Tottenham season on life support as Ange Postecoglou is handed fresh concern ahead of Europa League decider | OneFootball

Tottenham’s attacking players failed to deliver on a big night, but there is room for optimism ahead of next week’s Europa League quarter-final second leg

Hugo Ekitike’s strike after just six minutes made it a nightmare start for the hosts but Pedro Porro levelled midway through the first half with a brilliant first-time flick.

Spurs had a host of chances to win it after the break but Frankfurt held on to give them an advantage ahead of next week’s decider.

Here are three Spurs talking points from the match…

Spurs season alive…just

Tottenham’s season is still alive…but only just after a frustrating home draw against the Germans.

Postecoglou’s side were much-improved from a series of limp showings in the Premier League and did enough to win the game comfortably, with Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both striking the crossbar in the second half and Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos making a string of smart saves.

But it is Frankfurt who will be happier with the result, knowing that Spurs now need to win in a formidable atmosphere at Deutsche Bank Park next week.

If Spurs play with the same intensity they mustered in the second half here, they should remain confident of progressing, particularly after a limited showing from the visitors, who were content to counter-punch after Ekitike’s fine early strike.

Equaliser: Pedro Porro

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On another day, Bergvall’s stunning long-range effort would have crept under the crossbar for a goal of the season contender, or one of Bentancur’s two dangerous headers might have gone in.

Kaua Santos also made sharp saves from Heung-min Son and James Maddison, before clawing Micky van de Ven’s header over the bar deep into stoppage-time, leaving Postecoglou dancing up the touchline, his head in his hands.

This was not, though, the statement result the manager wanted from his side Frankfurt can take heart from Spurs’ jitters at the back and the occasional clunkiness of their front three.

Spurs should take the positives but their season is on life-support, pending the decider next Thursday.

Reasons for optimism next week but atmosphere the concern

One of the questions for Spurs is whether they can cope with a hostile atmosphere in Frankfurt next week.

The travelling Frankfurt fans gave Postecoglou’s players a small taste of what they can expect by making one corner of White Hart Lane a wall of noise.

Whenever a Spurs player went over to take a corner, they must have felt they were away from home, as a slew of whistles and minor missiles rained down.

Spurs’ young squad have struggled in ferocious European atmospheres this season at Galatasaray and Rangers, losing in Turkey and scraping a 1-1 draw in Glasgow.

Next Thursday, they will need to deal with the occasion and the noise as much as what a presumably more ambitious and enterprising Frankfurt side will offer on home turf.

Spurs front three fail to deliver

There were some encouraging individual showings from Postecoglou’s players, notably Bergvall and Bentancur, who both rose to the occasion to help the hosts win the midfield battle.

The concern, though, for the manager was probably the struggles of his front three, Son, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke, all of whom failed to make serious inroads and were short of end product.

Solanke and Son were both involved in the equaliser – a lovely finish by Porro – but missed a final ball or shot, with the captain squandering some good positions with wayward crosses.

Struggle: Heung-min Son

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Brennan Johnson, meanwhile, squandered his big chance late on, blazing over first time from Djed Spence’s cutback. He was otherwise quiet from the right after being picked ahead of Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and Mathys Tel.

Postecoglou does have other options in the front line – and Richarlison returned from injury in the final few minutes here – but he needs his preferred forwards to be sharper and more efficient if Spurs are to break down Frankfurt in the decider next week.