Tottenham and Lazio Share the Points in Europa League

Steven Caulker denied a goal against Lazio

Tottenham had three goals disallowed and should have been awarded a penalty while Lazio hit the bar and missed a couple of scoring opportunities as the opening Europa League match ended goalless at White Hart Lane. It was a very competitive match with both sides playing strong teams and looking to get their European campaign off to a good start. Lazio were very well organised and committed, playing with a confidence borne from their five game winning start to the season. Tottenham, however, had the majority of possession, 59%, forcing the visitors back, who then counter attacked quickly.

20th September, 2012

Tottenham Hotspur 0 Lazio 0

Team: Lloris; Walker, Caulker, Vertonghen, Naughton; Sandro, Dembele (Mason); Lennon (Townsend), Dempsey (Sigurdsson), Bale; Defoe  Subs: (unused) Cudicini, Gallas, Dawson, Huddlestone

Andre Villas-Boas made three changes to the team which won at Reading on Sunday, Hugo Lloris made his debut in goal and Steven Caulker replaced William Gallas in central defence. Clint Dempsey started his first match in place of Gylfi Sigurdsson.

In a match which was competitive and played at a high tempo throughout, Tottenham finished with a sense of frustration that they hadn’t taken the three points. They were denied on four occasions by the officials as they looked for a breakthrough against a well organised and confident Lazio team. Both teams started at a high pace but it was Spurs who were creating the early pressure with Lazio harrying right across the back four as Tottenham tried to play the ball out from defence. In the eighth minute Aaron Lennon, made captain for the night, was the first to cause alarm in the visitors’ defence with a cross but no Spurs player had made it into the penalty area in support. A minute later, Gareth Bale delivered a cross from the left but it was cut out before it reached Dempsey. As Spurs continued the pressure, Dempsey had a shot from outside the box blocked.

Shortly after, on eleven minutes, a mistake by Kyle Walker gifted the ball to Lazio who threatened on the right and a cross came to the unmarked Klose but he missed his kick as Lloris rushed out. It was a warning to Tottenham that Lazio would be dangerous on the break. Spurs responded through Lennon who cut in field and played the ball to Jermain Defoe who shot powerfully but straight at the goalkeeper from outside the area.

Lazio were well drilled as they dealt with Tottenham’s continuing threat. A Bale free-kick for a foul on Dempsey hit the defensive wall and then good interplay by Lennon and Defoe played the winger into the area but  when his cross was headed back to him he again crossed for Bale whose header was tipped over by the goalkeeper. Lennon’s better option might have been trying to score himself.

After twenty one minutes came the first decision to go against Tottenham. A cross from the right by Bale reached Dempsey unmarked in the penalty area to head home but he was flagged offside when in fact he had beaten the out rushing defenders.

Spurs playing at a high tempo got the ball to Lennon but as he burst into the area he lost control. Lennon again posed a threat as he surged forward to be brought down but Dempsey’s free-kick, the third from a dangerous position, again hit the wall as had Bale’s previous efforts. With under fifteen minutes to the interval Tottenham put themselves under pressure with another misplaced pass from Dembele. Klose got away on the right but his dangerous cross was headed out for a corner by Vertonghen. A run and cross by Bale was claimed by the goalkeeper but in the final minutes Lazio had their first period of pressure and from a cross headed out by Vertonghen Gonzalez had s shot which hit the bar with Lloris beaten. They continued in the final minutes with a couple of shots from distance but Lloris held the first comfortably while the second went past.

Lazio started the second half positively but Lloris showed his confidence in claiming the ball and distributing it well. A good run from midfield after five minutes of the half by Dempsey released Bale but his cross was cut out with Spurs players waiting in the box. The game was opening up and a minute later good play between Lennon and Defoe put Lennon into the box and there were appeals for a penalty as the winger was bundled off the ball. He got back to his feet, however, and stabbed a shot towards goal but it was blocked and Dempsey following up tried to force it home but the ball was scrambled away for a corner.

With almost an hour played Bale was released on the left and crossed to Defoe who knocked the ball home but Bale had been just offside. Spurs increased their pressure and Lazio resorted to conceding a number of free-kicks in dangerous positions. Bale’s delivery was excellent and had the Lazio defence stretched. From the first Sandro beat the defence but failed to get a good touch on his header with the goal gaping. Another kick from a similar position went through but Lazio were looking anxious and Spurs had claims for a penalty denied as Klose rugby tackled Dempsey as the ball was played in. Then on seventy minutes from a Bale corner Caulker headed the ball in but was adjudged to have had his hands on the defender as he jumped. This was harsh as there was little contact and the initial grabbing had been the Lazio defender trying to stop Spurs player getting to the ball.

Gylfi Sigurdsson replaced Dempsey for the final fifteen minutes. With ten minutes left Lazio got behind the Spurs defence but Mauri was closed down before he could pose a threat on goal. Andros Townsend came on for the last ten minutes for Lennon and he had a cross/shot with five minutes left which troubled the goalkeeper at his near post. Lazio were closing down quickly but in added time a cross by Kyle Naughton to the back post reached Townsend – he headed for goal but it went past when the better option would have been to play it back across goal for another player in the centre. Ryan Mason came on for the final seconds in place of Dembele but Spurs had to be satisfied with a draw.

The overall feeling at the end was one of disappointment and frustration for Spurs that their play hadn’t brought about a goal. There were , however, many positives to take from the game. Lloris was confident in goal without being really tested. Caulker was very competent with Vertonghen in central defence both defensively and with the ball. Naughton again played very well on the left in defence and as a forward threat. Sandro worked very hard right across midfield and pushing forward with powerful runs. Lennon was a constant threat with his runs and interplay and with a little more composure in front of goal could have scored himself. Defoe worked hard and frequently came back into midfield looking for the ball but he received few opportunities to strike for goal as Tottenham failed to create the pass to get him behind the Lazio defenders.

After the match Andre Villas-Boas commented,

"“I think we did enough to get the win today. I am extremely happy with the performance and the effort that the players put in….They were outstanding, they managed to create enough opportunities to win the game. The team put the ball in the back of the net three times, but all the goals were disallowed by the ref, so it’s a bit disappointing. It shows that we are on the right track to giving something back to the fans. We were superior against a team that is doing extremely well.”"

This group in the Europa League could be very close as Maribor defeated Panathinaikos to go top. Spurs travel to Greece for their next match and then play Maribor away and at home before the return game in Rome. Villas-Boas wants Tottenham to take this competition seriously and no other approach will see them progress to the knock-out stages.