By hook or by crook, Tottenham Hotspur are still unbeaten in the Champions League.
The functional, "get it done" display from Gameweek 1 has been usurped by outright bad performances away from home over the past two matchdays. After fighting back to earn an unjust point in Bodø at the end of September, Spurs somehow escaped Monaco with a goalless draw on Wednesday night.
Thomas Frank's side had the chance to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at home to Aston Villa at the weekend, but his team failed to muster much of a response in the principality. Outside of a few threatening set-pieces and two promising open-play moments that weren't seized upon, the visitors didn't craft all that much.
Monaco smelt blood in the second-half, enjoying periods of sustained pressure, but were somehow unable to break the deadlock.
Here are four takeaways from Wednesday's stalemate in Europe.
1. Vicario silences critics
The Lilywhites have one man to thank for their midweek point, and it's someone who's come under scrutiny this season.
Guglielmo Vicario was called into question again at the weekend, as Villa overcame their early deficit with two excellent finishes from distance. They were strikers some thought the Italian should've been positioned better for, especially Emi Buendia's winner.
Vicario has been one of the Premier League's most efficient shot-stoppers this term, but he hasn't exactly instilled calm and stability in this Tottenham backline. Even I had been advocating for Frank to turn to Antonín Kinsky more, primarily becuase of his distribution, but the Czech has been limited to just one start.
However, Tottenham's No. 1 vindicated the manager's faith with a standout performance on Wednesday. While his sub-par distribution meant the visitors weren't able to reliably break Monaco's man-to-man press, he bailed us out with some excellent saves. Vicario's reflex stops to deny Folarin Balogun in the first-half then Jordan Teze in the second were genuinely remarkable.
His night ended with eight saves in total and UEFA's Man of the Match award.
2. Absences hurt
We thought entering the season that Frank's squad probably wasn't deep enough despite the addition of quality in the summer.
Spurs were without ten first team players on Wednesday, including the ineligible Mathys Tel. Now, that number of absences would likely hurt any squad, but it's who's currently out injured that's the real killer.
James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are irresistible creative forces who'd provide a spark, while two imperative defenders have recently joined the injury list. Without Cristian Romero, Spurs lack their leader, tone-setter and best passer of the ball, while Destiny Udogie had helped facilitate a balanced performance in possession against Leeds United before the break.
With Djed Spence rested, Frank turned to Archie Gray at left-back. There were similar balance issues in possession, with the right-footed Gray often receiving in sub-optimal positions or closing off his body to prevent him from progressing forward. Overall, though, Gray offered more dynamism and courage than most. His midfield cameo late on was good, too.
Going back to my main point, Romero and Udogie would help elevate Frank's rather primitive possession structure. Without them, Spurs constantly look stuck in the mud, with every build-up sequence an ordeal.
3. Kolo Muani will be important
There are plenty of issues with Frank's Spurs right now, but I do think some of those would dissipate if they had a striker who could reliably hold-up possession. The Dane had so much success at Brentford because he had Ivan Toney who would so often make first contact when the ball went long. If he wasn't flicking on to the onrushing Bryan Mbeumo, he was retaining possession and helping the Bees get up the pitch.
Dominic Solanke can provide something similar, but he's barely played this season because of an ankle injury. His replacement, Richarlison, is about as technically unreliable as they come. His performance on Wednesday was woeful.
He was constantly out-duelled by Mohammed Salisu, and when he did hold off his man, either an errant knee or shin would ensure possession seldom stuck. Frank needs his striker to be a faciliatator, but Richarlison, since the first month of the season, has been incredibly ineffective.
But, there's hope. Off the bench, Randal Kolo Muani offered glimpses. He hasn't been fit at the start of his loan, but the Frenchman is working his way back. The striker offered so much more during his cameo than Richarlison did for more than hour. He's a more imposing presence and is a willing stretcher of the pitch.
Our best moment of the second-half—Brennan Johnson’s blocked shot late on—came because of some fine centre-forward play from Kolo Muani.
4. Akliouche impresses
I couldn't believe what I was seeing at times on Wednesday night.
This Monaco team had some front about them; attacking the centre of the pitch, and all. They're now led by 38-year-old Belgian coach Sébastien Pocognoli, who won the Pro League with Union Saint-Gilloise last season. His predecessor, Adi Hütter, has laid some strong foundations in the principality, with their vertical and direct selves manifesting in midweek.
Monaco were relentless in their quest to get in behind this Tottenham defence, benefiting from having their two leading playmakers positioned between the lines where they could do the most damage. Those positioned deeper weren't scared to pass to them, too, even if an errant pass meant a potential Spurs counter-attack.
Aleksandr Golovin was superb off the bench, but a player we were linked with in the summer also caught the eye. Maghnes Akliouche caused problems for the visitors all night, with his crafty movement outfoxing Spurs' pivot. The 23-year-old was unable to execute the final action for the most part, but it was refreshing to see a creator perform with so much freedom.
It was a performance that led to some decrying our inability to bring him in, but you've got to think whether he'd look anywhere near as effective in Frank's current framework. The Dane's got his No. 10 running around chasing second balls and winning duels. There's little scope for creative expression.