Former goalkeeper Paul Robinson claims there was a different attitude in Tottenham Hotspur’s performance vs Paris Saint-Germain
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 5-3 defeat against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League match at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening.
For almost an hour, Spurs showed significant improvement compared to their dismal defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal. The kind of performance delivered in the North London derby naturally attracted the wrath of fans, as well as criticism from pundits and media outlets. However, one cannot fault the intent and spirit of the Tottenham players against the European champions.
Thomas Frank was “very pleased” with his team’s performance, explaining it was the kind of identity that he wants and is trying to build at White Hart Lane. The Dane made tactical switches in midweek and his new 4-2-2-2 formation worked very well for an hour, as Spurs were on top of PSG. More than the result, what mattered most was the performance, and to Thomas Frank’s credit, his team delivered a response to the Arsenal debacle.
Paul Robinson says Tottenham had lot more to be positive about vs PSG
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson had his say on Tottenham’s 5-3 defeat to PSG. The English pundit felt the Lilywhites were masters of their own downfall after being in a good position for the opening hour of the game. However, he claimed there was a lot more to be positive about Spurs regarding their attitude, pressing, work rate and energy in comparison to the showing at the Emirates Stadium.
“Tottenham were the masters of their own downfall, or at least the start of it, because for an hour they played so well,” Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (h/t BBC Sport).
“They conceded two goals to Vitinha which were two fantastic strikes, and so if the game finished 2-2 then Thomas Frank could have come away and said, “Do you know what, we put on a performance.”
“What I will say is that Tottenham had a different attitude tonight. Their application, their work rate, their pressing, they started higher up the field. There was a lot more to be positive about.
“Unlike at the weekend Frank can put his finger on things that went wrong tonight rather than scratching his head and thinking he didn’t recognise his team.”
Tottenham could have got something from the PSG game
Robinson is not wrong with his analysis. For large spells, the Lilywhites competed very well against Luis Enrique’s side. Perhaps, the way Frank set his team up in a novel 4-2-2-2 system caused the hosts problems and it took them time to figure out. Once they did, coupled with sloppy defensive mistakes from captain Cristian Romero, PSG ruthlessly punished Tottenham.
The Parisians ran riot after the break, scoring three goals in a 12-minute spell to completely change the course of the game. Frank’s men fought and made it 4-3 via Randal Kolo Muani’s dual strike, but Vitinha’s penalty sealed the deal. Tottenham have started making too many mistakes in defence in recent games. Romero, especially, has been poor of late and his mistakes were simply avoidable. If a couple of those goals were not served on a silver platter by the north London club, the result may have been different in Paris.
Nonetheless, the team would take some positives from the defeat back home and not repeat them when they host Fulham in a mouthwatering London derby on Saturday evening.