Juventus vs Tottenham: 5 lessons Spurs fans learned from their incredible comeback

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Tottenham Hotspur was trailing by two goals in just nine minutes in the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Juventus in Turin and it seemed there was no way back for the north London side.

However, Pochettino's men showed brilliant endeavour, resolve and determination to claw themselves into the game and leave Italy with a hard-earned draw.

The two away goals could prove to be decisive in the tie as Spurs look to create one of the biggest upsets in the competition by knocking out last year's finalists.

The goals from Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen were important, but there were several other key elements which the Argentine manager will be pleased about.

Here are five things that he learned about his side in Italy.


#1 The players are getting stronger mentally

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Spurs have been well-known for collapsing in the important matches in recent years but there was no sign of that at all in Turin.

Roll back a few years when Leicester City was crowned Premier League champions due to a titanic collapse by the north London side at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

Tonight, with Spurs down by two goals inside the first ten minutes, there was fear that the final scoreline could be embarrassing.

However, the players seemed unfazed by the slow start and continued to play free-flowing football. The mindset of the players throughout the entire 90 minutes was positive and this will make Pochettino so happy, especially after the criticism his young players have had in recent seasons for their mental weakness.

Not once during the game did it look like Spurs had given up and this is a sign that the squad is maturing and to be honest, they didn't look out of place in this fixture as they caused Juventus trouble all evening.

#2 Mousa Dembele is a vital part of the team

West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
Dembele has been in stunning form for Tottenham this season

The Belgian midfielder was arguably the man of the match for Spurs. He completely dominated the midfield against some of the world's best players.

Every time he had the ball, he was confident with his distribution to the attacking players and was clever enough to complete some accurate dribbles through the middle of the field.

Dembele was involved in almost everything and the way he provided cover for the defence, as well as a solid platform for the attack, was a joy to watch.

The Belgian completed the match with a 100% tackle success rate and had an incredible 116 touches over the course of the 90 minutes.

This was one of the best midfield performances in the UEFA Champions League and Pochettino will have taken note of the significance of the midfielder in the team.

#3 Erik Lamela is back to his best

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Argentina international Erik Lamela started the match and the winger grabbed the chance given to him by Pochettino with both hands as he produced a quality performance.

Lamela was confident with the ball and drove directly at the heart of the Juventus defence on many occasions.

Lamela was out of action for a lengthy period and has been eased back into action by Pochettino, who will now know that his winger is back to his best form.

His link-up play with Eriksen and Alli behind Kane was excellent and is now expected to feature heavily for Spurs until the end of the season.

#4 Serge Aurier is a liability at right-back

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Serge Aurier was preferred over Kieran Trippier at right-back for Spurs and this proved to be a costly decision by Pochettino.

The Ivory Coast international didn't look comfortable all evening and was given a torrid time by Brazilian winger Douglas Costa.

Aurier, who is well-known for his pace, was caught out many times by Juventus and was at fault for conceding the second penalty, which was, fortunately for Spurs, missed by Gonzalo Higuain.

Aurier made a rash lunge on Costa inside the box and there was no doubt that it was a penalty. His deliveries into the box weren't up to his usual standards as many of them were blocked.

Trippier will be expected to be recalled to the side for the second leg fixture.

#5 The defence is fragile without Toby Alderweireld

Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League
Tottenham Hotspur v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League

Tottenham endured a nightmare opening ten minutes to the last-16 fixture and the defence was at fault for both goals.

The first goal was conceded from a simple set-piece and it could be argued that if Alderweireld was present, then he would have organised the back-line well enough to stop the goal.

Davinson Sanchez looked shaky all evening and was left chasing shadows by Higuain many times during the game. Vertonghen also looks a less confident player without his fellow Belgian alongside him in defence.

However, Alderweireld is back in training for Spurs, so Pochettino will be hopeful of including him into the matchday squad as soon as possible.

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