Fansided

Spurs survive Inter Milan to keep Champions League hopes alive, depth issues remain

By Gregory Tears

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring their first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on January 31, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates after scoring their first goal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on January 31, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /
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Tottenham’s Champions League dream remained alive as Spurs defeated Inter Milan 1-0 at Wembley on Wednesday night through a late Christian Eriksen goal despite clearly lacking the depth in the squad needed to make a deep run in Europe’s top club competition.

Tottenham welcomed Inter Milan to Wembley on Wednesday evening in a crucial Champions League Group B matchup knowing that only a win would suffice if they had any hopes of remaining alive in Europe’s elite club competition.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was without Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele, Kieran Trippier and Davinson Sanchez for the match, while Danny Rose, Heung-min Son and Christian Eriksen started on the bench.

Pochettino opted to start Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela in midfield along with Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko. While Spurs carried the play throughout the first half and created several more chances than the Italians, it was clear that Spurs were lacking the presence of playmaker Christian Eriksen.

Inter Milan were content to sit back and counter from the opening kick, knowing that a draw would book their place in the knockout stages. Spurs pushed for a goal but lacked any serious chances in the first half. Tottenham’s closest opportunity came in the 38th minute when Harry Winks hit the crossbar from 25 yards.

With nine games upcoming in the month of December beginning with this Sunday’s north London derby at Arsenal, Pochettino was hoping that he could get the needed result without having to use Son or Eriksen in the second half.

Spurs supporters urged on their side at the start of the second half, but with no goals coming, Pochettino opted to replace Moura with Son in the 62nd minute and then inserted Eriksen for Lamela in the 70th minute.

It only took ten minutes for Eriksen to make his mark on the match as the Danish international took a Sissoko pass and neatly tucked his shot away to give Spurs a lead that they would not relinquish.

The victory continues to mask the biggest problem with Spurs all season: a serious lack of depth. While most of the top clubs in Europe spent massively in the summer transfer window, Spurs chose to stand pat and not make any additions to their squad.

For a club that has aspirations of winning both the Premier League and the Champions League, the failure to add depth, particularly in the midfield and on defense, was puzzling.

Playing a demanding Premier League schedule as well as important mid-week group stage games in the Champions League (not to mention competing in the League Cup and FA Cup) requires a manager to balance the needs of the team with the health of his players.

Injuries, suspensions and poor form always rear their heads during such a long season. The fact that Pochettino looked to his bench and really had no option but to bring on Eriksen, despite the fact that Eriksen has been trying to play only once each week in order to remain healthy, shows how much Spurs lack depth in such a critical playmaking position.

As the games come fast and furiously for Spurs over the next month and throughout the holiday season, Pochettino will have to delicately balance resting his top players with the need for results as there are three Premier League matches before Spurs travel to Barcelona, who have already clinched top spot in the group, on Dec. 11 in the final group stage match.

Spurs will have to better the result of Inter Milan on the final match day or else they will be facing Europa League soccer in the coming months.

Spurs fans can only hope that the lack of activity in the summer transfer window does not come back to bite the club. If Harry Kane and company advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League after failing to win their first three matches, all will be forgiven.

But Spurs’ lack of depth will need to be remedied in the January transfer window if they truly want to become one of Europe’s elite clubs and challenge for trophies on multiple fronts.

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