Why Spurs will feel good despite shipping five goals in Paris | OneFootball

In the space of four days, Tottenham have shown there really are different ways to lose a football match.

Four touches in the opposition penalty area in defeat to your greatest rival is not the one. A young, vibrant side taking the game to the effervescent European champions Paris Saint-Germain is.

On paper, conceding five goals is hardly going to completely win over disgruntled masses still smarting from the tedium of Sunday’s North London derby disaster. Those who can see the wood for the trees, however, will afford Thomas Frank a little grace now, at least.

The Dane had to think long and hard about Sunday, and how not to repeat a single move from that humbling. At the Parc des Princes, he had the most opportune encounter in which to start afresh.

The Champions League has been a happy hunting ground for Frank so far, with Spurs one of four sides unbeaten going into a match in Paris where, given this rather tepid new Champions League format negates much jeopardy, they essentially had a free hit.

Defeat wouldn’t do too much damage to hopes of a top-eight finish, with three very winnable games to come. Victory would be memorable, if only for a few days afterwards.

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There were positives for Tottenham even amid defeat (Getty Images)

A positive performance, regardless of what the scoreline showed upon the final whistle, however, was imperative for Frank, given the vitriol that has come his way amid some of the most turgid attacking displays the Premier League has ever seen from Spurs of late.

Essentially, it couldn’t get any worse, but Frank had to put a side out who could at least show some endeavour and turn the tide of public opinion back in his favour.

And, after everyone had recovered from one of those seizure-inducing light shows at the Parc des Princes, endeavour was the order of the day from Spurs’ youthful-looking side.

Spurs showed more attacking gusto in the opening 10 minutes than in the entirety of the Arsenal defeat. Down the other end, moving to four at the back did not make them any more porous, the opposite in fact, with PSG restricted to long-range efforts.

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Richarlison opened the scoring by finishing off a lovely team goal (REUTERS)

While their final pass eluded them early on – confidence is rock bottom after what came before – Spurs started brightly and seemed to relish actually taking the attack to an opponent.

As part of his five changes, Frank brought in the energy of Lucas Bergvall and the fleet-footedness of Archie Gray to give the Spurs midfield some nicely balanced vibrancy.

When Spurs finally composed themselves, their quality did show through. Those two fledgling talents in midfield played a huge part in setting up Richarlison’s aesthetically pleasing opener – nothing more than the visitors deserved.

What they needed to do was to get to half-time in front. They did all they could to achieve such, but when you are facing the European champions, who possess some of the best midfielders in the world, give them an inch and they will take a mile.

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Vitinha was sublime in scoring a hat-trick for PSG (REUTERS)

Vitinha’s sumptuous strike from a quickly-taken corner caught Spurs off guard, an equaliser that could not have been better timed for the home side, right on the cusp of half time.

Visiting supporters, who had spent much of the first half singing “champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that” to the champions of Europe, remained content.

They were even more buoyant as, immediately after the restart, Randal Kolo Muani bulleted the visitors back in front – the striker’s first goal for Spurs, against his parent club.

Those inches were still on offer down the other end, however, and in the blink of an eye, one of Spurs’ best recent showings became futile.

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PSG ultimately celebrated a rollercoaster win (AFP via Getty Images)

Three goals in 12 second-half minutes took PSG into an unassailable position, with Vitinha lashing another beauty in from the edge of the box, Cristian Romero’s woeful pass seized upon and dispatched by Fabian Ruiz, before Willian Pacho’s header made it 4-1.

Kolo Muani’s personal night to remember continued as he took his evening and overall Spurs tally to two with a fine finish, but Romero’s handball gave Vitinha the chance to net his unprecedented treble from the spot.

The late dismissal of Lucas Hernandez for ludicrously chucking an elbow at Xavi Simons could not take the shine off a superb showing from the hosts. Nor could the defeat give Spurs’ more upbeat fans too much to gripe about.