Why Spurs Should Fear No-one In The Last 16 Of The Champions League

Why Spurs Should Fear No-one In The Last 16 Of The Champions League
14:26, 12 Dec 2018

It was dubbed ‘Mission Impossible’ and that was almost entirely of Tottenham’s own making.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side headed to Barcelona knowing they had to match Inter Milan’s result against already-eliminated PSV Eindhoven, a situation brought about by the Lilywhites taking just one point from their opening three group games.

Yet Lucas Moura’s 85th-minute strike capped the most remarkable of turnarounds as Spurs earned a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp, while the Nerazzurri could do no better at home.

Fortune was finally on Tottenham’s side. In the San Siro, they had suffered defeat in injury time. In Holland, they had been undone by Hugo Lloris’ sending off. It was time for the pendulum to swing in the north Londoners’ direction, as Ernesto Valverde rested his most potent threats and Philippe Coutinho was denied by the post.   

Whether or not it was written in the stars for he and his team-mates to reach the knockout stages in the most unlikely circumstances, Harry Kane stressed afterwards that what matters now is embarking on a proper European run which has so far eluded them.

“We want to go as far as we can in this competition,” Kane told reporters.

“This will give us belief that we can do that. The manner in which we played, the chances we created shows we can be as good as anyone on our day.

“There’s no bigger game than Barcelona away. If we get them again in the latter stages — or Real Madrid or Juve again, like last year — we definitely know that kind of performance is in there.

“It’s time to step it up and show we can do it in the knockout stages. Who knows how far we can go? It’s about belief. We’ve done the hard bit of getting through the group. Now it’s about getting as far as we can.”

Little has been said, until now, about the north Londoners’ credentials. It was a question that barely needed asking, with the Europa League beckoning.

However, reaching the quarter-finals would represent tangible progress, as something that Pochettino has not yet achieved as a manager.

Who could they face in the last-16?

Last season, the briefest blip in concentration saw Spurs suffer a 4-3 aggregate defeat to Juventus in the last-16.   

The draw, which takes place on Monday 17th December in Nyon, could well be unkind again. The stipulations are that they can’t face another Premier League side, and they can’t be drawn with Barcelona again.

Of the groups that are already settled, Pochettino’s men could find themselves up against Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, or Porto. Depending on how Wednesday night’s fixtures pan out, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Real Madrid or Roma are also potential opponents, while the fates of Lyon and Juventus depend on whether Manchester City and Manchester United top their groups respectively.

How far can Spurs go?

There is little reason to fear anyone given some famous results over the past two seasons – especially last season’s victory over champions Real Madrid.

Tottenham have reasons of their own to go into the draw full of confidence. In Kane, they boast one of the best out-and-out strikers in the world, the England international having scored four in the competition so far. That’s more than any other player based in the Premier League.

While it’s not noted as often, Pochettino also now has plenty of depth behind Kane. Bringing on Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura raised plenty of eyebrows at the Nou Camp. It was an approach that said ‘all-or-nothing’, with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen staying on until the end. Though it wasn’t the obvious choice, it worked and both South Americans have proven themselves capable game-changers coming off the bench this season.

If they can stay fit, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are still as formidable as ever at the back. Injuries have forced Spurs to ring the changes defensively this term but if Alderweireld stays at the club beyond January, few strikers would look forward to facing the Belgian partnership.

There remains a sense that Spurs have something to prove in Europe, especially after their humbling performances from the 2016/17 campaign when they exited at the group stages. Regardless of whether they win a trophy this season, it is time they made their presence known in the Champions League. Their famous night in Barcelona may have been just the dress rehearsal.  

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