Tottenham Hotspur were a day late and a dollar short against Arsenal in the Premier League, with an infuriating North London Derby defeat exposing defensive frailties that have blemished a promising campaign.
Ange Postecoglou's side were ravaged by an error-strewn opening half that was aggravated by some contentious officiating decisions, but the fact remains that there is a canyon of quality between the Lilywhites and their title-chasing arch-rivals.
A second-half rally spoke of the desire, spoke of the ability of this brewing project, but there is much for Postecoglou to stew over and much for bruised Tottenham to reflect on, with the hopes of reclaiming a position among Europe's elite next year narrowing.
One such issue is that of central midfield. Yves Bissouma was dropped after a string of poor displays but his stand-in, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, failed to impress once again from the outset.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's performance vs Arsenal
Hojbjerg has not started often this season but his Malian counterpart's struggles called for intervention, and the Dane's express purpose of controlling and organising in the centre of the park convinced Postecoglou to throw him back into the mix.
It, quite literally, backfired, with Hojbjerg's skewed header following Bukayo Saka's corner handing Mikel Arteta's side a venomous opener down N17, 15 minutes on the clock.
His travails led him to a substitution just after the hour mark, having failed to contain the slick-moving visitors and being branded with a 4/10 match rating by football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold, who wrote: 'Making only his seventh start in the league and within 15 minutes he had headed the ball into his own net from a corner. Wasn't Spurs' worst player but it's another defeat to his name when he starts.'
As per Sofascore, the Dane might not have been the worst performer – James Maddison, ensnared still in the webbed net of post-injury strife – and he was at least at the heart of the action, taking 83 touches across his 64 minutes, completing 87% of his passes, pushing forward with two dribbles, making three tackles and winning six of his 11 contested duels.
But he choked on the big occasion once again and was too conservative in possession, failing to make a single key pass and losing possession 12 times.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's season in numbers
Does Hojbjerg have a future at Spurs? Does he fit the Ange-ball prototype, requisite for success and sharpened for prominence in this flowering new system at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Likely not. The 28-year-old was fiercely linked with a move away back in January and, out of contract in 2025 with just seven Premier League starts to his name this season, it would seem unlikely that he will retain his bit-part position in the side next season – especially with present interest from teams such as AC Milan.
Fulham (H)
23/10/23
2-0 win
90'
Wolves (A)
11/11/23
2-1 loss
90'
West Ham (H)
07/12/23
2-1 loss
67'
Brighton (A)
28/12/23
4-2 loss
90'
Man Utd (A)
14/01/24
2-2 draw
90'
Everton (A)
03/02/24
2-2 draw
89'
Arsenal (H)
28/04/24
3-2 loss
64'
Moreover, let's just glance at the table above. It hardly denotes Hojbjerg's success, his compatibility in the fast-moving, free-spirited style that this craggy-faced Australian has blessed an outfit seeking respite from an interminably challenging series of campaigns, following the warm and sure football that Mauricio Pochettino instilled.
Hojbjerg was a product of Jose Mourinho's arrival, signed from Southampton for a shrewd £15m fee, but his time is surely up and it's difficult to imagine Postecoglou will be convinced to start him again this season, instead using his crisp in-possession quality in the later stages of matches.
Hojbjerg is a cultured midfielder, strong in the tackle and commanding in his short-placed passing game, but he faces yet another year of inactivity under Postecoglou's wing and he must now be sold.
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