Spurs take on Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Alan Shearer has told BBC Sport that Tottenham Hotspur will struggle to beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League if two of Mauricio Pochettino’s players play as they did against Leicester City.
Spurs earned a 3-1 win over Leicester without playing particularly well, and had goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to thank for a number of saves – including a penalty stop from substitute Jamie Vardy.
Davinson Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min all got on the score sheet for Spurs as they kept the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City. But Shearer was unimpressed with two Spurs players.
Full-backs Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier played very high up the pitch as wing-backs, despite only using a back four. It meant centre-backs Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen got exposed, and against Dortmund, Shearer is concerned.
“I thought Leicester were the better team at Wembley on Sunday and the Foxes created chance after chance by getting behind Tottenham’s full-backs, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose, who stayed so high up the pitch,” Shearer said.
“If that happens again in Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund, Spurs are going to be in trouble because I think they will get punished. But, on this occasion, they not only survived, they found a way to win.”
It remains to be seen what defence Pochettino opts to field against Dortmund on Wednesday night, as they look to go one better than last season’s Champions League campaign – when they lost to Juventus at this stage.
Earning a win at Wembley on Wednesday will be crucial before they travel to Germany and to the Westfalenstadion to take on the likes of Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Paco Alcacer.
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