Opinion: Five things we learned from the 1-0 loss to RB Leipzig in the Champions League

Tottenham Hotspur lost the first leg of their Champions League round of sixteen match against RB Leipzig tonight, with the result ending 1-0.

Spurs were at home tonight, meaning they must travel to Germany in three weeks time and get a result in order to progress.

Here are the five things we learned from the match:

Away goal – 

RB Leipzig have scored an away goal in the tie, giving them the distinct advantage heading into the second leg in Germany. Spurs must now go and score at least one away from home to have any hope.

No striker, big problem – 

Tottenham lacked a focal point in attack tonight. Lucas Moura did his best to hold the ball up and drive the attack, but he is not a striker by trade. Bergwijn also found it hard to occupy that position in the second half. This is going to be a tough couple of months for Spurs.

Aurier positioning – 

Aurier’s positioning in a flat back four is woeful. The defender got caught too far up the pitch and tucked in way too far on multiple occasions, creating problems for Davinson Sanchez and leaving space for the Leipzig attackers. Spurs need a new right-back who defends above all else.

Davies mistake – 

Ben Davies defended expertly all night, bar one awful mistake in the second half. He didn’t need to bring down the Leipzig attacker. He was never getting the ball and Alderweireld was there to cover. A silly error that cost Tottenham a vital away goal.

Hope is not lost – 

We all know what happened in Amsterdam last season. Spurs still have hope and they will now have three weeks to find a new pattern of play without a striker.

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