Tottenham Hotspur went a goal down to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League but turned things around to clinch victory. Who were the winners & losers?
Winner: Harry Winks
What more can you say about Harry Winks? No matter what challenge is placed in front of him this season, he has repeatedly proven himself to be more than capable of living up to it.
Against Dortmund, Winks ran the show in midfield despite ostensibly not having any traditional midfield partners. Winks flew solo and soared higher than ever. 77 passes attempted and 72 completed, a 94% pass completion was better than everyone else on the field.
If he isn’t starting for England at the World Cup…
Loser: Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen is a fabulous footballer, perhaps the most gifted in Spurs’ squad. Yet he has a propensity for struggling in big games. Perhaps this is down to the way Spurs play those games (very vertical, not too much interplay) but either way, Eriksen was poor against Spurs.
Winner: Dele Alli
Struggled through the first-half making little impact on the game, but came to life in the second. His assist for Kane’s goal was mostly fortunate, but the perseverance, precision and sheer skill on display as he barged his way into the Dortmund box to set-up Son for the second goal was a wonder to behold.
Loser: Ben Davies
He didn’t play, but after his poor display at the weekend against Arsenal the last thing Davies needed was Danny Rose to turn up and show out. But that’s just what Rose did. The Englishman was superb against Dortmund, and Spurs officially have a left-back controversy on their hands.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino
After losses away to Manchester United and Arsenal recently, Spurs needed to prove they could get back on the horse. Responding to the weekend’s loss, Pochettino picked a daring 3-5-2 formation with Eriksen and Dele as central midfielders ahead of Harry Winks. The system was open, but paid off as Spurs were dynamic going forward and should have won by more than just one goal.
Loser: Real Madrid
Los Blancos hammered APOEL 0-6 on Wednesday but that wasn’t enough to overcome Spurs. The London club getting the win in Germany means that no matter what happens on Matchday 6 against APOEL, Spurs will top the group and get the coveted second-leg-at-home prize in the Round of 16. For Los Blancos this could now result in them drawing a heavyweight like Manchester City, PSG or Manchester United. Not good for the European Champions’ intentions to retain their trophy again.
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