Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Swansea City: Player ratings to the theme of Legend of Zelda games

Tottenham Hotspur refused to lose on Sunday, battering Swansea City with a ridiculous thirty four shots and forcing Lukasz Fabianski to do all that he could. Ultimately, Spurs came out on top with a 2-1 victory in what can genuinely be called a team effort. Still, we have to rate the players, and I feel like giving you guys a topic that I know will get arguments.

There may not be a franchise that brings out arguments better than the Legend of Zelda franchise. Dating back to the 8-bit glory days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, gamers have been controlling Link for the better part of 30 years on his never-ending quest to save Princess Zelda, who always seems to have a problem staying not abducted. Whether the very first game was your first endeavor or you didn't jump in until the N64 era, Zelda fans agree that there's something special about exploring Hyrule and saving the day.

I'm not going to go into too deep a monologue here because who reads them anyways, right? Here's your player ratings for Swansea City.

Five Stars: Ocarina of Time (N64)

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is everything that is right with gaming. There's a fluctuating difficulty level depending on where you're at in the game, a 3D view that made the franchise truly come to life, and plenty of memorable moments. The Water Temple still remains one of the absolute hardest dungeons in the history of gaming. Completing that challenge is something to hang your hat on.

Christian Eriksen

Eriksen was brilliant on Sunday. He seems to be adjusting to a new role by dropping deeper to get the ball and creating more in the middle, and it's paying off. His vision continues to be one of his best attributes as he found ways to get the ball into dangerous positions time and time again.

Kyle Walker

Walker should have gotten on the scoresheet, but an offside call wiped away his goal late in the match. The fullback continues to enjoy an outstanding season as he kept his flank on lockdown for most of the match. He was solid in attack and didn't make any major gaffes.

Danny Rose

I said yesterday in the post-match thread that Rose had an interesting match. I may have been a bit harsh on him as his defensive issues early on weren't as bad as I thought. His contributions in attack cannot be overstated, especially when netting the winning goal to get all three points.

Hugo Lloris

Hugo was Hugo. There was little he could do about the deflected shot that led to the goal because he had to hold his line until it was too late, but his early denial of Gylfi Sigurdsson was nothing short of world class.

4.5 Stars - Link to the Past (SNES)

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past deserves nothing but high praise in the gaming industry. After a disappointing sequel on the NES, Nintendo came back strong with a gorgeous 16-bit challenge that improved upon every aspect of the original title. Challenging dungeons with difficult bosses aren't the only highlight in the game as there were side quests aplenty that brought in magical abilities. This game is a must-play for any gamer.

Nacer Chadli

There was no better time to slot Chadli into the game for Lamela when Poch pulled the trigger in the second half. Swansea was showing signs of wearing down, and while Lamela was having a good match, Chadli brought in fresh legs and made Swansea pay. His goal was the catalyst to put the Tottenham attack into overdrive, eventually leading to Rose's winner. Chadli also was great in the press, causing a couple of key turnovers to keep Swansea from mounting any attack.

4 Stars - Majora's Mask (N64)

Majora's Mask is hardly forgotten, but some will say that it is far too difficult of a game without some type of help. And, to be fair, it's a very difficult game. I couldn't tell you how many times I watched the Moon destroy Clock Town before I really figured out what I was doing. MM is a solid challenge even today, but it has to be behind OOT and LTTP.

Toby Alderweireld / Kevin Wimmer

I'm not lucky enough to get to use Dustin's combination name for Toby and Jan, but Wimmer has slotted in beautifully next to Toby and the defense has not lost much of a step. The defensive duo didn't do anything other-worldly but they kept the defense organized and made clearances when needed. The only reason they get dinged is that they both seemed to get caught flat footed on the Swansea goal. Perhaps a bit harsh, but that's all I can say that's negative.

Harry Kane

He didn't score, but sometimes he doesn't have to score. Kane had plenty of moments where he showed his value. Fabianski denied him point blank early on and Kane did manage to find Walker on the disallowed goal as he broke free on the break. Kane is doing what he needs to help the team, considering the attention he gets when he's on the ball. The goals eventually come to him, but it was his positioning and passing that made a difference.

Eric Dier

Another day at the office for the young defensive midfielder. Dier didn't have too much to do in the second half, given that Swansea were busy parking the bus to protect their lead, but Dier still managed to keep himself involved, even getting an attempt that on any other day finds the back of the net in the first half. It's hard to say where Spurs would be without his presence in midfield. He also avoided getting booked, which means no possible suspension as he sits on eight yellow cards.

Heung-Min Son

Son has been finding his groove lately in the attack. His ability to create chances out of seemingly nothing and control the ball when in traffic is becoming invaluable. He does have a tendency to hold on a bit too long when he gets into the box, but he's learning when to dump that pass off. He could have easily scored on his breakaway, but unfortunately he shot it right at Fabianski. His contribution in the press, though, is why he's up this high.

Dele Alli

A pretty good day for a guy who reportedly twisted his ankle in warm-ups and could have been a scratch at the last minute. Alli, like the rest of the attackers, forced Swansea into making mistakes and refused to give them any room to breathe when they managed to get the ball. The teenager is only getting better as the season goes on.

3.5 Stars - Link's Awakening (Game Boy)

A title that gets overlooked so often, Link's Awakening was a change in the standard "Princess Zelda gets kidnapped" storyline. Getting stranded on an unknown island, Link has to find a set of eight instruments in order to unlock the final secret of the island. This game was a great challenge and also featured one of the best glitches in gaming in the early "glitched dungeon" that can cause all sorts of issues.

Erik Lamela

Lamela didn't have a bad match in any way, but there were times where he seemed to disappear. It may not be entirely his fault as most of the action seemed to happen away from his flank, but it was a solid performance from the Argentine.

3 Stars - Wind Waker (Gamecube)

Fans were pushing on Nintendo hard for a new Zelda title as soon as the Gamecube came out. Nintendo took their time and came up with Wind Waker, a gorgeous cel-shaded game that brought new challenges in navigation and exploring. It's no Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time, but it's still a fun game that is easy to get lost in because of it's beautiful world.

Ryan Mason

Mason brought his energy late the in the match when it was needed the most. Swansea were mainly on rubber legs and Mason in a more forward position was perfect. He hit his pressing markers and created a couple of chances late.

2 Stars - Legend of Zelda (NES)

It's strange putting the original this low on the list, but when you look at the games above it, it's hardly an insult. We're also having to leave a few games off the list. The original is still enjoyable but doesn't bring nearly the same challenge that the other games in the franchise did until you hit about Level 8.

No Tottenham players were rated 2 stars.

1 Star - Adventure of Link (NES)

Ugh. I will never understand why developers feel the need to change a winning formula. I mentioned in the Final Fantasy article that the second game got a complete change in system and it was nothing but awful. While Adventure of Link isn't completely awful, it's still not a good game. It pulled away from a formula that was simple and fun in exchange for an adventure title not as fun.

No Tottenham players were as bad as Adventure of Link

0 Stars - The CDi Zelda games (CDi)

Yeah, this needs to be said. There were three games released on the CDi by the names of Faces of Evil, Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. These games are as bad as any game I can imagine. The graphics are awful, the voice acting is garbage, the stories don't make any sense, and thankfully they were released on a system that didn't have much of a following. If these games had been done on the N64 or Playstation? The Zelda franchise probably would have died at that very moment. Avoid these games at all cost.

Thankfully, no Tottenham players were as bad as the CDi Zelda games.

Not Rated: Josh Onomah