If Tottenham were expecting a stroll in the park like they got in their Europa League group stage opener against LASK last week, then Royal Antwerp gave them a nasty surprise at the Bosuilstadion. Having gone in 1-0 down at the break, Spurs could count themselves lucky not to have lost by two or three come full time.
One of the few encouraging signs for Spurs in a laboured first half was Carlos Vinicius’ performance. After a debut against LASK in which he was given freedom to roam and racked up assists for Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min, this was a far tougher challenge against a disciplined Antwerp defence.
Playing mainly with his back to goal, left with very few options as Steven Bergwijn and Gareth Bale drifted through the game on either side of him, Vinicius stood out nonetheless for his attempts to link up Spurs’ disparate attack. He was the only one who showed Antwerp enough respect to press them high up the pitch and, likewise, the only one who really tried to link up with his teammates, while Bergwijn and Bale settled for the occasional run forward and a few speculative long shots.
As their attack and midfield struggled to get a hold on the game, Spurs slipped up at the back. Ben Davies was easily dispossessed by former Norwich City forward Dieumerci Mbokani, who teed up strike partner Lior Refaelov to rifle into the net unmarked.
Vinicius’ efforts weren’t enough to save him from a premature exit, with Jose Mourinho making a pointed quadruple change at half-time. Where Bergwijn, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso were all obvious candidates to come off – Bale was hooked for Harry Kane around the 60-minute mark – Vinicius seemed like a casualty of the lifeless performances around him, with Mourinho looking for an instant impact by introducing Son up front.
If he expected Son and Kane to slice through Antwerp’s defence, he was sorely disappointed. Not only were the hosts far more organised than Spurs defensively, they were more incisive in attack throughout. Early in the second half, Mbokani skied a shot from three yards out after getting himself into a great position at the back post. With 20-odd minutes to play, Davison Sanchez was caught horribly out of position and Simen Juklerod went one-on-one with Hugo Lloris only to float an effort over the crossbar.
Dream come true for Antwerp
While Sanchez was especially chaotic, none of Spurs’ defenders did themselves much credit. Mourinho will want to keep this result in perspective given that there’s still ample opportunity to top the group, but it has to go down as a notable upset.
Ahead of the game, Antwerp boss Ivan Leko said that facing Mourinho was a dream come true and lauded him as one of the most influential coaches of the 21st century. Imagine how surreal it must feel to have beaten him so deservedly.
Follow i sport on Facebook for the latest Tottenham news, interviews and features
More on Tottenham
- Daniel Storey: Loyalty the only logical reason for Kane to stay at declining Spurs
- What a new Champions League format would mean for Tottenham
- Revealed: Spurs overtake Man City as the Premier League’s ‘most valuable club’
- How Mourinho can turn Spurs into title contenders
- Winks exclusive: ‘Xavi and Iniesta comparisons are nice – but I need to improve’
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2TAArYB
Post a Comment