Tottenham’s wasteful display vs. Eintracht Frankfurt leaves Europa League hopes in worrisome state

London – At the last whistle it was difficult to shake the feeling that Tottenham had slipped something. They had pretty impressively brought back from their self-inflicted problems and were out of luck to come across a backup keeper as impressive as Kaua Santos.

Yet between the Eintracht Frankfurt posts, the 21-year-old was hardly the only reason that the visitors bounced with their supporters at the last whistle. They will return to Hesse knowing that they are in the predominance, but that it could be brought away from them so easily.

It was never clearer than when Micky van de Ven got everything directly from a late free kick, which led the film of Rodrigo Bentancur in the mixer down in the deck, the ball apparently bounced to the top corner. Somehow Santos got a glove on it. The emergency replacement for Kevin Trapp had almost as impressive to deny a classic Heung-Min Son Curler in half and to hold when James Maddison tried his happiness from 12 meters.

Five saves drawn from the keeper of the Eintracht Frankfurt is a sign that Tottenham is much right without reward, but this was not just a matter of accident. For a while the game was there for the hosts. It started with the stadium on its most modest, the only sound of the curious interpolation of the sound of the sound of silence. Then Lucas Bergvall made something happen. He picked up the ball halfway through the Tottenham half and drove past a challenge and the space. His right -wing strike waved cruel, eventually a bit too malignant, while it crashed into the corner of mail and bar.

Immediately the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium roared its approval. The contingent of Frankfurt tried to reply back, but the southern position was built to survive from the ends. It was rocking, the 12th man so impactful that it seemed as if it had to be shown for fitting in midfield. That was the only way to explain how the action subsequently merged around Frankfurt’s penalty area: Son’s shot, well saved, Bentancur who flashed a header over the bar.

The game was there for Tottenham until it hit a silence. It had been a tapping hour for the hosts, chased against so many dangerous counters. James Maddison and son had looked too long from the pace, a boost of fresh legs was needed. Postecoglou waited instead. To a certain extent you could understand his reasoning. Spurs played just as well as in weeks, composed in possession after their early carelessness Frankfurt had given the escape that Hugo Ekitike ended emphatically. Because the Pedro Porro film had drawn them level, the hosts had looked like the most likely scorer. Why change a good thing?

Similarly, it is easy to imagine what the draining would be like for Frankfurt’s defense if they collect the dynamic, energetic faces of Pape Matar Sarr, Mathys Tel and Djed Spence on the touchline with half an hour to hold out. As Postecoglou noted himself, all three had positively influenced the game when they came. Had it been before, could they go to Germany in the predominance?

Without that lead, they will at least have to replicate the second half for the full 90 minutes and maybe more. Repeat the loose steps of Cristian Romero, driving in Maddison’s traffic and there will be a mountain for climbing. However, this was a high -level display for Tottenham. One of the determining features of their season is that although such displays have come, they have not been to bunches. No wonder that Postecglou had the feeling that something had been left on the table.

“I think a bit frustrated by the result,” he said. “I thought that the implementation in general was really, really good from the boys. Of course we admitted early, which was disappointing and it was a fair attack by the boy [Ekitike]. We responded well.

“We get on the bar three times and on another day we win that competition.” Whether there is another day next Thursday is now the decisive problem for the Tottenham season.