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Tottenham Hotspur stunned in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night in a deserved 1-0 loss to Royal Antwerp in Belgium. Lior Refaelov took advantage of a Ben Davies mistake to give the underdogs a lead in the first half and despite creating some good chances, the North London boys will return to England empty-handed.
Positive
The most consistent form of attack for Tottenham came through his two moves, many of which were able to catch Antwerp off guard. There was definitely an increase in urgency as the game progressed and once they began to calm down on the ball and regain possession, José Mourinho’s men were much more successful.
Negative
Antwerp had endless opportunities to exploit the open space by the Spurs and the pressure from the visitors was practically non-existent. They didn’t react fast enough against a team that just wanted him more than they did, and while we did eventually see a number of first-timers on the field, the communication levels were far below what you would expect from 2019 Champions League Finalists.
Manager rating out of 10
5 – While Mourinho’s starting eleven served as proof of the depth Spurs now have, the setup was slow and rather lethargic. The Special One really did it at halftime by making four somewhat ill-advised changes, precipitating a real lack of cohesion within the team compared to their Belgian opponents.
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Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players submitted after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 6 – He couldn’t do much for the first goal, but he kept things from getting worse with an instinctive save in the 55th minute over the bar.
DF Sergio Reguilon, 5 – He didn’t seem to read the game well, often leaving openings down the flank and getting regularly caught out of position.
DF Ben Davies, 4 – A handful of positive punts didn’t mean much compared to him playing a big role in Refaelov’s goal.
DF Davinson Sánchez, 4 – After being dragged out of position multiple times in the first half, including for goal, Sánchez saved the day with a perfect challenge after Harry Winks’ back pass, before getting into trouble twice more. before completing -time.
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2 Related
DF Serge Aurier, 5 – He didn’t create enough activity on the wing and should have been taller on most of his last balls.
MF Harry Winks, 5 – Spent too much time being cautious and nearly gave Antwerp a second goal with a poor backward pass in the 46th minute.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 6 – He molded his body well for a decent shot in the 14th minute and overall had the best distribution of the night before being substituted at halftime.
MF Gareth Bale, 5 – Aside from showing more composure than most of his team, Bale did little to influence Tottenham from an attacking point of view.
Dele Alli did little to show that he deserves more minutes at José Mourinho’s Tottenham. Getty
MF Dele Alli, 4 – The former World Cup hero looked rusty and often killed positive moves by questioning himself.
MF Steven Bergwijn, 5 – Too conservative in the final third and its main highlight was a rebel effort in the 32nd minute.
FW Carlos Vinicius, 5 – The newcomer’s heist play allowed him to draw others into the game in a nice way, but showed the Antwerp defenders too much of the ball.
Substitutes
MF Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 7 – He continues to demonstrate why he is such a valued commodity through his progressive style and accurate passing ability.
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MF Erik Lamela, 6 – There was a creative spark in the Argentine’s game that was leveled by a lack of spatial awareness when in possession.
MF Lucas Moura, 5 – He showed real momentum to get Tottenham back into the game through their runs to the baseline and sustained pressure, although their decision making was still uncertain.
FW Son Heung-Min, 6 – He was a constant source of danger for the Spurs, but his end product just wasn’t where it needed to be.
FW Harry Kane, 6 – He seemed sharp enough every time he was on the ball, but the England star sat too deep to get the delivery he needed.
Source: espn.co.uk
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