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Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.

Spurs turned in a spirited display against the Premier League champions, with Mauricio Pochettino having made a number of changes to his starting XI, and defender Juan Foyth was particularly impressive.

On the chalkboard

It is little surprise that Pochettino decided to roll the dice and rotate his squad.

Spurs, of course, beat City on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals earlier this week, with their exertions leading to a number of changes.

Foyth was a beneficiary, playing at right-back, his ninth Premier League appearance of the season and his first in the position.

Per WhoScored, he collected a higher rating than any of his team-mates and turned in a generally assiduous performance.

He made seven tackles throughout the 90 minutes, more than any other player on the pitch, and also made one clearance, while winning four aerial duels, the most of any Spurs player.

Impressively, Foyth - who Transfermarkt value at £10.8m - also completed three dribbles and made one key pass.

In the pressure cooker of the Etihad, nerves clearly gripped the City players as time ticked away, Foyth turned in an accomplished performance.

Coming of age

Foyth is clearly a gifted defender but, before Saturday, he had yet to have anything approaching a defining performance.

That, clearly, is no longer the case.

Tasked with facing up to Raheem Sterling, one of the best wingers in Europe, the Argentina international did not back down, reducing the England international to just one shot at goal without creating a single chance.

He was, in fact, unlucky to be on the losing side and can surely hope to see more action in the coming season.

Of course, Spurs are battling to qualify for the Champions League; either through the top four or, incredibly, by winning the competition.

Rotation is unlikely to be the order of the day, but Pochettino now knows that he can rely on the 21-year-old whenever he needs to.