Tottenham 5 things learned as Royal improves and Conte critics buoyed
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Tottenham struggled to a goalless draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, with both sides creating plenty of chances but ultimately failing to score a winning goal. Here are five things Express Sport learned.
Emerson Royal and Hugo Lloris earn North London Derby reprieves
Emerson Royal and Hugo Lloris were the lightning rod for criticism following Saturday’s North London Derby defeat. The right-back was dismissed for a poor tackle on Gabriel Martinelli, allowing Arsenal to take control in the game. Lloris gifted Gabriel Jesus the goal that put the Gunners ahead for the second time.
But both earned reprieves in this Champions League clash and justified Antonio Conte’s trust. Conte believes Emerson is his best right wing-back, even suggesting Spurs could lose if he picks Matt Doherty.
Emerson produced a couple of bursting runs down the right that Doherty is incapable of performing. The Brazilian generally played well, while Lloris made a vital save to keep the Germans at bay early in the second half.
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Antonio Conte critics justified
The Spurs head coach was criticised for how far back towards their own goal his side positioned themselves against Arsenal. That derision is certainly justified.
While Conte prefers to be compact and insisted on Monday that he does not like to concede space to the opposition, his side were so deep against Frankfurt that they struggled to counter quickly. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was at times almost positioned as a fourth centre-back, encouraging his team-mates to drop even further back.
Conte, who has reached a Champions League quarter-final only once, will need to find a balance between ensuring his side does not concede space, and making sure they are not quite so deep.
Spurs struggling for goals in Europe
The North Londoners are yet to score against a team of 11 players in this season’s Champions League campaign. Richarlison’s two late goals in their opening Group D clash against Marseille came after former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba had been sent off.
Spurs then drew a blank against Sporting Lisbon before failing to find the net again in Germany. Son Heung-min fired wide on a couple of occasions, while Harry Kane had flittering moments of quality in the final third.
With Son, Kane and Richarlison all on the pitch, Spurs should be creating far more chances. They have three games to save their Champions League campaign.
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Dejan Kulusevski missed
There is optimism that Dejan Kulusevski could return for Spurs’ Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday. The Sweden international suffered a hamstring injury while playing for his national team last week.
Conte will certainly hope to have the 22-year-old back soon given his impact since joining from Juventus last January. Kulusevski has scored six goals and provided 11 assists in a Spurs shirt, and the North Londoners often struggle to create chances for Kane and Son when he does not play.
Group D is completely open
Marseille’s victory over Sporting earlier on Tuesday evening has left Group D wide open heading into the second half of the Champions League group stages. That will work to Spurs’ advantage as they seek to improve in the competition.
Conte’s side remain second in the group, with three teams maintaining a record of a win, a draw and a defeat. Sporting, Spurs and Frankfurt sit on four points, while Marseille’s win gave them their first points.
Spurs will hope they can take control of the group.
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