AS Monaco 1 Spurs 1 – Match report

Watching European football will never catch on if it’s all about trying to catch a glimpse of the couple of TVs showing Spurs in a sports bar in Farringdon at 6 o’clock of an evening whilst ninety per cent of the pub is facing you and intent on watching rugger on the line of screens just over your head, meaning that you feel that every facial and bodily tick performed in response to a fancy Lamela flick or crunching Rose tackle is being observed by a crowd brought in especially to watch you. There was certainly more space in the Stade Louis II that’s for certain.

In a nutshell, Spurs started brightly and despite a couple of scares from crosses that just skimmed the haircuts of the home forwards could and should have been much more than 1-0 up at the break. The second half was a different story as we struggled to gain and keep possession in midfield and eventually Monaco equalised from one of the aforementioned crosses.

The goal was late but there was plenty of time for more pressure and it was the toe of Danny Rose that saved us from defeat as he just beat an onrushing forward to the rebound after Hugo had beaten away a particularly hard and well-struck long-range effort.

We had good chances in the second half to add to the ones we should’ve snaffled in the first and this lack of clinicality (?) in front of goal is liable to start defining our season soon unless we do something about it. Despite the four we put past City at the weekend scoring goals is proving to be our Achilles heel at present. The absence of Son for the next few games is a blow given his good start. Allied to all the hard work he does his appetite and knack for appearing 8-10 yards out as the ball is being delivered is exactly the sort of thing we expected from Soldado but never happened.

Qarabag’s defeat of Anderlecht makes our win over them a good result especially combined with Monaco’s slow start. We’re away again in our next game, in Belgium on the 22^nd.

COYS.

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