeper, another lofted to the back stick was converted on the volley by Son Heung-Min), his willingness to get forward provided a constant outlet, and Spurs looked, for that afternoon, like a blast from a recent, irresistible past.
They blew the Eagles away 4-0, a result made all the more remarkable by the fact the visitors on the day are notoriously parsimonious at the back: so far this season, only five Premier League sides have conceded fewer than Roy Hodgson’s side.
That performance was then followed by a solid outing against Leicester City, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. The former Paris Saint-German full-back even thought he had scored, and he might have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for the meddling Video Assistant Referee, which spotted an offside.
