Tottenham Hotspur’s UCL Group Stage Story

After the worst start imaginable during the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur began crafting a new European narrative and grinded their way out of the group.

As progress goes, losing in the Round of 16 the prior season to seemingly be out at the UEFA Champions League Group Stage after three games doesn’t meet the definition. On October 24, 2018 Tottenham Hotspur fans were left wondering if the squad was even going to beat PSV Eindhoven– who had just tied a 10-man Spurs team- to third place and a drop into the Europa League Round of 32, ugh.

In the 79th minute, our captain and keeper Hugo Lloris came off his line to try and beat Hirving Lozano to a through ball near the edge of the box. Unfortunately for Lloris and Tottenham, Lozano had just edged Lloris to the ball, a foul was called and Lloris was given a Red Card. Michel Vorm came on as Heung-Min Son went off and Spurs were down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes of the match.

Less than 10 minutes later, Luuk de Jong struck and the game was tied at 2-2. Spurs had dominated possession, had double the shots, triple the shots on target, and had hit the woodwork twice. Maybe things were just not meant to be or maybe if Spurs can’t get out of the Group Stage, it is time for change; meaning questions and whispers about everyone and the future would begin to appear.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man for Tottenham? Has Pochettino taken Spurs as far as he can? Is Harry Kane, or Christian Eriksen, or Dele Alli, or name a player, going to leave to go to, name the big club, to win silverware? A step back from the prior season when things seemed so close. A summer without transfers, Spurs being Spursy again, right? Not so fast, this is a different Tottenham Hotspur and those questions are far from relevant right now.

A New Narrative for Tottenham

It was at this point that, when things seemed bleakest, that a couple of local lads named Harry, a young relatively unknown keeper from Pochettino’s home town, and a goat turned fan favorite, among others, stepped up and have begun to write a new narrative for Tottenham Hotspur and what it means to be Spursy as the team found a way out of the Group Stage.

Barcelona had helped Spurs on Day 3, beating Inter 2-0, but no such luck was coming on Day 4. Barcelona scored late at the Meazza in Milan, but Inter scored even later, pulling off a dramatic tie with Barcelona. Simultaneously, Spurs had fallen behind PSV after Luuk de Jong struck with his head from the first corner of the game less than two minutes in.

Before Champions League debutant keeper Paulo Gazzaniga and company had even settled in, things had gone from bad to worse for Spurs. Then Tottenham did what few really thought this squad could, they dug deep. How deep? 30 shots, with 10 on target deep; over 600 passes and 75% possession deep; and three saves from the young Argentinian keeper deep.

Finally, in the 78th minute Harry Kane struck, with an assist from Fernando Llorente, yes, the Spaniard. Then, as PSV tried to milk the clock by making a few subs, in the 89th minute Ben Davies crossed the ball from near the corner flag and up rose Harry Kane to hammer home the game winning header.

While Inter got a point, Tottenham got three and the Champions League dream lived to see another day. Four points from four games wasn’t great, but Tottenham Hotspur were still alive in the Group Stage and at least the team had secured a hold on third place and Europa League, ugh.

Knowing a tie or victory would end Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of advancing and having already beaten them once, in came Inter Milan on Day Five. In a match that it seemed nobody was going to win, Spurs held a slight edge in possession (52/48) and had more corners, shots total, and shots on target. The problem was none of the efforts, including either Harry Winks’ curler that bounced off the crossbar or Moussa Sissoko’s tremendous all-around game, were translating into goals and a tie just wouldn’t do.

At the 70th minute mark, on came Tottenham’s chief playmaker, Christian Eriksen who had been nursing an abdominal injury. The great Dane struck pay dirt 10 minutes later, following one of Sissoko’s several big runs in the game. On came Eric Dier, Spurs held on defensively for 10 minutes plus injury time and suddenly two games after being dead, Tottenham Hotspur were technically in second place, based on a goal away in Italy, and held their fate in their own hands.

Traditional folklore from folks in red might say this is where the Spursiness shows and having fought back with consecutive wins to give themselves a chance, Tottenham Hotspur will blow it. However, this season and this squad, which has now been together for nearly 2 years, is re-writing the narrative as to what it means to be Spursy.

This current squad is one that doesn’t quit, doesn’t back down and has the courage and daring to go into Camp Nou and take the game to arguably the best club team in the world. This was the task in front of Tottenham with one game to go in the Group Stage, better Inter’s result at home to PSV, on the road against Barcelona.

To dare is to do, and that is what Tottenham Hotspur did, as the team traveled to Spain and earned a point off FC Barcelona. Sure, Messi only played about a half an hour, but that half an hour was dominated by Spurs. Barcelona had their chances, and Spurs might have been a bit lucky Coutinho didn’t hit one of his shots on the inside of the post rather than the outside, but the truth is Tottenham outplayed Barcelona.

Spurs held more possession, had more shots, more shots on target, and more corners in the match. Sure, teams may have more shots that Barcelona, but no one holds more possession than they do. According to Marca, this match was the first time since 2006 an opponent held more possession than Barcelona in the Group Stages at Camp Nou. Further, it was the first time in any competition this season Barcelona didn’t win the possession battle, and this wasn’t the first time the squad has played without Messi.

Tottenham continued to scratch their way back into the game with vigor following an early error from Kyle Walker-Peters and an outstanding individual effort from Ousmane Dembele. Dembele would only have 1 more shot all night and Spurs held firm working for a break through.

It was substitute Eric Lamela who attacked the middle of the field and played in Harry Kane on the left. Then it was Kane who picked up his head and made the smart pass to the middle of the goal. From there, Lucas Moura sprinted into the box and tucked away the well-deserved game tying goal.

Harry Kane immediately started calling his team back, they were seeking a winner. As luck would have it, although a winner never came a few minutes after the final whistle blew in Barcelona one more whistle blew in Milan with both games ending in a 1-1 draw. Tottenham Hotspur had done what seemed impossible only several weeks before, they had come in second and earned the right to play in the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League.

As players pointed up and stared at the traveling fans celebrating the accomplishment of getting a point, the fans were letting the team know they were through and out of the group. It was a clear a new narrative for Tottenham was being written. This new narrative is being written by a lot of different players and people. Some of players, Kane, Eriksen, Lucas, and the now in form Lloris we would expect to be major authors of Spurs story.

Some authors, however, were not expected, which helps to make this story different and helped Tottenham get out of the Group Stage. The aforementioned Moussa Sissoko who is in the best form and best shape of his life. Kyle Walker-Peters has been more good than bad, Danny Rose has started to look like well Danny Rose, and Harry Winks has shown he can play the pivot against any midfield on earth after taking on Real Madrid last year and Barcelona this year.

Where the Champions League narrative takes us remains to be seen, but knowing this team has the resolve and daring to do, even when things seem lost, makes it a narrative worth following beyond the Group Stage. And if the team can dare to do, we as fans can dare to dream, because both the team and fans know the game is about glory!