Tottenham will consider themselves lucky to get away with a point following their Champions League 0-0 draw vs Monaco away.
For the first time since March 2023, and for the first time in 125 games, Tottenham were involved in a goalless draw. Although had it not been for Guglielmo Vicario’s heroics, the scoreline would have looked very different, and Monaco will be disappointed they could not score despite their dominance.
Thomas Frank made three changes from the 1-2 defeat against Aston Villa at the weekend, and it was an unusual line-up that kept everyone guessing about formations and roles, particularly concerning Archie Gray and Joao Palhinha, as to which one Frank slotted into his defence or if it was a back three.
First half: Monaco 0-0 Tottenham
Thomas Frank chose to stick with his 4-2-3-1 setup, but it was Archie Gray who started at left back, and he went on to become one of Spurs’ better players on the night; probably second only to Vicario in terms of performance.
Monaco started as the more threatening side but struggled to create anything meaningful until the ten-minute mark, when they fired two consecutive shots on target. The first was blocked by Gray, and Vicario saved the second.
Their best early chance came when Ansu Fati was released into a one-on-one with only Vicario to beat, but he chose to square it to a teammate, allowing Gray to clear the danger with excellent positioning.
Spurs’ first real threat arrived around the 20th minute when Micky van de Ven headed narrowly wide from a Wilson Odobert cross.
Around the half-hour mark, Monaco produced their best move of the half when Akliouche and Folarin Balogun exchanged passes before the latter broke free, only for Vicario to come off his line and deny him superbly.
At the other end, Kevin Danso’s long throw failed to reach Richarlison, who was waiting for an open header, before Vicario produced another brilliant diving save to stop Balogun’s curling effort.
Despite Monaco’s 0.94 expected goals compared to Spurs’ 0.46, the game remained goalless at the break.
Second half: Monaco 0-0 Tottenham
The second half started quietly, with very little happening for the first 25 minutes, before Vicario was called into action once again.
This time, he made a full-stretch save to deny Aleksandr Golovin’s powerful curler from the edge of the box. From the resulting corner, Thilo Kehrer’s header drifted just wide.
Monaco somehow still could not find the opener, as Vicario pulled off his best save of the night when Jordan Teze’s header from point-blank range was somehow pushed away by the Italian.
Substitute Takumi Minamino found himself in good positions late on but wasted both chances, blazing over the bar from promising areas.
Spurs saw more of the ball towards the end and produced their best move of the match, but Brennan Johnson’s trademark back-post finish was comfortably held by the Monaco goalkeeper, sealing a goalless draw at full-time.
FT: MONACO 0-0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Spurs Web man of the match: Guglielmo Vicario
What’s next for Spurs
Vicario was Tottenham’s saviour, preventing 2.45 expected goals, making nine saves, and somehow ensuring Monaco did not convert any of their five big chances.
Spurs’ attacking numbers were much less flattering. Just 0.88 expected goals, two shots on target, and one big chance missed.
Worse than the numbers was the football itself. The same problems that haunted Spurs under Ange Postecoglou are reappearing under Frank; a lack of creativity, no play through the middle, and a reliance on hopeful crosses.
It has become a recurring theme since Frank took charge, with most of the team’s few decent openings coming from Mohammed Kudus’ deliveries. When he is contained, as Monaco managed, the entire team runs out of ideas.
That makes it four draws in Tottenham’s last seven games, and Thomas Frank will be desperate to find a solution to his side’s creativity issues before facing Everton on Sunday.