Opinion: Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to AC Milan

Tottenham Hotspur will take a 1-0 deficit back to North London in March after losing their Round of 16 first-leg Champions League match against AC Milan last night. Let’s take a look at the five things we learned: Skipp and Sarr pass the eye test –  The main talking point of the evening was always […]

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Tottenham Hotspur will take a 1-0 deficit back to North London in March after losing their Round of 16 first-leg Champions League match against AC Milan last night.

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

Skipp and Sarr pass the eye test – 

The main talking point of the evening was always likely going to be Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr. The two youngsters were thrust into the limelight on the biggest stage and, I do not think it is any stretch to claim they were Tottenham’s two best players on the night. It will be interesting to see their battle develop in the coming weeks as they fight over one spare spot next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Although, they are both likely to get minutes with rotation.

The holes in the squad – 

A good week in the life of Spurs is often followed by a bad one, and that was the case recently. Although Skipp and Sarr shone in the San Siro, you couldn’t help but notice the lack of Bentancur’s creativity or Hojbjerg’s experience. Spurs, in particular, have no players who provide a like-for-like equivalent to the Uruguayan. I do worry that we are going to return to that lack of a creative spark without him for the rest of the season unless Conte tweaks the system.

Richarlison’s role – 

Richarlison came off the bench in the second half to lead the line at times for Tottenham, with Harry Kane being freed up to float around in the pockets. In truth, this is what I wanted to see Spurs start the game with. Leicester and Milan both found it too easy to follow Kane around and kick him off the park. Having Richarlison up there to occupy the defence while allowing Kane to pull the strings could be a great replacement for Bentancur’s deep-lying creativity.

Cristian Romero needs to shine – 

In a leaky and inconsistent back line, Cristian Romero really needs to be putting in 8/10 performances and above for the rest of the season. As Tottenham’s best defender, Conte simply needs the best out of him. Unfortunately, last night was a woeful display from the Argentine. And while his game against Man City was superb, the red card then cost Spurs against Leicester. It is time for him to step up and become a captain-like figure in that back three.

Big worries at left-wing-back –

I am very worried about the left-wing-back position moving forward. If Sessegnon is out for months, then Perisic simply is not going to be able to cope on his own. You can see how fatigued he looks having to play 90 minutes two or three times a week and his performances both offensively and defensively are dipping because of that. Conte needs to come up with another option there, whether it be Emerson, a youngster, or one of the attacking wingers.

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