DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 10: Joshua Onomah of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Mats Hummels (L) and Lukasz Piszczek of Borussia Dortmund (R) during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur at Signal Iduna Park on March 10, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Tottenham suffered a sound 3-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund, but must learn from the one-sided affair.
Mauricio Pochettino might have known what was coming when he talked about the need to rotate his squad prior to Tottenham’s Europa League fixture at Borussia Dortmund. The Spurs manager started a weakened side and paid for it with a 3-0 defeat at the home of the Bundesliga giants.
Tottenham were soundly beaten in every phase of the match by Dortmund. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the home side ahead in the first half while Marco Reus put the match well out of reach with two sparkling second half finishes. Spurs were never able to gain footing in the match, and truthfully, didn’t see enough of the ball to really trouble Dortmund’s defense.
The important thing now for Spurs is that they learn some valuable lessons from the match. The massive defeat leaves them teetering on the edge of Europa League elimination with the reverse fixture at White Hart Lane on the horizon. It will take a dominant Spurs effort to erase the hole they’ve dug themselves.
More importantly for Spurs, they still are very much alive in the Premier League title race. Leicester City have a solid five point lead, but that’s a deficit that Tottenham are certainly capable of erasing. They just cannot afford to let the Dortmund loss linger.
Instead, they must learn from their most recent failure and put those lessons to good use. Read on to discover the top five lessons Tottenham learned in their defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
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<p>Simply put, Chadli was atrocious against Dortmund. He failed to impact the game in any real way on either offense or defense. He couldn’t hold up play to get Spurs out of their own half and he failed to effectively press the Dortmund defense when they dallied on the ball.</p>
<p>If Spurs were able to give out a least valuable player award for the match, the hefty Belgian winger would get my vote. He acted as if he didn’t even care what was happening out on the pitch. In a huge match in a stadium filled with emotion, Chadli shrank away from the moment.</p>
<p>Time will tell if Chadli is able to find a real home in Pochettino’s plans at Tottenham, but I certainly wouldn’t bet on it. He’s not tough enough to play as a stand-alone striker or industrious enough to flourish in the attacking midfield. He may very well be out the door this summer.</p>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Dortmund’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Tom Carroll vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg football match between BVB Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in Dortmund, western Germany on March 10, 2016. / AFP / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2. Tom Carroll just isn’t good enough</h3>
<p>Even the most optimistic Tottenham fan became concerned when the starting 11 was announced featuring a Ryan Mason-Tom Carroll partnership in the defensive midfield. Those concerns proved to be entirely justified as the pair were routinely overrun by the Dortmund attack.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Mason wasn’t a standout by any means, but he was far better than the diminutive Carroll. It’s time that Spurs fans realize that no matter how skilled Carroll can be on the ball, he’s just not big or athletic enough to really help Tottenham.</p>
<p>At 23 years of age it isn’t as if the young Englishman is going to get much bigger. Nor is he likely to become significantly more athletic over the next several years. He is what he is. Unfortunately for fans of the stylish midfielder, the player he is today isn’t good enough for Spurs if they’re going to continue their upward trajectory.</p>
<p>Carroll would be well served to seek a move away from White Hart Lane if he really wants to receive meaningful playing time for a club. It’s not that he isn’t capable of being a Premier League regular, he just isn’t up to the standard that Tottenham need. He’d be much better off at one of the Premier League’s lesser clubs.</p>
<p>I really want to see Tom Carroll do well at Spurs, but this was the last nail in the coffin for me. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be a key part of Tottenham as they become a serious competitor on the world stage.</p>
<div class="next-post amp-get-next-post lg slider"><a class="location" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-post-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2016/03/10/5-things-tottenham-learned-from-the-borussia-dortmund-loss/"#"><span class="next amp-next-post-teaser">Next: </span><span class="amp-get-next-post">1. Mauricio Pochettino is still gunning for the Premier League</span></a></div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_407835" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 09: Head coach Mauricio Pochettino attends the Tottenham Hotspur FC press conference prior to the UEFA Europa League match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Signal Iduna Park on March 9, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Bongarts/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1. Mauricio Pochettino is still gunning for the Premier League title</h3>
<p>All you need to do is examine Pochettino’s starting 11 for this match to know that he still is pushing for a Premier League title. Actually, you could probably determine that from the flight manifest of the squad’s trip to Germany.</p>
<p>He made the decision to leave Eric Dier at home to rest. Then he compounded his side’s weakness in the defensive midfield by attempting to rest Mousa Dembele on the bench. You don’t start a defensive midfield pairing of Tom Carroll and Ryan Mason against Borussia Dortmund unless you’re prioritizing some other competition.</p>
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<p>Since the only other competition Tottenham is currently involved with is the Premier League, it’s a safe bet that Pochettino has made a conscious decision to focus his side’s attention on that competition. His team selection may have disappointed lots of Spurs fans who made the trip to Germany, but it should buoy their hopes for a Premier League title.</p>
<p>Pochettino has finally put all of Tottenham’s eggs in one basket. His personnel choices at Dortmund were a clear signal that it’s Premier League title or bust for this year’s Spurs team.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
