Spurs 0 RB Leipzig 1: Another UCL Deficit to Overturn

rb leipzig

Jose Mourinho described his Spurs side as a ‘gun without bullets’ and that’s a fair assessment of our latest Champions League night. A 0-1 reverse at the hands of RB Leipzig is looking ominous for the return in Germany, particularly as the away side could have been clear and out of sight.

We’ve come through before but that lack of potency up front has to be a concern for a team without their two leading goal threats as the season counts down.

On the Ropes

The warnings were there as early as the second minute as Tottenham’s goal fell under siege. A combination of Davinson Sanchez, Hugo Lloris and the post kept Leipzig out but that early passage of play set the tone for the rest of the match.

Spurs had their own chance to take the lead but Gulacsi in the Leipzig goal kept out Steven Bergwijn’s effort. The Germans kept pressing but couldn’t break down Lloris and it’s notable that our goalkeeper was named Man of the Match by many media outlets this morning.

The second half was similar in terms of possession and efforts on goal but the decisive moment came on 58 minutes. Timo Werner, who had been enduring a barren period by his own high standards, needed a spot kick to break the deadlock and from that point, a route back looked unlikely.

Giovani Lo Celso came closest: The Argentine’s free kick was touched onto the post by Gulacsi, but it was hard to argue with the result at the end of 90 minutes.

Believe

jose mourinho
Jose Mourinho

Speaking to the Spurs Official Website after the game, manager Jose Mourinho said:

1-0 is 1-0, it’s not 10-0, the result is open, it’s as simple as that. We wouldn’t be the first team to lose a game at home 1-0 and to win the tie away. Why shouldn’t we believe?
The thing that keeps me confident is the spirit, the mentality of my players. It’s what they are not just as players, but especially what they are as guys, as a group, a fantastic group of players.
One thing I can guarantee, because this is the mentality of my players, is that we are going there to fight to our limits.

Return

The return leg of this Round of 16 tie will be played at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on March 10th. Before that, we have Saturday’s crucial EPL game against Chelsea and we’re also back in FA Cup action as we welcome back Norwich City to the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As Mourinho said, it’s only 1-0 but the loss of our two key goal scorers is leaving many of us a little concerned to say the least. A more insightful assessment may have come from Glenn Hoddle on BT Sport when he said that Spurs looked like a side hoping that they would play well while looking for a break.

We can do it but someone has to step up from somewhere and take on those goal scoring responsibilities as we move into the business end of the season.

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