It didn't go according to plan for Spurs on Tuesday evening as Ajax secured a vital 1-0 win in the Champions League semi-final first leg.
Donny van de Beek scored the crucial goal after only 15 minutes and the Dutch side did have the chances to extend their lead even further ahead of the return fixture.
Spurs, who were missing the likes of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, struggled in the first 40 minutes but they got better as the game wore on thanks to the introduction of Moussa Sissoko.
The Frenchman took the game by the scruff of the neck for the hosts and he went close moments after replacing Jan Vertonghen with his stinging drive just drifting wide of the post.
Clearly the team's best player on the night despite only playing 50 minutes, Sissoko has revealed why he wasn't named in the starting lineup despite returning to training on Monday from the groin injury he suffered against Man City in the previous round.
"I cannot be too happy with my performance because we lost," he said, as reported by the Evening Standard. "I tried to add a lot of energy.
"We didn’t start well. We weren’t aggressive enough, we played a lot of long balls, we didn’t play as we’re used to.
"I was positive in my mind. I said if I had the opportunity to come in, I’d give everything. That’s what I’ve done.
"Frustrated? Yes. Not with the manager but because it was the semi-final of the Champions League.
"Every player on the bench was frustrated not to play but I wasn’t 100 per cent fit to start."
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