Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to get another three points on the board in their Champions League quest following a 0-0 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday evening. Heading to Germany on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Sporting CP in their last European game, as well as last Saturday's 3-1 loss in the North London Derby, Spurs needed a win and a performance to go with it.
Many expected Antonio Conte to make a couple of changes in order to freshen up his team following the defeat against their fierce rivals but he instead opted to name the same XI. Perhaps giving the 11 players another opportunity to deliver an improved performance, his decision didn't exactly sit well with a number of fans ahead of the encounter.
He did make his feelings clear on his selection when speaking to BT Sport and revealed his reason for keeping faith with the side. "I decide to pick the same 11 players. I trust in these players and I think this is the best solution for us today," he stated.
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Believing it was the "best solution" for the team, Spurs delivered an improved performance from the Arsenal defeat and caught the eye a number of times with some slick play to create openings. However, the final action was missing time and time again and that left Kevin Trapp with very little to do in the home goal.
Seeing Emerson Royal volley over early on and Son Heung-min's cross just evade Harry Kane and Cristian Romero, Son put in another cross for his fellow attacker not long after following some excellent play with Richarlison, yet this time his ball in was at an awkward height for Kane to apply the finishing touch.
Reversing roles later in the half as the England captain fired wide of the target, the first half ended with Ivan Perisic's deflected shot trickling wide of the post after Emerson and Richarlison linked up well down the right. Further opportunities came Spurs' way after the break, with Son curling an effort wide from the edge of the box after Richarlison laid the ball off to him before prodding the ball wide at the near post after Ryan Sessegnon's low cross.
Not at their free-flowing best but much better than their last outing, Conte saw positives to the game and hailed it as a "good performance" and that they "deserved much more" for their big effort. He did outline that one area they must improve in is to be more clinical in front of goal as they did create chances throughout, which is something Pierre Emile Hojbjerg also highlighted when he spoke to BT Sport after the game.
"The opportunities we had we didn't make, let's say, to a 100 per cent chance or use opportunity to get a clear chance," explained the Dane. "It's disappointing, it's easy to say. I think the last bite needed a bit."
He added: "I thought we took the game well, we tried to be dominant, we tried to find spaces and we tried to overcome their first pressure. I thought we did that ok.
"We came to the 18-yard box and then again the last pass or the right run or the clear chance was not. Yes we had chances but I would have wished a bit more...breathe and then put it in."
Tottenham's struggles with their final pass or final action has been clear to see numerous times so far this season, with the team just not yet clicking in and around the box. It will come but it is something that Conte and the team need to address sooner rather than later.
There is certainly no room for error in Champions League Group D with three games of the group stage left and with all four teams in a good position to advance to the knockout round. Marseille's 4-1 win over Sporting CP means they are now one point behind Spurs and Frankfurt, with Sporting top of the pile on six points.
The first three games of Europe's premier competition has highlighted that it will not be straightforward at all for Tottenham and they very much have a big task on their hands in order to qualify. With Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton and Manchester United to come in the league, it is also imperative that Tottenham address their final third woes as they look to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City.
Conte may have found positives to come from the draw in Frankfurt but he also has one problem that he needs to find a quick fix for.
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