Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur had already qualified for the Champions League knockouts but their loss will surely be food for thought for the Spurs coach.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho has been advised what kind of players he needs to bring to Spurs by BBC Sport pundit Pat Nevin if he is to “make a fist of it at the top level” (BBC Sport).
Spurs were in Champions League action against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, a game during which just pride was at stake as both sides had already qualified for the last 16, with Bayern progressing as Group B winners and Tottenham going through as runners-up.
As a result, both sides made several changes but Mourinho would have likely been concerned by how much his Tottenham charges struggled against their opponents, particularly in midfield, where Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko – who impressed against Burnley – didn’t do well.
“If Jose Mourinho is going to make a fist of it at the top level, and in the Premier League too, he needs players with not just quality but pace,” Nevin told BBC Sport as the game approached the 90th minute (21:46). “They are a little bit lacking in the middle.”
Mourinho opted to give Victor Wanyama a runout, bringing him on for Dier in the 81st minute, but it remains to be seen whether he can win his place back in the Tottenham squad, while Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks were both out injured.
Bayern had taken the lead against Spurs through Kingsley Coman but in the 20th minute, Ryan Sessegnon showed great composure to bring a pass under control inside the area and fire a ferocious finish beyond the reach of Manuel Neuer to bring Tottenham level.
It wasn’t to be for Spurs, unfortunately, as Thomas Muller put Bayern ahead just before half time and Philippe Coutinho curled into the bottom corner of the Tottenham net from the edge of the area.
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