Tottenham Hotspur take a two-goal advantage to Croatia later this month thanks to a victory last night over Dinamo Zagreb in North London.
Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:
VAR is a joke – Of course, we cannot blame the technology but the VAR using it last night really dropped the ball. Just ten minutes into the second half, Ndombele glided into the penalty area, nutmegged his man and was tripped. A stonewall penalty. However, the VAR neither gave it nor asked the ref to take a look. A joke.
Ndombele is also a joke – This man glides across the turf like water. I think his liquid hips rival even the great Mousa Dembele in a Spurs shirt. Especially against lesser opponents, Ndombele just runs the show from deep in midfield. Give him another season or so and I think he’ll be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
The value of Lamela – Erik Lamela divides opinion among the Spurs fanbase but I think last night demonstrated his value perfectly. Will he start every game across a season? No. You pick him when he is in good form and he gives you 110% every time. Not only that, but his dribbling skills are incredible. The run that led to Kane’s opener was Lamela at his best, tricky, dogged, and almost in the net.
Sissoko past his best? – Moussa Sissoko has done so much for Tottenham and continues to be a loyal servant. However, over the past month or so, the Frenchman appears to have struggled with his consistency in midfield. In the past, Sissoko has always given you near perfection when it comes to simple passes completed, driving runs and defensive cover. These days, the passes are hit and miss and he doesn’t seem to have the same power.
Tie not done – Jose Mourinho would have loved to have powered towards a comfortable victory this evening and effectively end the tie in one match. However, that simply was not the case. This Zagreb side have a reputation of shutting sides out and looking solid in defence. They will probably be a different opponent on home turf and Spurs will have to take the game extremely seriously. 2-0 is not job done.
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