That was a disappointing second half from Tottenham who could never return to the level they found in the opening 10 minutes. Their passing was sloppy and they were exposed down the flankers. Harry Kane’s introduction helped but he missed a very good chance at a crucial period at 1-1. Same old, same old....
Anderlecht meanwhile, will be delighted. Okaka, formerly of Fulham apparently, was excellent, as was Acheampong when he came off the bench to set up the winning goal.
Monaco’s 1-0 win over Carrier Bag means they go top with five points, Spurs are in second on four but so are Anderlecht who are due at White Hart Lane next. Who loves Thursdays?
Cheerio and many thanks for your emails and Tweets. Stayed tuned for Jurgen Klopp’s first game in charge at Anfield. He’s picked Joe Allen!
Bye!
Full-time! Anderlecht 2-1 Tottenham
90+3 mins: That’s all she wrote folks, another long ball forward falls to Onomah’s feet but the youngster can’t control it. And Anderlecht have a much-needed three points.
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90+2 mins: Conte, with his first touch, screws wide after Acheampong AGAIN gets down the left and pulls back.
90+1 mins: Anderlecht are running the clock down with another substitution but you doubt whether Tottenham would threaten if they didn’t.
90 mins: Can Tottenham capitalise on that let-off? Nope. Trippier has a go from range but there’s not enough swerve on it. Into injury time now.
89 mins: Trippier brings down the new man Sylla and Anderlecht are in no hurry. Acheampong suddenly finds himself clear down the left, fires another of his low crosses in and Lloris makes a superb save to deny Praet.
88 mins: Anderlecht are sitting deep now, challenging Tottenham to break them down, and they just can’t. Another pass goes awry. Goal kick to Anderlecht.
87 mins: Better from Tottenham has Dier finds Davies on the right but the Welshman can’t beat Gillet with his cross. Okaka is now going off to a standing ovation.
86 mins: Lamela just played a reverse pass to no one, Kane picked it up in the centre circle and Alli back-heeled to no one - Spurs have gone to pot.
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85 mins: Sharp work from Alli, who thinks he has a shout for a penalty. He doesn’t. But Tottenham have it at the back again.
84 mins: That’s a horrible foul from Lamela. A bit of petulance there. Defour wasted the free-kick, straight into the arms of Lloris who fires the ball out to Kane.
82 mins: Praet fires over after good work from Defour. Anderlecht scenting another goal to put this one to bed.
81 mins: Acheampong yet again gets down the left and pulls it back but Okaka fluffes his lines. Then, at the other end Alli slips Kane through who is offside and off target.
80 mins: Townsend hooked for 18-year-old Onomah. What a time to make a name for yourself?!?!?
79 mins: Another Anderlecht corner and again Tottenham can’t clear. Dendoncker head just over - Clive would have scored.
77 mins: Acheampong has made a huge difference and gets clear down the right, almost picks out Defour but it’s another corner.
76 mins: He scored than bloomin’ goal with just one boot on would you believe. All Clive Allen’s fault for going on about 1-1 draws between these two.
Goal! Anderlecht 2-1 Tottenham (Okaka)
74 mins: Tottenham probe again. Eriksen and Lamela both have a go but Okaka has won it and he’s charging though. Defour has it, back to Acheampong down the left who rolls it across the face of goal for Okaka to bundle in. A very well-worked goal.
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73 mins: Alli almost picks Dendoncker’s pocket and Anderlecht would have been in trouble there. As it was, Acheampong was caught offside.
72 mins: That’s calmly done by Alderweireld who had Okaka breathing down his neck as he tidied up with a cheeky step-over.
71 mins: Eriksen thought he was away there but a bit of hand in face action from Lamela on Dendoncker means it’s free-kick for Anderlecht, which eventually ends up with Lloris.
69 mins: Spurs come again, this time through Townsend, who reaches the by line and stands one up to the far post for absolutely no one arriving late.
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68 mins: Vertonghen brings the ball out of defence and Davies weights a delightful ball through for Kane, who holds off Mbodji. Proto refuses to come off his line meaning Kane was in but Proto makes the save with his legs.
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67 mins: That looked a lovely outside-of-the-foot ball over the top for Okaka but Spurs held their line well. Lamela did not hold the ball well however and Dier is forced to make an unfair challenge.
66 mins: Alderweireld clears Praet’s cross from the left as Anderlecht replace Ezekiel with Acheampong.
64 mins: Spurs lose it cheaply again and in the end Lloris has to come and punch. It’s given Spurs a chance to break through Townsend, who feeds Dembele and then the onrushing Eriksen but Gillet makes an excellent block. Alli on for Dembele.
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63 mins: Trippier loses it then just as quickly wins it back and it’s Tottenham’s turn to prod away. Kane embarks on another run, gets double teamed, but nothing doing says the referee.
62 mins: Kane wins a free-kick after a strong run, making an immediate impact, but Eriksen’s deliver is poor. That was a waste.
61 mins: Yet again Tottenham cannot clear a corner and Mbodji heads goalwards. Not enough on it though and Lloris gathers.
60 mins: Anderlecht are the ones knocking it about now and Ezekiel gets free down the left, Dier follows him though and gets the block in. Corner.
59 mins: I hate to say I told you so but here comes Kane for ... Clinton. A shame but that last tackle settled it. Hard to judge him on that performance as he clearly isn’t used to playing as a centre-forward.
57 mins: Spurs have it but Anderlecht supporters sense the momentum is with their side. Tielemans tries a snap shot but it drifts wide.
56 mins: Vertonghen stays strong there and holds off Okaka, no mean feat, but Spurs give it away again. Clinton commits another foul, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kane in the next few minutes.
55 mins: Clinton picks up the first yellow of the night after failing to gather another sloppy pass. Neither sides have found their passing groove in the second half but Spurs have been worse.
54 mins: Anderlecht are enjoying themselves down the right and this time it’s Ezekiel with the shot from the edge of the area. It’s wide but it will concern Spurs.
52 mins: Davies loses the ball but Townsend wins it back and feeds Clinton who cannot take it on the half-turn. Kane would have loved that kind of service.
51 mins: Clinton gets himself turned on the left, cuts in and hammers one, but it’s high and wide. Anderlecht build again.
50 mins: Flick on from Okaka sees the ball worked wide to Gillet who runs on to it, Carlos Alberto style, but strikes straight at Lloris.
49 mins: A bit of a let-off for Spurs as Okaka drags on to Davies but Praft’s cross is too big.
48 mins: Okaka is caught offside so Tottenham bring it out. Clinton is asked to chase a long one and he does so manfully but is caught offside following a give and go with Eriksen. Silly.
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47 mins: Eriksen has peeled to the left and exchanges passes with Dembele. Lamela gets involved, as does Townsend before Eriksen fizzes a pass into Clinton who can’t quite keep it under his spell.
Peep!
46 mins: Spurs get us back underway and it’s a scrappy opening minute both sides giving the ball away. Dembele the chief culprit.
A long-standing sufferer...
@gerard_meagher I was going to rant about Spurs conceding so soon after scoring, but maybe this is just our level. Our fate, as it were.
— Anthony C Pepera (@otheranthony) October 22, 2015
Well, well, well. After a thunderous start Tottenham slipped off the pedal and Anderlecht began to dominate that half. Eriksen is looking tidy but is drifting in and out, Clinton is evidently not a centre-forward although looks dangerous in flashes but Spurs cannot defend set-pieces. Same old, same old ....
Anderlecht, after a shaky start, have impressed. Ezekiel is a threat down the right and Okaka is a handful. They will fancy their chances if Tottenham cannot start winning their headers.
Half-time! Anderlecht 1-1 Tottenham
45 mins: Ezeikel, threatening another of his bursts down the right, is flagged offside and that is that for the first half, not even a second of injury time.
44 mins: A good interception from Trippier gives Tottenham numbers on the break. Townsend picks it up on the right and, wait for it, cuts in on his left but fails to find any conviction with his finish.
43 mins: Eriksen almost in there but the ball just gets away from him. Tottenham currently in the ascendancy.
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42 mins: Clinton is far more effective if he can turn. On this occasion he could but his give and go with Lamela was not received and it’s Lamela to blame with his return neither chipped to passed.
41 mins: That’s better from Tottenham. Working the ball down the right, Clinton almost gets clear - slightly more on Townsend’s pass and he’d have been away but as it is, Proto thumps downfield.
40 mins: Tottenham fail to clear the corner yet again. Mbodji got his head to it but could not get his effort on target.
39 mins: Spurs free-kick, taken quickly and here’s Lamela, back on the left. Dembele gets it and soon loses it and Ezekiel breaks down the right again and fizzes one towards the near post. Vertonghen does well to clear.
38 mins: Anderlecht are finishing the half the stronger and that was well struck from Okaka. Fortunately for Spurs, straight at Lloris.
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37 mins: Persistence from Okaka did not pay off but that’s a lovely pass out to the Anderlecht left. Tottenham were let off the hook there.
36 mins: Alderweireld fancies one from range. He won’t do that again.
34 mins: Some sweeping up for Alderweireld to do, Anderlecht win it back quickly enough but a gaggle of them are offside as the ball goes down the left.
33 mins: A bit of pizzazz has returned to Tottenham’s passing but it’s very lateral and ends with a diagonal ball for Lamela. Goal kick.
32 mins: Clinton a little lightweight there in trying to hold it up. He no doubt has talent but a target man he is not.
31 mins: DISALLOWED GOAL. Vertonghen opts for a carry this time and makes it all the way up to the edge of the area before poking it through for Lamela. He in turn flicks it into the bottom corner but was very much offside.
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30 mins: Townsend cuts in from the right but goes nowhere fast. Dier tries to thread the eye for Clinton but an abundant lack of disguise means telegraphed.
29 mins: Tottenham look a little flat and a promising position for Davies down the left comes to little. He has it again but back it goes to Vertonghen.
28 mins: Belting save from Lloris after a thumping volley from Okaka. Tottenham fail to deal with a set piece again, this time Defour’s inswinging free-kick. That was all instinct from Lloris.
26 mins: Clinton releases Townsend down the right with an excellent pass, that was lively from Clinton, but Townsend goes to ground rather easily. If that was anywhere else on the pit.. NO
25 mins: Lloris tries to pick out Eriksen but Gillet intercepts. Tottenham have it again but a terrible pass from Alderweireld means it’s an Anderlecht throw.
24 mins: Oooh, Gillet’s having a belting game. Clinton was on the run but the full-back goes to ground and wins the ball with one of those tackles that makes the forward look incredibly foolish.
23 mins: Tielemans with a lovely crossfield ball for Anderlecht and another finds Ezekiel. His cross almost finds Okaka in the box but Alderweireld does well to put him off and deny any clean connection.
22 mins: Woeful attempt at a backheel from Dendoncker. Clive would have pulled it off and after a bit more to-ing and fro-ing from Vertonghen and Davies, Lloris wallops it long.
21 mins: Lino puts his flag up, then down, then in the middle. Free-kick to Anderlecht is the rest, level with the centre circle. It’s a short one, and we’re all the way back with Proto.
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20 mins: Lamela seems to have come in off his wing and is taking up more of a central position. He wants the ball more, a good sign, but he’s not doing a great deal with it, not so good.
19 mins: Trippier gets on the end of a long ball but his hooked cross is too deep. Spurs knocking it about once more.
18 mins: Spurs have it at the back now. They do look impressive with both Alderweireld and Vertonghen comfortable on the ball.
17 mins: Alderweireld is allowed to carry into the Anderlecht half. He picks out Davies but is cross is not threatening.
16 mins: Tottenham under the pump but Townsend almost scampered through there. He’d have been through on Proto but that man Dendoncker again raced back to avert the danger.
15 mins: Time for another Anderlecht corner from the right. The free-kick looked overhit but Gillet was coming round the back. Spurs manage to clear this time though.
14 mins: Trippier caught out there and Dendoncker whips it in, only for Lloris to claim. Anderlecht’s tails are up.
Goal! Anderlecht 1-1 Tottenham (Gillet)
13 mins: Oompf. The corner was not dealt with at all by Tottenham and after one bounce, Gillet controls it, badly, but waits for the ball to drop and wellies it into the bottom corner. We’re level again.
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12 mins: Heavy touch from Dembele gives the ball away and Anderlecht come again through Okaka down the right. He slips one towards the byline for Ezekiel who wins a corner.
11 mins: Poor first touch from Lamela but he wins in back and eventually Tottenham win the throw-in. It’s spread to Davies down the left who puts a good ball in, only for Gillet to intercept. Clinton was lurking.
10 mins: Lloris gets another touch after a ball over the top from Okaka.
9 mins: Another poor clearance from Mbodji gives Tottenham the ball back. And their full of slick passing. Eriksen is in the mood and plays a lovely ball into Lamela who, on his favoured left, fires straight at Proto who was rooted to his line. Should have scored.
8 mins: Clinton has been quiet so far, just had a stretch of the legs on to the ball over the top but alas he was offside. But Spurs come again.
7 mins: Eriksen whips one just wide. Oh wait, defleco - it was probably in if it hadn’t been. Mbodji wins the header from the corner. Anderlecht cannot clear their lines though, that’s a poor clearance from Proto.
6 mins: This is a perfect start for Tottenham who have been lively. Lamela wins a free-kick in Eriksen territory.
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Goal! Anderlecht 0-1 Tottenham (Eriksen)
4 mins: Eriksen makes no mistake, a drilled finish from about 14 yards after shambolic defending from Anderlect - Mbodji lacing it into that man Denconcker the ball bouncing into Eriksen’s path.
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3 mins: This is more the Tottenham I know, knocking it around the back without much of a clue of what to do with it. Trippier tries to find Townsend down the right but the ball goes dead.
2 mins: At the other end, Eriksen slips at the vital moment after Lloris’ long ball cuts Anderlecht wide open. He gets a shot away but Proto is equal to it.
Peep!
1 min: Anderlecht with a strong start. A long ball isn’t deal with by Verthonghen and the ball is worked to Ezekiel down the right whose cross almost catches Lloris out.
Rest assured Robert, I will mean business as soon as we kick off.
Great Blog as always, however, I am sat here in my office in Washington D.C, it’s 1 o clock in the afternoon, and I actually AM looking forward to “90 minutes of second rate European football”...so if we could keep the sarcasm down to a minimum please, that would be just dandy :)
Thanks, keep up the good work!
Robert Clark
PS He might not speak English but he is doing a mighty fine job
Players in tunnel. Spurs all in white, Anderlecht navy. Officials (and there are a lot of them) in red.
The betting ads are on the TV now. They’re saying Eriksen at 8-1 to score first, if I were a betting man I’d go Dier - fancy a near-post header. Anywho, we’re almost underway...
To recap for those getting flustered about Tottenham’s potential progress from Group J, they are currently top, by a point, doing their bit for the coefficient.
Poch is speaking and I can confirm, he wasn’t lying when he said he couldn’t speak English.
Just in case 90 minutes of second-rate European action between Tottenham and Anderlecht doesn’t float your boat, here’s a bit more for you to watch at full-time.
You can also watch our feature length film on the 1984 UEFA Cup win v @rscanderlecht here - https://t.co/OuPrLKfWbj pic.twitter.com/eZej907h9i
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 22, 2015
Real good player alert! Harry Redknapp is in the studio and he can confirm that Alli, on the bench tonight, is indeed a real good player. Stay tuned for 1,023,344,567 more of these alerts before kick-off.
As far as Anderlecht go, Defour’s name leaps out from the web page, but also keep an eye out for Dendoncker. Surely the only current footballer whose name rhymes with Clive Mendonca. Tottenham, you have been warned.
So, what do we make of that Spurs lineup? Clinton was positively awful when he came on against Liverpool, devoid of any conviction, but Verthonghen and Alderweireld are forming a solid looking partnership. Dier’s return is a boost and Dembele wasn’t awful on Saturday so hope springs eternal.
And the Anderlecht XI for you, with less folded arms but similarly lots of Belgians...
Proto, Deschacht, Obradovic, Mbodji, Praet, Defour, Gillet, Tielemans, Dendoncker, Ezekiel, Okaka
Here is the Tottenham lineup for your perusal. As we thought, no Harry so Clinton Njie - simply Clinton and maybe occasionally Bill - from now on in.
#THFC: Lloris (c), Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dembele, Dier; Lamela, Eriksen, Townsend, Clinton pic.twitter.com/lQpTu8qPbZ
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 22, 2015
Preamble
Hello! Welcome to tr’ffic Thursday as one former Tottenham manager probably didn’t say. Who loves a 6pm Europa League kick-off? You do, that’s who, and today we have a Tottenham team endeavouring with all their might to keep a straight face when insisting they are taking this competition seriously. Spare a thought for poor old Ben Davies who had to face the media and protest Spurs’ interest in the competition while his gaffer Mauricio Pochettino was explaining how he’d probably rest Harry Kane - his one fit striker.
Anywho, Tottenham are still pretty well set in Group J - that’s right, there are J amount of groups - after victory over Carrier Bag and a 1-1 draw in Monaco, currently topping the pile while Anderlecht are down in fourth place with just a point from their two games, perhaps struggling since Newcastle came and pinched Aleksandar Mitrovic and Chancel Mbemba over the summer but Sky Sources extensive research tells me they’re doing OK domestically; in third at present.
We’ll have team news just as soon as they are announced ... ooooh ... I almost forgot. These two sides have history, meeting in the 1984 Uefa Cup final no less. Here’s what happened...
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