All season I have said that, for all the good things Mason does, as much as we love passion and a home-grown player, he is too inconsistent, too careless indeed too dangerous to be a regular starter in a team at the level we aspire to.
The first 2 goals yesterday were perfect examples of how he costs us.
Pic 1:
As ball is passed to Carrick, Spurs have a reasonable shape. Mason is slightly out of position in that he should be closer to, and perhaps goal side of, Fellani, but there is no real danger. Carrick can be left to collect the ball, Dier is the spare man. What can Carrick do? Shoot and beat Lloris from 40 yards? Pass to Young or Rooney who are marked? Carry it forward and into Dier? Probably just square it to Herrera..........
Pic 2
Mason rushes forward, leaving Fellani, and so Dier has too much ground to make up to cover across. A defence-splitting ball to Fellani woud be easy for Sandra Redknapp, let alone Michael Carrick. 1-0 down, Entirely due to Mason not having the intelligence to read the situation and make the right decision, in a relatively simple attack which you are coached on as a 10 year old.
Pic 3
2nd goal. As the corner is in the air, Mason has a good position marking Carrick at the near post..........
Pic 4
After Fellani fouls Dier to win header and then Chadli knocks it across the area, Mason has switched off, watches the ball and has let Carrick get 7 yards away from him to have a free header. (And, yes, I have no idea what Walker was doing either).
I know we were bad, but these mistakes set us off and there was no coming back. And the third, well, Bentaleb's error really doesn't need pictures.