Tottenham Cruise to a 4-1 Win Over Monaco in the Europa League and Advance from Group J as Winners
Tottenham Hotspur had already qualified for the Round of 32 in the Europa League, but getting a win against AS Monaco was very important to increase the team’s confidence and not draw against a strong club from the Champions League group stage.
With Tottenham having already qualified for the Europa League’s Round of 32, Mauricio Pochettino would be rotating his starting eleven to rest key players such as Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker. Down below was the Argentine manager’s 4-2-3-1 lineup for the game.
Son Heung-Min
Clinton N’jie — Josh Onomah — Érik Lamela
Eric Dier — Tom Carroll
Ben Davies — Kevin Wimmer — Toby Alderweireld — Kieran Trippier
Hugo Lloris
There were only five regular starters left in: Son, Lamela, Dier, Alderweireld and Lloris, with four players receiving continued playing time in the Europa League (N’Jie, Carroll, Davies, Trippier and Wimmer). And last but not least, Josh Onomah earned his first ever start in his Tottenham career.
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Looking at the starting lineup, all of the field players on the pitch, represented a team who could pass the ball exceptionally well and maintain possession. This was very apparent throughout the game but there are two situations that will be highlighted.
Mauricio Pochettino’s teams are known for its high-pressing but something that might be overlooked is how passing and maintaining possession helps augment constant pressure on defenses. Taking a look at Lamela’s first goal in the second minute showed a couple of things: pressing, possession and passing.
Érik Lamela had an easy shot in front of him and Ben Davies was credited with the assist. But leading up to that sequence involved both Josh Onoman and Clinton N’Jie. At the left flank, thanks to Onomah winning the ball, he had support from N’Jie. The two would begin to link up to maintain possession before finding Ben Davies who would deliver a great weighted low cross to find Érik Lamela in front of the net.
These passing displays and buildup play help allude to a team who looks like they have plenty of pace due to the players’ movements on the pitch. But in reality, it’s players understanding where to go and when to lay a ball off to a teammate and then continue making runs towards the attacking third to unlock defenses.
Adding more pace to the squad was something that Pochettino addressed with the signing of Clinton N’Jie and Son Heung-min to round out the number from two (Andros Townsend and maybe Érik Lamela) to four. However, Josh Onomah and Tom Carroll played a vital part in tonight’s game that underlines that while pace is good to have, it’s better to have players who are able to pick out teammates with key passes throughout the entire pitch and control the flow of game this way instead.
Speaking of Érik Lamela, his hat-trick has helped push his Europa League season tally goals to five and seven overall, in all competitions. To see Lamela getting on the score sheet this term is great news as it shows how much work he has done to become a better player overall — both offensively and defensively.
The Argentine winger, since the opening game of the 2015-16 season has made a case to be one of Tottenham’s best players of the year and rightfully so. Still only 23-years-old and into his third year with the club, slowly but surely he’s repaying Tottenham back for their continued support to back him through tough times.
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While everything went in Tottenham’s favor during their 4-1 win. The only real blemish was seeing Eric Dier pick up a minor knock on his right ankle during the 34th minute.
Dier would continue to play for seven more minutes before finally being subbed off for Nabil Bentaleb in the 41st minute as a precautionary move. The good news is that Eric Dier was able to walk off on his own power and didn’t seem to favor his ankle or limp while walking.
Now, while Nabil Bentaleb, returning to the first-team (as well as seeing Nacer Chadli come back) is also good news. Bentaleb hasn’t played since getting injured leading up to the Sunderland game on September 13.
Because of missing nearly three months due to an ankle injury, and then getting re-injured during the last international break, the Algerian midfielder will take some time before shaking off rust. If he has to start in place of Eric Dier (assuming that Dier’s injury is serious or precautionary to rest him), all is not lost moving forward.
Next: Matchday: Tottenham 4-1 Monaco
Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that many touted Bentaleb as a future starter for Spurs at defensive midfield. Injuries and a slow start this season did change peoples’ opinions, as well as Dier performing incredible at holding mid. But again, Nabil Bentaleb is a fine option to start alongside Dele Alli if he has to.
Up next for Tottenham, is a home fixture against Newcastle United on Sunday as stated above. Following Sunday’s game, the Round of 32 draw for the Europa League will begin on Monday. Because Spurs claimed first place in Group J this means that they won’t have to face the strongest clubs from the Champions League group stage who failed to advance into the next round.