Tottenham formed quite a reputation for themselves last season to pull off spectacular comebacks in the Champions League, yet this year looks to be a far bleaker narrative.
Spurs were swept aside by RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, with stats from WhoScored showing that the east German side managed more possession, more shots and a higher pass completion rate than Jose Mourinho’s side, who realistically could have conceded more than just the one goal.
Had it not been for the excellence of Hugo Lloris, who BBC Sport awarded the Man of the Match award, Spurs would already be dead and buried in Europe for this season, yet their slender 1-0 lead offers Tottenham hope of a chance to progress, but fortunes have not been in favour of the north London club in recent weeks, to say the least.
RB Leipzig...WinLoseDraw |
Heung-min Son was ruled out for the immediate future as the club’s official website confirmed that the South Korean international fractured his arm in last weekend’s 3-2 win against Aston Villa, and this severe lack of firepower with Harry Kane seemingly set to miss the remainder of the season was evident to see on Wednesday night.
Spurs will have it all to play for at Red Bull Area where the north London side will need to get the better of one of the inform teams in Europe this season without two of their most important attacking players, yet if there’s any side who has shown in recent years to be occasionally overlooked by the footballing gods, it’s Tottenham.
Last season’s run to the Champions League final was built on miracles from going through two stages on away goals as well as having VAR become the saviour during their quarter-final tie against Manchester City. And with the odds stacked against Tottenham again, lady luck could again make an appearance to nudge Spurs through to the next round.