The Belgian’s absence against the German side demonstrated his importance to the Lilywhites.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling in action with Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen
Tottenham Hotspur’s hard-earned point in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday against Bayer Leverkusen, will go down as a largely positive result for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
After dominating the opening period however, the cracks in The Lilywhites’ armour were exposed, especially in defence.
Despite another rear-guard display from Jan Vertonghen, the void left by his compatriot Toby Alderweireld was felt, particularly after the break.
As Pochettino’s charges tired, Javier Hernandez and the impressive Julian Brandt began to pull Spurs asunder late on.
Had veteran striker Stefan Kiessling been more clinical, the result could have been a more damaging one.
Tottenham’s Eric Dier struggled for large periods versus Javier Hernandez and Bayer Leverkusen
With Eric Dier deputizing in a not unfamiliar role, notwithstanding, the 27 year-old former Ajax and Atletico Madrid man was conspicuous by his absence.
As the BayArena witnessed a resolute fightback during the second half, Spurs’ usually water-tight back line was exposed with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris having to be at his best to keep the hosts at bay.
If pictures weren’t enough to tell the story of the second 45 minutes, the stats firmly backed it up.
Kevin Wimmer was left out of the squad altogether casting doubt on his future in North London.
In his stead, Dier should have been a more than capable centre-back pairing for Vertonghen, but on a wet evening in Westphalia, the England man was the weakness in the back four.
As per WhoScored, Kieran Tripper won the aerial joust with his team-mates, winning three. Only Eric Dier failed to win a single duel.
Whilst Dier floundered, Kieran Trippier impressed in Leverkusen
Dier’s pass accuracy was the highest of the quartet on the night with 87.3%, but failed to make a single tackle and was joint-lowest with Danny Rose in terms of interceptions on just a single occasion.
The 22 year-old also made the fewest number of clearances with four, in comparison to Rose, Vertonghen and Trippier, with five, six and seven clearances respectively.
Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld is stretchered off after sustaining a injury
The absence of Toby Alderweireld greatly exposed Tottenham in what could yet prove to be a crucial meeting ahead of the return fixture in a fortnight.
With the news that the Belgian’s knee injury – that forced him off against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend – is not as bad as initially feared, Alderweireld will still likely miss the next 10 days of action.
A concern indeed, given their trip to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday to face an in-form AFC Bournemouth, as Spurs aim to stay in touch with the league leaders.
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