Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan clashed in the second leg of the Champions League round of sixteen on Wednesday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It was a frigid, rainy night in North London as Spurs were already behind after losing the first leg in Milan 1-0. Despite Antonio Conte being back in the dugout, the performance by Tottenham was, for the most part, dull and uninspiring.
Tottenham looked debilitated going forward
Tottenham hoped that the front three that started the match (Son, Kane, Kulusevski) could capture the form they had in the second half of last season. That was not the case, though. Heung-min Son’s touch was all over the place, and Theo Hernandez kept Dejan Kulusevski in check. Kulusevski did cut inside and send in a few crosses, but they sailed over any potential Spurs attackers. Harry Kane received little service up front, and multiple times he tried to drop into the midfield to create but nothing came to fruition. The best chance in the first half for the Lilywhites was when Emerson Royal had a left-footed shot from outside the eighteen-yard box take a deflection into the path of Mike Maignan, who made a comfortable save. In the match’s dying moments, Harry Kane had a low-range header saved by Maignan.
A questionable approach to the match
In the first half, Tottenham Hotspur didn’t offer much going forward. It almost seemed like the aggregate score was 0-0 with how Tottenham was set up. Before the match, Antonio Conte urged the Spurs supporters to create an amazing atmosphere for the match, but the fans didn’t have much to cheer for. This is not the first time this season that Spurs have sleepwalked their way through the first half, as Spurs fans have unfortunately become accustomed to their side is known as ‘second half FC.’
Conte has said previously that he doesn’t instruct his team to sit back, but when it happens repeatedly questions have to be asked about how he sets the team up. Just as Cristian Romero was starting to get in a good run of form, he was booked early and then later on in the match made an unnecessary challenge that saw him see yellow for the second time. In the second half, Conte did sub on Pedro Porro for Ivan Perisic, which saw Emerson Royal move to left wing-back and Porro to right wing-back. That substitution saw Spurs create more chances in the second half. However, it wouldn’t be enough as Spurs were unable to put the ball in the back of the net, ultimately sealing their demise in the competition. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster may be the only Tottenham player that can hold their head high, as he made several saves throughout the match that were all for nothing, unfortunately.
Another shot at silverware out of reach
Just one week after being dumped out of the FA Cup at Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur followed it up with being eliminated in the Champions League at home against AC Milan. The Spurs supporters were already disappointed with the way Tottenham exited the FA Cup as the route to silverware looked enticing. But another chance at silverware (albeit a much more difficult route to silverware) went up in smoke as Tottenham Hotspur saw the exit door from Europe’s most prestigious competition. As Spurs go another season without silverware, the discontent among the supporters continues to grow with the current ownership.
What’s next for Spurs?
The only positive to take from the match is that Tottenham Hotspur can try to finish the season strong in the Premier League, as that is the only competition they remain in. A popular opinion among the Spurs supporters is that they would rather their side make a good run at either of the domestic cups instead of putting all of the focus on the league position. There is then the element of uncertainty surrounding Conte’s future at the club. Many reports are stating that Conte is likely to depart from North London at the end of the season as his contract will be up, and there have been no further talks to extend his stay. If that is the case, who will Spurs look to appoint? Many fans want Spurs to end hiring pragmatic managers and appoint a long-term/project manager, such as Roberto De Zerbi or a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino. Regardless, there has to be some change at the club. A major shift or reset may be needed at all levels within the club to take a step in the right direction.