Tottenham Hotspur were made to settle for a 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening.
It was a game in which the Lilywhites had chances to secure the victory but could not find a winning goal that would have given them a crucial advantage in Frankfurt next week.
It was the visitors who took an early lead, just six minutes into the clash. The goalscorer was one of Europe’s most wanted centre-forwards, Hugo Ekitike.
He showed exactly why the biggest clubs want to sign him, cutting inside on his left foot and letting fly a shot from range that nestled into the bottom corner with pinpoint accuracy.
However, it was not long for Lilywhites fans to wait before their side clawed a goal back. The equaliser came from right-back Pedro Porro, who met a brilliant cross from James Maddison with a tidy, flicked finish into the back of the net.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Mickey van de Ven almost had a winner for Spurs. However, his header was superbly tipped over the crossbar by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos to keep the score on level terms.
It was certainly a disappointing night for the Lilywhites, who could have easily run out winners. There were some poor performances from some of those in a Spurs shirt.
Spurs' worst performers vs. Frankfurt
One of the Spurs players who struggled against the German side was winger Brennan Johnson. He found it difficult to make a real impact on the game at all, barely getting into the game out on the right flank.
In fact, Goal journalist Sean Walsh noticed that the Welshman struggled to stamp his authority on the game, handing Johnson a 4/10 rating for his performance, suggesting that he spent “far too much time hidden behind defenders”.
Another player in Postecoglou’s attacking trio who had a tough night at the office was striker Dominic Solanke. The England international showed glimpses of his best, and although he has been on a lean run of goalscoring form, he did link play up well at times.
However, his stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, show just how little he got into the game at times. For example, Solanke managed just 22 touches, completing seven of ten passes and winning three of five aerial duels.
As tough of a night it was for Johnson and Solanke, they were perhaps not Spurs’ worst attackers against Frankfurt.
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Spurs' worst player against Frankfurt
It has not been an easy season for Spurs captain Heung-min Son, and Thursday’s clash with Frankfurt summed that up in many ways.
The South Korean international lacked a real potency in his attacking play and did not pose too much of a threat to their opponents’ defence.
In fact, his stats really reflect Son’s struggles against the German outfit on Thursday. He had 61 touches in total, completing 38 of 44 attempted passes. However, the Spurs legend failed to compete either of his two attempted dribbles, and he lost the ball 12 times, once every five touches.
Touches
61
Passes completed
38/44
Number of times ball lost
12
Ground duels won
1/4
Dribbles completed
0/2
Crosses completed
1/3
Key passes
2
Son’s struggles against Frankfurt was a sentiment that the aforementioned Walsh seemed to agree with. He was critical of the Spurs captain, giving him a 4/10 for his performance, explaining that the winger was “seldom a threat in crucial areas” going forward.
It might be a worry for Spurs fans that their number seven’s career is petering out. While it’s certainly a different story, there is reason to suggest he’s winding down in a similar way to another modern-day club icon, Dele Alli.
The former Lilywhites midfielder was, at his peak, “the best” youngster in the world, according to Mauricio Pochettino.
However, Alli’s Spurs career tailed off when he began to have dips in form, and perhaps the same can be said for Son this season. It has certainly not been the easiest campaign for the attacker, who like Dele, has gone from an elite talent to someone struggling to make a real impact at Spurs in pretty swift time.
He has just 11 goals and 12 assists in 43 games, with seven goals and ten assists in the Premier League. Compare that to the 17 goals and ten assists in 35 games he managed last term, and there is certainly a Dele-esque decline in numbers.
It is a shame to see such a legendary Premier League player struggle to find his best form this term. No doubt, Lilywhites fans hope he can get back to the top of his game in what is a huge few weeks for the club.
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