UEFA Champions League: 3 Talking points from Bayern Munich 3-1 Tottenham
With almost all the big teams in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, there wasn’t a lot to play for on Matchday 6 and Tottenham’s trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich looked nothing but a dead rubber on paper.
Tottenham went into the game knowing that they had already sealed qualification to the last 16 as the runners-up of Group B and any sort of a result in Munich wasn’t going to have an impact on their European campaign.
With a 7-2 hammering at the hands of Bayern at home on Matchday 2 still looming large, the travelling fans from North London would surely have wanted to avoid another such night of ignominy, and Jose Mourinho’s side ensured that they had their wish granted.
In the end, the reigning Bundesliga champions once again reigned supreme with a 3-1 victory to show for their efforts, a scoreline which could easily have been 5-1 or even worse for Tottenham. The Lilywhites were quite drab, albeit not as hopeless as they were in that resounding 7-2 defeat earlier in the competition.
With that in mind, let us take a look at 3 talking points from Tottenham’s 3-1 defeat against Bayern Munich on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League.
1. Ryan Sessegnon proved his worth
Mourinho made wholesale alternations to the playing XI that triumphed 5-0 over Burnley last weekend, with Giovani Lo Celso, Ryan Sessegnon, Juan Foyth, Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters all featuring in the starting line-up against the Bavarian giants.
Positives were few and far between as far as Tottenham were concerned, with Bayern completely dominating the game and creating better opportunities in front of goal.
Ryan Sessegnon ensured that the travelling fans had something to cheer about. The starlet has had to wait for a long time before starting a game for Tottenham following his summer switch across the capital from Fulham, but he grabbed his opportunity with both hands on Wednesday night.
Spurs looked completely shaken after Kingsley Coman’s early opener but Sessegnon rose to the occasion and restored parity with a neat low drive to beat Manuel Neuer. In doing so, he broke Dele Alli’s record to become the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in the Champions League.
What the future holds for Sessegnon remains to be seen but his good all-round display on Wednesday marked by a record-breaking goal should surely have given Mourinho some food for thought ahead of the weekend trip to Wolves.
2. Spurs need to make a decision on Lo Celso
While Sessegnon certainly made a massive statement at the Allianz Arena, the same cannot be said of Giovani Lo Celso, who failed to make the most of a rare opportunity to impress as a starter in the playing XI.
Having racked up 14 goals and 5 assists for Real Betis in all competitions last season, the Argentine playmaker came through the door in North London with a lot of expectations this past summer, with Spurs securing his services on a season-long loan deal.
However, the 23-year-old’s stint at Spurs has proven to be a massive disappointment. Injuries, of course, have made it even more difficult for him to settle down in his new surroundings but it is clear that he has looked like a shadow of his former glorious self at Real Betis.
Having earned his first Premier League start in Mauricio Pochettino’s last game in charge against Sheffield United in November, Lo Celso has once again found himself playing cameos off the bench under Mourinho.
To that end, the Argentine’s terrible display on Wednesday would surely have given Mourinho some more reasons for not selecting him regularly in the playing XI, and if he continues to underwhelm to the extent that he did against Bayern, Spurs will need to think long and hard about his future.
3. Defensive frailties a major cause of concern
Tottenham’s lack of stability at the back has been one of the major reasons behind their undoing this term and the defenders were once again way below-par on Wednesday, as a potent Bayern strike force featuring the likes of Coutinho, Coman, Muller, and Gnabry completely tore the defence to pieces.
Having somehow survived late scares in the 4-2 victory over West Ham and the 3-2 victory over Bournemouth, Tottenham’s brittle defence was exploited by Man United last week, and while a maiden clean-sheet against Burnley looked more routine than anything else, a relapse against Bayern was always going to be on the cards.
As much as Spurs have improved in terms of attack under Mourinho since he took over the reins from Pochettino, they have continued to look way too exposed at the back, and the game against Bayern was a stark reminder of the fact that the likes of Rose and Alderweireld are somewhat past their prime.
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Juan Foyth more than held his own despite constant pressure from the opposition, although Walker-Peters’ overall display should be a perfect example of how not to defend as a full-back.
