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Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways tonight in their Champions League encounter with Crvena Zvezda, defeating the Serbian side 4-0 in what could well have been seen as a banana skin match.
The victory puts Spurs on 7 points in Group B – 5 points behind leaders Bayern Munich but 4 ahead of Crvena, meaning they now look likely to qualify for the knockout stages.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men started the game brightly and although they didn’t create too many clear-cut chances, newcomer Giovani Lo Celso put them ahead on 34 minutes with a left-footed shot from close range after a somewhat bizarre goalmouth scramble.
Tottenham doubled their lead through Heung-min Son early in the second half, and then scored a third also through Son just minutes after. The icing on the cake came on 85 minutes, when substitutes Ryan Sessegnon and Christian Eriksen combined to give Spurs a fourth goal.
Here are 3 reasons why Tottenham defeated Crvena Zvezda.
#1 Tottenham attacked with purpose from the off
It may have taken Tottenham a short while to get into their groove, but it was clear from the off that Mauricio Pochettino wanted his men to really attack this game. He set his side up in a 3-5-2 formation, and it felt like Eric Dier was the only midfielder sent out to play a defensive role, as Tanguy Ndombele, Moussa Sissoko, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli all appeared to have attack on their minds.
Sure, Spurs didn’t create too many clear-cut chances in the first half, but they consistently put their Serbian opponents under pressure with wave after wave of attacks, and while not all of them came off, it was nice to see Tottenham attacking with confidence and verve despite their form being very questionable of late.
Once Pochettino’s side took the lead late in the first half it was quite clear that the game was only going one way, and the gilt-edged chances they created in the second half ended in three impressive goals, even if Christian Eriksen’s took a deflection on its way into the net. Heung-min Son, in particular, was extremely clinical in front of goal – impressive given the issues he’s faced in the last few days.
Overall the performance should give Spurs some much-needed confidence going into their Premier League match this weekend against Sheffield United; perhaps it was the case that a more attacking system was needed all along.
#2 Crvena Zvezda offered very little
For as well as Tottenham Hotspur played tonight, it must be said that Crvena Zvezda offered very little in return. The Serbian side were thumped by Spurs in October when they headed to North London, but an improved performance was expected tonight, if nothing else because they were playing at home. In the end though, that simply wasn’t the case.
Crvena finished with just 3 shots on target, and in all honesty it’d be hard to recall a chance that they actually created for themselves rather than something crafted out of a defensive mistake from Tottenham.
Spurs were generally solid at the back, but mistakes from Eric Dier and Tanguy Ndombele did gift Crvena some chances. They were unable to take those chances, however, as goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga made some strong saves.
After seeing their two woeful efforts against Tottenham this season, it’s almost hard to believe that this team were able to defeat Olympiacos in October; it’s even harder to believe they actually defeated Liverpool in last season’s edition of the competition!
#3 Tottenham’s squad strength shone through
Given their strong performance tonight, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Mauricio Pochettino named what would be considered his very best team; in truth, that wasn’t the case at all. Neither Toby Alderweireld nor Jan Vertonghen – usually considered Pochettino’s key central defenders – played, and other key men like Harry Winks, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier were also absent.
Despite this, the likes of Juan Foyth, Eric Dier and Giovani Lo Celso – men who haven’t played that many minutes thus far in 2019/20 – performed extremely well, and while questions have to be asked about the quality of tonight’s opposition, it was encouraging that Tottenham were able to play in this manner without a full-strength starting XI.
Add in the fact that substitutes Ryan Sessegnon and Christian Eriksen also played well when they were brought into action – combining to score Tottenham’s fourth goal – and suddenly, Spurs’ supposedly thin squad seems deeper than some fans might expect.
Going into Saturday’s match with Sheffield United, it’s possible that Pochettino now has a selection dilemma on his hands – and given Tottenham’s current form, that’s not a bad thing at all.
