Three things that we learnt: Tottenham 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen

By Jake Jackman

Tottenham have given themselves an uphill task of qualifying for the next round after their second successive ‘home’ defeat in the Champions League. They were poor in every department and were fortunate to lose by only the 1-0 score-line. The last few results and performances have been unlike Pochettino’s Tottenham, which will worry supporters ahead of the first North London derby of the season. Here are three things we learned from Tottenham’s defeat against Leverkusen…

Tottenham don’t like playing at Wembley

It was unfortunate that Tottenham couldn’t play their home matches at White Hart Lane in the Champions League as it would have been the perfect way to say goodbye to the stadium. They have been forced to play at Wembley, which has allowed more supporters to go to the Champions League matches, but the performances at the stadium have been poor. After their defeat to Monaco during the opening game-week, it was crucial that they at least avoided defeat on Wednesday, but they couldn’t manage it.

The performance was very unlike Tottenham, as they were outplayed, outworked and out-battled by their German opposition. Spurs completed only 15 tackles, which will anger Pochettino as the Argentine demands a certain level of performance from his side. They were frequently giving the ball away in dangerous areas and never looked like breaking down a determined Leverkusen defence. Their attacking woes are a major problem heading into the North London derby. They only managed nine shots on Wednesday and that needs to improve immediately.