Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim

Tottenham Hotspur finally got another win under their belt this evening away to Hoffenheim in the Europa League, but even then they had to do it the hard way.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:

Tottenham in the automatic knockout places

Tottenham Hotspur are now guaranteed to be in the automatic knockout places (between first and eighth in the League Phase table) as they enter the final match week. That means a win at home to IF Elfsborg – a team currently fifth in the Swedish top division – will book Spurs a place in the Europa League knockouts.

Not only is this one step closer to the trophy itself, but it would also remove the need to play an extra two-legged knockout play-off when the squad is stretched enough as it is.

14 Tottenham players missing

With each passing week, you assume that Tottenham’s injury crisis will at least get a little better. If anything, it’s going the other way. This evening – with a mixture of 11 injuries and three illegible players – Tottenham were without a total of 14 senior players. When the most senior outfield stalwarts on your bench are Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear, you know something is wrong.

Not only does it difficult for Ange Postecoglou to get a starting XI out there, but it also makes it near-impossible to rest and rotate throughout the match without handing out competitive debuts like smarties. Fortunately, with Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven on the mend, Spurs will hopefully look a lot healthier a month from now. Until then, it’s going to be a tiring few matches for the current XI.

Tottenham need to invest in the Europa League

The Premier League is dead. Let’s not beat around the bush. Yes, we want Tottenham to go on a run and work up a bit of form, but the Champions League places are a distant dream and even the Europa League spots feel a mile away. The Europa League itself, however, is another story.

Spurs have a great chance of making the automatic knockout places after a win against Hoffenheim and they remain one of the strongest teams in the competition. Of course, that relies upon Ange and his medical team actually getting the strongest XI back out on the pitch, but that is a problem for another day.

Remember, Europa League glory would not only end the Tottenham trophy drought in style – with a European cup, no less – but it would also automatically qualify the Lilywhites for Champions League football next season. It isn’t quite an all-you-eggs-in-one-basket situation yet, but I would certainly be piling a good few into Europe.

Callum Olusesi debut

We should take a moment to congratulate Callum Olusesi on making his debut for Tottenham in the Europa League this evening. He came into a tough situation and worked hard to see out the win. Of course, he looked a little nervy on the ball at times, but that is to be expected.

On the one hand, you hope Spurs don’t need him again much this season, but on the other hand, it would be great to see him get some minutes in the next six months.

Pedro Porro at the back post

A worrying trend seems to be emerging for Tottenham and that is Pedro Porro getting crowded out at the back post from crosses. With Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies on the pitch, it stands to reason that Spurs are more likely to drop a little deeper than when Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero line up at the back. What that does is give the opposition – like Hoffenheim tonight – the chance to get bodies into the box and swing some crosses in.

For some reason, Dragusin keeps getting sucked out of position towards the left side of the pitch during those situations, leaving Porro with a centre-forward and a winger to mark at the back post. Hoffenheim tonight found particular joy with that move, scoring their second goal from a back-post header. Dragusin’s whole game revolves around being a fantastic aerial presence so Spurs need to find a way to make sure he is the one positioned to fight for those balls moving forward.

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