Spurs travel to Germany tonight (8 PM BST kick-0ff) to take on Eintracht Frankfurt, who are level on points with Spurs in Group D, having beaten Marseille but lost to Sporting CP, just as we have done. Read more on our opponents here, and about the history of the fixture here.
There is obviously a lot at stake for tonight’s game – from either side’s point of view, it’s a chance to put daylight between themselves and basement club Marseille, pull clear of tonight’s opponent, and ultimately, close the gap to table-topping Sporting CP and hope that Marseille nick something off Sporting tonight.
Spurs will have to attempt this without the services of Lucas Moura (calf), possibly Dejan Kulusevski (hamstring), and Ben Davies (knee), and it remains to be seen how much tonight’s line-up will resemble the team that put in such a limp performance on Saturday. I’m assuming that Royal will retain his place in the XI, given that his suspension doesn’t carry over into Europe.
The hosts have several injury problems of their own, with midfielders Mario Gotze and Kristijan Jakic ruled out, along with defenders Almamy Toure and Aurelio Buta (neither of whom are registered in their Champions League squad anyway). Nevertheless, they are still able to call on the likes of Jasper Lindstrom and Daichi Kamada, and are not short of quality in other areas of the pitch.
Given that we’ve only won one of our five away games in all competitions so far this season, I’m not going to walk into this game thinking we have a God-given right to walk into this game and win. Indeed, our indifferent away form and the fact that these are dangerous opponents makes this game fraught with danger. Notwithstanding that, if we turn up with the right attitude, sharpen our decision-making in the final third and cut out the moronic defending that was displayed on Saturday, nothing should stop us. That is a big ‘if’, however…COYS!
I am not very confident about this one.
I do hope Conte is able to promote Spence for a chance. He looks a much better prospect than Emerson and Doherty even though Conte does not seem to like him.
Very disappointed with Conte… his defensive and boring style of play; his poor substitutions; his lack of rapport with the players; his inability to change things; his eagerness to return to Italy.
I still blame Levy for he makes the appointments. He was lucky with Pochettino who made us into a top four force playing attractive, attacking possession football.
Now we just sit back and wait for the opposition to get bored or make defensive errors.
Another season which will provide little to shout about. No point in hoping for a change in the January transfer window.
I’m not sure the Conte doesn’t like Spence, or simply thinks he’s not ready to play now within the system that Conte wants to play. Maybe the difference in interpretation doesn’t matter–Conte isn’t playing Spence either because he doesn’t like him or thinks he’s not ready.
If we lose today, we’re in serious danger of being dropped from then CL, and our late season push that got us into the top four was of little value in the end. I take it that this is a match we really need to win in order to stay in the competition. Lose today and it’s really a steep climb to make it out of the group stage successfully.
If we lose this one we’re unlikely to make it out of the group stage of the CL.
The thrill of the run for the top four at the end of last season will have turned to dust inhabited only by swarms of locusts. Players like Kane will be stimulated to think once again of moving on.
The crowd will turn on Conte and call for him to be run out of town.
Charles and Camilla–well, forget about them. They don’t merit mention anyway.
The likes of Espirito Santos will be on our horizon.
Gloom and doom will dominate this site.
I’ll stop my occasional references to Plato and will start referring instead to Nietzche–God, indeed, will have become dead.
Pandora herself will have stolen back hope.
Brexit will seem like a treat in comparison to this suffering in the CL.
Turtles will fly over Istanbul. (Yes, I know that’s a really obscure reference, but it fits. It’s a reference to a poem called “bomb” by Gregory Corso, which he read at Oxford in 1958 about embracing the end of the world. Students booed him for seeming to embrace the bomb, but as Alan Ginsberg said to the booing students–you do not understand how to deal with the absurdity of the way we tempt to end it all. I think he called them assholes.)
Come on you Spurs. Don’t let doom descend on us. Dare to flourish in the face of an absurd self-imposed death! Resist atomic death!
Play like life on the planet depends on today’s performance. Indeed, life on the planet depends on the sum of all the small things done and left undone. This is one of those things. Whether it’s big or small is in our minds.
The future of football does depend on it, as does all else.
I dare not make a prediction. The stakes are too small.
Wow the same subs bench again,
Rotation ???
So much for rotation. the squad will be burned out before the World Cup. I’m starting to think Conte is already looking for a way out. Fine by me, I simply can’t bear watching us any more.
I think we all know how tonight will go. Willingly concede possession, sit back, invite the opposition on, hope they miss their chances we will give them and hope for something on the counter attack. And inevitably lose the match.
If we sit back at home, that’s its for me if I’m honest.
Oops thought we were at home. Game gonna be thought, we still should go out n attack,
Lots of missed chances in the first half. Got to take advantage when there are opportunities.
Play like you need to win!
Son was just shockingly poor, absolutely no ability to control the ball in attack. The team’s movement is good going forward and then a pass goes into Son who it just bounces off of or he makes a weak move and gets beat for possession. His defending is horrid as well and how Conte decides to remove Richarlison rather than Son is completely baffling. Richarlison in all fairness wasn’t playing that well either but compared to Son he was way more effective.
Gill was majorly disappointing as he also couldn’t hold the ball and got continually muscled off it.
How many chances can be missed if a team is to win?
Really lacking ideas again in the final 3rd.
Seems like conte has taken this team as far as he can. Another below average performance, even after the derby loss. This team has gone stale.
No shots on goal, conte luck has run out. Brighton will have a field day if we set up like this. Awful to watch.
Which will come 1st. boo’s for conte or hollween
No, Mr. Conte, you are stupid. That was an embarrassing match to watch. How many shots on goal?
Conte OUT!
🙄
🎃 > conte
Seriously poor showing. piss poor showing. what were we thinking that Conte was going to be better than Espirito Santos? This was a lousy performance. Disgusting showing.
If nuno was in charge of these performances
Q marks be asked, a loss to Brighton and the writing is on the wall for conte
Why not bring on bissouma for fresh legs in midfield.
I must admit I can’t understand how we couldn’t beat this lot . We should have put the game to bed by half time .
This government was going to give these players a pay rise by dropping the top rate of tax !! What a joke .
Richarlison ( 60 mill ) is no substitue for our Swedish winger , who has been missed quite badly , and had a poor game .
Gill is knocked over by a gust of wind .
However there were some good performances from Romero , Hoj and Romero .
Are the players suffering and tired from the full on training methods of Conte ?
A very frustrating night .
Its the same 11 week in weekbout, Players looked knackered even kane, it will be the same 11 next week.
How many new signings have come in since Paratici and Conti arrived? Isn’t this their team by now?
I guess one could say that there’s been lots of progress, if we call regress by the name of progress.
Poch is available, no?
I guess today is the day that the embers of patience lit a fire of impatience for me. Enough. Bastante.
We’re still near the top of the PL table? Judging by today’s performance, that will soon be in the rear-view mirror. One might predict ending the season in about 13th place.