Olympiakos 2-2 Tottenham: No signs of Spurs taking next step – Matthew Upson

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By Matthew Upson
BBC Radio 5 live at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
I looked that Tottenham have improved as a team since reaching last season’s Champions League final, but I didn’t really see any.
Spurs will be delighted to find a point but, though they averted defeat, it wasn’t the kind of performance that is written their manager Mauricio Pochettino will have desired to observe.
Their run in this contest last year relied on drama and goals, directly from the start when they dragged themselves out after it seemed like they’d be going out at the group phase.
It was a brilliant accomplishment, but it’s definitely better to prevent being in the first place by earning your pathway somewhat more easy, and they did not handle that here.
Yes, this is a way for them with all the warmth in Piraeus, a hostile home crowd, along with an Olympiakos side that has been dangerous and full.
However, the top Champions League teams can deal by playing in their own tempo, to take the sting and maintaining ownership and silence the audience.
For various reasons, Spurs never did any of this well enough on Wednesday.
I believe the absence of control they had right through the sport is since having that is another step he knows they must take if they’re going to have sustained achievement in Europe what Pochettino would be most disappointed about.
While Olympiakos impressed me, Tottenham made life hard for themselves.
It was disappointing to realize they were at the opening moments, if there were three or two events at which they gave the ball away cheaply.
But even when they seemed lethargic and had been lacking urgency, Spurs reminded us that they’ve lots of quality on their own side.
when they got a chance, they were able to take it, one of the reasons they ended up becoming far in the Champions League last year was.
It was the same against Olympiakos, also at the early stages Tottenham’s exceptional finishing was the only difference between both teams.
Their starting goal came from a penalty after a defensive error however Harry Kane’s spot-kick was delightful, and Lucas Moura’s hit was world class.
At 2-0 up after 30 minutes, Spurs had completed the tough part but they could not find a way to stop Olympiakos from using pressure.
They could have done that just but it only felt like a lot of Tottenham players were below their regular levels and, even when that happens, you are not likely to acquire the team performance.
Pochettino made five changes in last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace, also there were. It showed.
Tanguy Ndombele, ben Davies and Dele Alli all fought to impose themselves Davinson Sanchez didn’t click in right-back, and it’s rare to visit Christian Eriksen give the ball away as frequently as he did.
I am not certain that was down to physical fatigue, possibly. It had been more of a mental sharpness that Spurs lacked, which resulted in errors.
It could have been worse – usually, if you feel like they did in this way from the Champions League, you end up being defeated.
Olympiakos let them off the hook because he was their main danger man after they shot Mathieu Valbuena off 20 minutes to go. Without him, they didn’t take the identical threat.
The most significant thing for Spurs was they didn’t lose.
As impressive as Olympiakos had been, after this result I would still back Spurs to finish in Group B above them Red Star Belgrade and make it through to the past 16 along with Bayern Munich.
Red Star beat last season to Liverpool at Serbia, and a challenging evaluation will be there in November offered by the trip of Tottenham, much like lots of methods to the one they faced in Greece.
But I am expecting Spurs’ home form to see through them, and I think they could improve as the year continues.
As Pochettino said before the Olympiakos gamethey are building momentum and locating – .
Matthew Upson was talking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
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