Nov 27, 2019 | Sushilspurs11
“I was a brilliant ballboy”
Jose Mourinho
Home Team: Tottenham Hotspur Away Team: Olympiakos
Possession
Home58%
Away42%
Shots
Home12
Away9
Shots on Target
Home5
Away3
Corners
Home4
Away4
Fouls
Home11
Away15
Tottenham beat Olympiakos 4-2 in their champion’s league fixture as they completed a second half comeback to seal the spot in the knockout stage of the competition.
It was Jose Mourinho’s first champion’s league as well as first home game as a Tottenham manager. Tottenham came from two goals down to make it 4-2 at the final whistle to make it two wins out of two under their new manager Mourinho.
Goals from Dele, Aurier and brace of captain Kane ensured the three points from the home side. Though the team completed the dramatic comeback but still there are problems to be fixed within the squad.
The start of the game didn’t go the Spurs way as the visiting side took the comfortable lead of two goals within the 20 minutes of the game.
Spurs look sloppy and the manager made his tactical change in the half hour mark of the game where Dier was replaced by Eriksen, at the end of the first half Dele capitalized from the error of Olympiakos defender and reduced the deficit.
From the start of the second half Tottenham looked composed and they blew away the Olympiakos side with their dominant performance as they grabbed all the three points.
There will be more negatives than positives to take from this performance, but the team progressed to the knockout stage that is what matters at the moment.
It was the game of two halves. Olympiakos had dominated the first half with two goals in quick succession and Tottenham looked clueless until that blunder from the Olympiakos defender in the end of the first half.
From starting of the second half Tottenham looked confident and they pulled their strings at the right moment and dominated the game with three second half goals and sealed their first champion’s league victory under Mourinho.
Once again Tottenham were kept on back foot due to their defending this season. Defense line looks clueless sometimes mainly when they have to deal with long balls and set pieces. In both of the goals Olympiakos scored the defense should have done better. Though the game was changed in Tottenham’s favor but Mourinho has a job to do- to sort out the defensive problems and that’s should be done quickly.
Jose Mourinho is big fan of Eric Dier as he tried to sign the midfielder when he was at Manchestr United. When he took charge of Tottenham from the first game we have seen he has favored Dier. Dier had started the game against West Ham in the weekend and he started the game against Olympiakos too alongside Harry Winks in the midfield. But the combination didn’t worked and dDier was replaced on the half hour mark.
Dier may be the player who fits the Mourinho’s demand but the Dier -Winks combination will not work for the benefit of the team. Both Dier and Winks are not the players who provide attacking threats such as Ndombele provides from the position. They are the important part of Mourinho’s plan but together they will not provide the best combination.
It was Mourinho’s tactical change that changed the game in favor of Tottenham. When he felt that Dier Winks combination was not working he replaced Dier in the 29th minute of the game and introduced Eriksen.
He made changes when he felt necessary and his substitutions were spot on. This type of tactical changes were rare during the Pochetino’s era.
As we talked about Dele earlier after that West Ham performance again he proved that he is back to his old with the performance against Olympiakos. He is enjoying the new role under new manager and the result of that he bagged a goal and assist.
He is freely moving and creating space for others with the ball, he is linking up well with Kane and son, he has been supplying the balls in open spaces and has helped others to find that space. If he keep consistency in his performance then again soon he will be back to his prime.
Last week he climbed up in the chart of all-time leading goal scorers for Tottenham and with his brace in champion’s league against Olympiakos he has created new milestone.
Harry Kane has become the fastest player to score 20 Champions League goals, reaching the tally in just 24 appearances and breaking the record held by Alessandro del Piero since 1998 (26 appearances).
One of our own can’t stop scoring.
The man who was about to leave the club few months back now seem to enjoy under the new manager.
In his first two games under Jose Aurier has shown the signs of improvement both defensively and offensively. He grabbed an assist in the weekend and scored a goal and picked Dele with assist in the champions league match too. If he performs consistently then he may be the regular option in the right side of the defense.
Jose Mourinho:
“We have qualified for the next round, that is the important thing for all of us at the club and the fans,” he says. “It was hard, they are a good team, very well organised and they attacked our self-esteem and self-confidence. It was a tough time, more than the changes or the tactical talk, I told them to keep calm, keep confident and believe in ourselves.”
Harry Kane:
“We didn’t come out with any energy, they scored twice and we were into an uphill battle. Dele done well to get that goal just before half-time and then we had the momentum.”
Tottenham host Bournemouth on Saturday in the Premier League as they look to make it three wins from three under Mourinho.
Official Venue Partner