Spurs vs Dortmund, CL, Feb 13 8pm GMT

Not a bad looking side, but Trippier concerns me, I think he has had a really poor season and is a negative defensively, especially against attack-minded oppositiion. Hopefully, Poch will dust off his tactics board from last season when we beat them by sitting back in a 5-3-2 and exploiting their defense on the break.

I believe we are too vullnerable when we play with a back 4 and push the fullbacks way up the pitch. We could play that way when Dembele and Dier/Wanyama were in their pomp, but Winks and Sissoko still don't understand the defensive part of the holding midfield role and get caught out of position too often.

Fortunately for us, Dortmund have some important injuries as well, especially in defense, and they have suffered a dip in form in the Bundesliga as their once commanding lead has been noticeably reduced by Bayern Munich. In fact, they threw away a 3-0 lead at home vs Hoffenheim in the final 15 minutes of their last game and had to settle for a 3-3 draw. It is imperative we keep a clean sheet and give ourselves a chance in the 2nd leg when Kane and Dele should be back. Since Kane went down, we have only kept one clean sheet in the last 6 games.

Kudos to their young Englishman Jadon Sancho, who had the good sense to leave Man City, where he would rarely have played, like Phil Foden, to get regular game action abroad. If his name were Jadon Sanchez, it might have been a different story. I fear the PL is the place where young English players go to die. There is no reason why players like Hudson-Odoi, Loftus-Cheek, Gibbs-White, Calvert-Lewin (maybe something about double surnames?) and others should not be playing regular first team football in the PL. Even Rashford couldn't get a game until Mourinho was turfed out. Thankfully, we have a manager that doesn't think that way, but he is in the minority.

 

Here are the teams!

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Aurier, Sanchez, Foyth, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Sissoko, Winks, Eriksen, Son, Lucas Moura.
Subs: Gazzaniga, Trippier, Rose, Lamela, Wanyama, Llorente, Skipp.

Borussia Dortmund: Burki, Hakimi, Zagadou, Toprak, Diallo, Witsel, Delaney, Sancho, Dahoud, Pulisic, Gotze.
Subs: Hitz, Guerreiro, Balerdi, Philipp, Wolf, Schmelzer, Bruun Larsen.

Referee: Antonio Jesus Lopez Nieto (Spain).

And beware, VAR will be used!

 

BBC has it as a back 4, with Foyth sitting at the bottom of a diamond, Eriksen at the top and Winks and Sissoko on the wings. That seems to make more sense. If it were a back 3, it would be Toby Jan and Sanchez, with the Colombian in the middle. Who knows with Poch, we'll have to see once the game starts.

 

Watching from work, Vancouver has been hit with major snow this week.

 

Oh boy, the referee Lahoz is a real prat, Guardiola nearly killed him last year. Controversy is sure to follow.

 

A minute's applause for the late Emiliano Sala impeccably observed by all. Nice.

 

Looks like a big crowd at Wembley, the Dortmund fans making lots of noise as per usual.

 

Poch looks relaxed, sipping his water.

 

Spurs crowd into it early, nice rendition of Oh when the Spurs go marching in...

 

Spurs in a back 4

 

Moura fires a volley wide - good effort

 

Interesting back 4 for Spurs from left to right - Jan, Toby, Sanchez and Foyth

 

When Dortmund have the ball, Spurs are playing a back 5 as Aurier drops back.

 

And that is allowing Vert to stay higher up the pitch.

 

Not to be that guy, but how long is the public Sala mourning going to continue? They did a minutes silence when I was there 2 weeks ago.

 

10 minutes in, both teams cautious.

 

Aurier booked for bringing down Pulisic

 

I think 2 weeks is the standard nowadays, I think it was the same when the Leicester owner passed.

 

After this, Spurs don't play for another 10 days - what on earth will we talk about?

 

Dumb play nearly costs us, Lloris, Foyth, Sanchez trying to overplay in our own box and Pulisic nearly scores.

 

Can we break our habit of conceding sloppy goals in big games?

 

Foyth caught trying to play it out. Risky.