“It’s true he’s not at his best, but it’s coming. Like winter, it’s coming.” When Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino this week suggested that Dele Alli is close to returning to his best form, he may not have imagined he would illicit such a response from the 21-year-old. Having missed the opening three Champions League group games due to suspension due to a silly red card carried over from the Europa League last season, Alli looked as though he was making up for lost time in midweek.
The England international netted either side of half-time at Wembley on Wednesday night as Tottenham romped to a 3-1 win over defending European champions Real Madrid. Having not been given a snowball’s chance in hell at progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Spurs have taken 10 points from a possible 12 available. Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with APOEL means Pochettino’s side have secured a spot in the last-16 with two games to spare. It’s a far cry from last year, where the needed a win over CSKA Moscow just to drop into the Europa League.
Many a Spurs fan is dubbing Wednesday’s win as the greatest in their history. Granted, Real Madrid were cartoonishly dodgy at the back, but Spurs sliced them open time and time again - the 3-1 win flattered Real Madrid if anything. It marked another fine pragmatic Pochettino performance, with the Argentine honing and developing his managerial repertoire. No longer is going all guns blazing in search of possession the be all and end all, but rather a more measured, composed approach has helped Spurs to the next round of Europe’s elite club competition. Tottenham soaked up pressure against Borussia Dortmund and twice against Real Madrid, coming up with positive results in all three outings, with the onus instead on hitting teams on the counter attack, summed up excellently in Christian Eriksen’s breakaway goal in midweek.
What a performance by the Tottenham and England midfielder! 👏
Alli was a menace to mark on the night, while Harry Kane worked tirelessly to deny Nacho and Sergio Ramos a moment’s rest. Even when Toby Alderweireld was forced off with injury, Spurs were comfortable, with Moussa Sissoko slotting in seamlessly alongside Harry Winks and Eric Dier dropping back effectively into the three-man defence. That Heung-min Son, Danny Rose and Serge Aurier - three players who could start for a majority of Premier League teams - were unused subs against Real Madrid speaks volumes of the sheer strength in depth at Pochettino’s disposal. Whisper it quietly, but as far as a dark horse tags goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more apt Champions League contender than Tottenham.
12 months ago today, Spurs were left reeling from a surprise 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen that left them on the brink of a group stage exit from the Champions League. In such a short space of time, they’ve completely turned their European fortunes around, with Pochettino adjusting his approach to suit the rigours of Champions League football, to top a group many deemed the group of death when the draw was made. Their fine form on the European stage also points to wider issue within the competition itself and a changing of the guard in the Champions League. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have all flattered to deceive, while Barcelona have struggled to move out of first gear, even if they top their group. Manchester United, PSG, Manchester City and Spurs, meanwhile, have all secured, or are on course to securing, their spot in the last-16.
@rioferdy5 applauds Dele's football IQ 👊
Pochettino’s youthful side, though, remain the newbies in the competition considering their lack of Champions League experience, yet a statement win over Real Madrid - Los Blancos’ first group stage Champions League defeat since October 2012 - can be expected to leave an impression across the continent. “We now belong not only among the best teams in England but in Europe,” the Argentine said after the final whistle on Wednesday night. Any questions asked after their 1-0 loss to Manchester United were answered emphatically at Real Madrid’s expense, while the ease of their progression to the next round of the Champions League banishes the demons of last year’s disastrous group stage campaign.
Can Spurs really go all the way though? In football, anything can happen and Pochettino’s youthful Spurs side that seeks out possession in packs, and seems to be clicking into place, will go a long way to upsetting the apple cart. After Wednesday night, they deserve to be deemed dark horses to lift the trophy in May.
