Tottenham 0-1 Ajax: Depleted Spurs playing catch up after classy visitors claim vital away goal
It was Tottenham’s first European Cup semi-final since their debut season in the competition back in 1962, but despite the rarity of the occasion, they produced a lacklustre performance that will leave them wondering what could have been.
Spurs came into the game on the back of their first defeat at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in which they looked short of ideas and fatigued against West Ham.
This match played out in similar fashion as Spurs fell to a second successive 1-0 defeat, and third in four matches, as Mauricio Pochettino’s men produced another display devoid of creativity.
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Whether it was due to tiredness from the recent schedule, or because they were missing a couple of key players, to only manage one shot on target in the home leg of a Champions League semi-final will be a huge source of concern for the manager and his coaching team as the season enters its climax.
Total football
For long parts of this game, particularly during the first half, Ajax looked as though they were the home team.
The Dutch side controlled the game, retained possession and opened Spurs up time and again. Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek ran riot in midfield, linking up with the forwards, which included former Southampton player Dusan Tadic in a false nine, and creating plenty of opportunities.
Van de Beek was rewarded for his bursts forward into the opposition box with a goal in the 15th minute as he latched onto a through ball from Hakim Ziyech after some great play from the visitors. The Ajax No6 feinted a shot and sat Hugo Lloris down before slotting it past the goalkeeper to score a crucial away goal.
David Neres struck the post in the second half for Ajax (Source: Getty)
It could have been more. Van de Beek had a chance for a second but was stopped by Danny Rose, who only just fired it past his own goal.
Even 19-year-old centre-back Matthijs de Ligt got in on the action as he burst forward from the back, while David Neres nearly doubled their lead when he struck the post late on.
Route one
Not many would have predicted at the start of the season that the Champions League semi-final would see Llorente up against Daley Blind, but without Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the Spaniard stepped up to the challenge.
Llorente held up the ball well, bringing Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli into play, and had a good chance to score from a free-kick during the first half, but couldn’t find the target.
Ajax were uncomfortable under the pressure of the 6ft 4in forward and looked vulnerable from set-pieces, but Llorente was unable to repeat his vital goal against Manchester City two weeks ago as Spurs fired blanks.
While Llorente held his own up front and played to his strengths, the team’s dependence on Kane and Son to score the important goals was more than apparent as the game wore on.
Tottenham headache
Jan Vertonghen required treatment from the Tottenham medical staff following a nasty clash of heads with Toby Alderweireld in the first half.
After five minutes of wiping blood from a cut on his nose, they declared him fit to come back on, but within seconds he looked as though he was about to pass out.
Jan Vertonghen had to be helped from the pitch (Source: Getty)
The ease with which he was allowed to re-enter the field of play – although the referee did try to make sure he was okay – was a serious error of judgement from the medical team that should not go unnoticed.
Had Vertonghen continued he would have been at risk of suffering serious damage from heading the ball or colliding once again.
Following on from Loris Karius’s concussion in the Champions League final last year, the introduction of a head injury assessment, as there is in rugby, should surely be debated.
Tactical error
As disturbing as it was to see Vertonghen carried down the tunnel, dazed and unable to walk properly, the change in formation that it forced Pochettino into making actually benefited Spurs.
The decision to start in a 3-4-3 formation, with Rose and Kieran Trippier providinging the width was the wrong one, as Ajax dominated the centre of the pitch. In Pochettino’s defence, the absence of Harry Winks, Kane and Son, combined with Moussa Sissoko’s recent injury, meant choices were few and far between.
Moussa Sissoko made a difference when he came off the bench (Source: Getty)
But the difference Sissoko made once he entered the match in place of Vertonghen was notable. Spurs looked a lot less overawed in midfield as the Frenchman hassled De Jong and Van de Beek and helped bring his team up the field.
It also allowed Eriksen further forward and with a much better grip on the game, Tottenham looked a lot more equal to Ajax throughout the second half.
Although they were unable to find that all-important goal, the change helped to stem the tide and ensured Ajax were not able to add to their one away goal, leaving it all to play for in Amsterdam next week.