Tottenham Hotspur and their fans must be more than happy with an excellent point away from home in the Champions League. The North London club were pretty good defensively throughout, and as the game wore on they did superbly to keep the German side at bay. Perhaps in an attacking sense they could’ve offered more, but with three group games to go, it could’ve been worse. We’ve rated the performances of the Tottenham players below.
Hugo Lloris – What an absolutely outstanding goalkeeper the Frenchman is. He made some simply stunning saves to keep Spurs in the game at one point, and how on earth he prevented Javier Hernandez from finding the back of the net I have no idea. 8
Kieran Trippier – Went about his business very efficiently in Kyle Walker’s absence. The Englishman was sound defensively for the most part, but you do not get the same production on the offensive side of the ball that we’ve become accustomed to from the aforementioned Walker. 6
Eric Dier – Although he has been deployed in a holding midfield role at times, you feel in the long-term he’ll end up playing as a centre-back. Alongside an experienced head like Jan Vertonghen. He looked good. 6
Jan Vertonghen – A real leader at the heart of the defence. The big Belgian is right up there as one of the best in the country on his day, and he proved that tonight. He marshalled the rest of a young defence through the game and helped secure a hard-fought point. 7
Danny Rose – Played brilliantly. His defensive positioning throughout was superb, and as the game wore on he made two last-ditch blocks that meant his side still had a chance at winning the game at that point in time. He’s really growing into a top quality left-back. 8
Victor Wanyama – One of the most underrated midfielders in the country. Once again, the Kenyan protected his back four superbly, and whenever there was danger he was there to sniff it out and clear the ball. Another top drawer performance. 8
Dele Alli – His usual lively self. Never stopped running and always offered himself as an outlet for a pass. At times his final ball came into question, though, and going forward that’s an area in which he has to improve. 5
Christian Eriksen – The man who usually is so dangerous when pulling the strings just couldn’t get it going tonight. He had to track back, and when Spurs were trying to counter attack he didn’t have that many options. 5
Erik Lamela – Pochettino must’ve been delighted with the work his Argentine compatriot was putting in on the defensive side of things. At times, he went missing when Spurs were on the attack, but you always feel he can produce something out of nothing. Subbed. 6
Son Heung-Min – Made a return to the place where it all began for the South Korean. Had an average night, worked tirelessly which was exactly what the doctor ordered. Struggled to break through the last line of defence, though. Subbed. 5
Vincent Janssen – A rare star for the newly-acquired striker. In the first half, he looked lively and his movement off the ball was brilliant. He had a golden chance to give Spurs an early lead, but he couldn’t find the back of the net. 5
Subs:
Mousa Dembele – Brought on to re-energise a tiring midfield in the second half. Did his job well and didn’t give the Leverkusen midfielders too much time on the ball. 6
Moussa Sissoko – Offered Spurs an outlet from off of the bench as the game wore on. He brought that extra bit of pace to the field to try and stretch Bayer on the counter attack. 6
Joshua Onomah – Not enough time to mark.
Manager:
Mauricio Pochettino – The Argentine set his side up to not lose rather than to go all out for the three points which was certainly a wise decision; particularly away from home. You feel Spurs could’ve been slightly more ambitious on the counter-attack, but a point is a good result, particularly with how the group is shaping up. 7
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