Steven Gerrard offers instant reaction to Spurs defeat; more experienced signings needed?

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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at home to Juventus this evening.

Pundit Steven Gerrard has told BT Sport that he feels Tottenham Hotspur have proven they belong in the Champions League, despite their defeat to Juventus this evening.

The first leg of Tottenham’s last 16 clash with Juventus ended in a 2-2 draw in Turin last month, as Spurs rallied back from 2-0 down to claim a draw and two away goals, leaving them in the box seat for a place in the last eight.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were on top for much of the game and took the lead in the first half, as winger Son Heung-min scuffed home Kieran Trippier’s cross to put Spurs on the verge of a spot in the quarter-finals.

However, you can never count out a team like Juventus, and they came back in the second half when Stephan Lichtsteiner’s cross was flicked on by Sami Khedira and volleyed in by Gonzalo Higuain.

Just three minutes later, Juve had turned the tie on its head, as Paulo Dybala ran clear from Higuain’s pass to smash past Hugo Lloris, handed Juventus a passage into the next round.

The fact that Harry Kane’s late header hit the inside of the spot and bounced down onto the line only to be cleared away was added heartbreak for Spurs, who crashed out of the competition in galling fashion.

After the game, pundit Steven Gerrard told BT Sport that he feels Spurs have still proven that they belong in the Champions League, and they won’t collapse with Pochettino at the helm.

Gerrard added that Spurs need to make some experienced signings who have a track record of success in the Champions League, in order to kick on and get to the next level in Europe.

“I don’t think it’s going to go wrong,” said Gerrard. “Not with him in charge, I really like him, and I like what he’s building here. I think Spurs have proved throughout this campaign that they belong at this level, but to go past this level, they’re probably going to need to add a little bit of experience to the XI and to the squad. It is vital at this end of the competition that you have players who have got the know-how and the experience of being at this stage, it is crucial,” he added.