Welp, it was another bottled-away lead for Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, but now is not the time to wallow. The Champions League continues this week, and Thomas Frank could use a win for the vibes as much as for table position, though grabbing three points on the road would certainly go a long way towards finishing top eight in the League Phase.
Road trips are never easy, although Monaco represents a chance for a good result. The Ligue 1 side has been in a slump, going 1-3-2 across all competitions over the past six matches and collecting just one point in the Champions League so far: a 2-2 home draw against City thanks to a late Eric Dier (!) penalty. The opportunity is here for an immediate bounce back from this weekend’s disappointment.
UCL League Phase MW3
Date: Wednesday, October 22
Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK
Location: Stade Louis II, Monaco
TV: Paramount+ (US), TNT Sports 3 (UK)
Table: Monaco (t-28th, 1 pt), Spurs (t-11th, 4 pts)
It has (somehow) been nearly a decade now, but these clubs do have some recent history in Europe. Spurs got the upper hand in the 2015/16 Europa League Group Stage with a road draw and home win (featuring an Erik Lamela hat trick!), but Monaco took both fixtures the following season in the Champions League Group Stage, which contributed to Tottenham’s immediate exit from the top competition.
Three Big Questions
Can the midfield actually be an advantage? The story was far too familiar on Sunday, with the Joao Palhinha-Rodrigo Bentancur midfield doing one thing well and everything else…not well. This combination is just not able to significantly contribute to any sort of attack, but frustratingly remains a preference of Frank’s. For better or worse, that approach might actually work out in the midweek.
That is because Monaco’s midfield is not in good shape. Starters Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara are both out injured, and Paul Pogba is likely still not ready to start either, offering the opportunity for Spurs to own the middle of the park. Of course, this suggests that perhaps Frank could opt to go more attacking than physical, but especially on the road it would not be a surprise to see Tottenham just aim to break up anything coming the other way.
Who will be the aggressor? During this rough six-match stretch, Monaco has conceded 14 goals; that compares to 12 goals scored, but five of those came in that lone win against Metz, who sits dead last in the league. As a result, Adi Hutter has been sacked for Sebastien Pocognoli, who will look for opportunities to press and counter, aiming to instill some discipline that benefits both ends of the pitch.
Still, there seems to be goals to be had for Spurs here, but as always the question remains from whom (and maybe also if a narrow lead can actually be protected). This is a stretch that will necessitate rotation, and again Frank was limited in his attacking options over the weekend. It really does appear like there is a need for the other striker options to get healthy, but far too often the majority of the front four ends up anonymous.
Which stars will shine in Europe? Monaco’s teamsheet consists of some fun names, including former Tottenham targets Maghnes Akliouche and Ansu Fati, as well as the aforementioned Dier. Fati leads the way with six goals across all competitions, while Dier already has a pair of goals himself. Despite the efforts of these three, Monaco has obviously struggled and does not have an easy road ahead with Madrid and Juve still on the fixture list.
For Spurs, the best players remain on the backline, so perhaps this will mirror the opener against Villarreal. The loss to Villa was not a bad defensive showing, but until the squad can show a more consistent attacking threat, the margin for error is slim. Look, therefore, for the defenders to set the tone on Wednesday and bear the burden of protecting the lead. That is the path to victory for Tottenham at this time, at least until everyone is healthy.