Tottenham Hotspur: Rating the Spurs Players Against Monaco

Tottenham Hotspur lost 5-2 to Monaco in a disappointing preseason outing at the Stade Louis II on Saturday.

A makeshift Tottenham defense was looking reasonably comfortable after Andrea Raggi had given Monaco the lead.

When Lucas Ocampos took advantage of a daydreaming Harry Kane to head in a corner shortly after the interval, Monaco turned the screw.

Radamel Falcao scored on either side of a Kane strike before Mounir Obbadi made it five for Claudio Ranieri's side.

Andros Townsend struck an excellent consolation goal, but the game was long over by that point.

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas will be frustrated by an underwhelming overall team performance, but how did his players each fare individually?

Goalkeeper and Defense

Goalkeeper

Hugo Lloris (5.5)

The Frenchman was caught out at his near-post by Andrea Raggi's superb volley. He may kick himself for letting it in, but the goal was mostly testament to Raggi's audacity in taking the shot from a wide angle—not to mention his fine technique.

Thereafter, Lloris was typically assertive in his role as the last line of the defense, sweeping up well for the inexperienced back line in front of him. There was little he could do about Monaco's last four goals.

Defense

Kyle Walker (5.5)

Walker's performance was in line with the aggressiveness with which he has conducted himself throughout preseason. The right-back was not shy to make a tackle and was quick off the mark early on.

As was the case with the defenders beside him, he waned somewhat as the game progressed.

Jake Livermore (5)

Livermore's unfamiliarity with playing in defense was clear in some of his positioning and slowness to react to certain situations. It would be wrong to knock the stand-in defender too much. He worked hard in what was a tough ask against quality opposition.

Zeki Fryers (5)

Steven Caulker's departure and injuries to Tottenham's other centre-backs mean Fryers could be seeing more action in the next couple of weeks. The 20-year-old did not look uncomfortable, but he has some way to go to become a match for the likes of Radamel Falcao on a regular basis.

Danny Rose (6.5)

One of Tottenham's brightest performers, Rose was a bundle of energy despite the oppressive temperature. His desire to get to the ball is admirable, but on occasion, he could do with being a tad more thoughtful.

For Raggi's goal, he was drawn out of position, leaving the Monaco full-back space to move into with Nacer Chadli scrambling to keep up. This is a minor concern though and one he should rid from his game with time.

Kyle Naughton (7)

Brought on for Rose, Naughton impressed with some hustling defensive work and intelligent use of the ball going forward.

Kevin Stewart

The teenage defender came on for the final couple of minutes as the game petered out.

Midfield

Midfield

Aaron Lennon (6)

Lennon was one of Tottenham's only real outlets in attack. The sprightly winger threatened from wide right but did not give Monaco too much to worry about.

Mousa Dembele (6.5)

A couple of matches behind most of his teammates, Dembele grew into this game. He linked up well with fellow Belgian Nacer Chadli at times and worked hard to give Spurs a presence in midfield.

Kane's goal was a result of his persistence in driving the ball towards the Monaco goal.

Scott Parker (5.5)

Parker was energetic early on and brought the ball forward well. His tempo slowed as the match progressed though, and his Monaco midfield counterparts largely had the run on him.

Nacer Chadli (5.5)

It was a decent if mostly unremarkable first appearance in a Spurs shirt for Chadli. There were some nice, skillful flourishes with the ball, but he is clearly still getting to know the players around him.

Gylfi Sigurdsson (4)

An anonymous performance from Sigurdsson: He alternated with Chadli between left and attacking midfield but was unable to make an impact at either position.

Monaco had no reason to fear him at any point. For his own sake, he needs to involve himself more in games.

Andros Townsend (7)

Townsend continued his impressive preseason with a fine half-hour's work. He took a little time to settle into the game, but once he did, he kept Monaco on their toes with some positive attacking runs.

His goal was superb. With his pace and strong finishing ability, Townsend may become an important source of goals for Spurs.

Tom Huddlestone (6)

Huddlestone did not see too much of the ball in his 15 minutes, but this would still count as one of his better efforts of the preseason. After looking sloppy in previous games, he was far more alert defensively, even stopping a potential goal with a block.

Tom Carroll and Nabil Bentaleb

Carroll was on for a little longer but did not see much more action than Bentaleb did in his two-minute cameo.

Attack

Attack

Jermain Defoe

Defoe went off injured after only eight minutes, having been barely involved before then.

Harry Kane (7)

Making the most of his chance here, Kane will have given Villas-Boas further food for thought as he considers his attacking options for the coming season.

Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic was promptly closed down whenever he had the ball at his feet. Not shy in looking for the ball, Kane's efforts extended to frequently presenting himself as a passing option.

Some of his hold-up play was impeccable, as he showed a fine touch and good awareness of the positioning of his teammates. After panicking when an earlier chance presented itself, Kane dispatched his goal calmly.