My Thoughts on the Champions League Final
On Saturday June 1, I watched as Tottenham lost in a lackluster Champions League to a Liverpool team that was at best average. I don't really like how this game went down, and not just because Spurs lost, but for how the game was officiated and played out. From the start, it seemed like this game was going to go in favor of Liverpool, but that first minute was not called correctly. Perhaps Moussa Sissoko did point to tell one of his teammates to get behind in the box to block Sadio Mane's cross, but it did seem like Mane kicked the ball intentionally into his arm. I thought that wasn't even considered when the ref went to check VAR. Tottenham could've bounced back, but that killed the entire mentality of the team. It was demoralizing to concede a controversial penalty in the first two minutes. Spurs did dominate most of that game; they had 61% of possession in the game and had two more attempts on goal than Liverpool (16 to their 14). But early concedes are the worst for morale and sadly for Spurs that’s what happened. Liverpool captured their 6th European championship to cap off a season where the finished second behind Manchester City for the Premier League and they only missed out on the title by 2 points. While I’m bias because I’m a Tottenham fan, this final was not officiated well and I felt that played a part in how the match played out. Sissoko’s handball penalty was just the start. Tottenham got called offsides four times when they had decent attacking opportunities but it seemed like Liverpool was free to get into their attacking third without any issues. I thought it was odd that a Slovenian ref was in charge on Saturday. His calls were questionable on both sides. There were some tackles by Toby Alderweirald and Danny Rose that were questionable, and it seemed like the official was letting some dirty play happen. But I guess it doesn’t matter now. The Champions League is over and Spurs fans will have to wait until August to see which the direction the club goes into.
Sometimes teams defy odds that shouldn’t be defied and sometimes they get lost in the hype of the last victory than focusing on the next challenge. Spurs had every reason to relish their win over Ajax, but I think they were living too much in that moment. They did dominate Liverpool in possession and played tight defensively, but offensively they seemed out of sorts. Harry Kane’s reemergence in the Starting XI was an interesting move. Having recovered from his ankle injury, Kane seemed fit but he was relatively useless on the pitch. Maybe he wasn’t fully fit; maybe he shook up the chemistry that developed with the squad during his absence. Or maybe Virgil van Djik showed his class and kept the English striker at bay. It’s hard to admit that Harry Kane maybe shouldn’t have played but when you look at who propelled Tottenham to the Final, I can’t help but think about why Lucas Moura didn’t start. He could’ve easily played on the right wing with Son and Kane, allowing Eriksen and Alli to drop back into midfield with Sissoko. As much as I love Harry Winks, the English teen was too distracted by the porn star running on to the pitch (seriously go look at his face lol) and maybe the pressure got to him. Tottenham has a lot to be proud of, but they need to figure out how to get back to the Final and win it, or start really contending for the Premier League, Carabao Cup, or FA Cup
Heading into summer, it seems like Spurs will be losing some key pieces. Eriksen seems like he will move to Real Madrid this summer, which would be a huge blow to the Tottenham attack. While Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has made it clear he wants to go North London, the Spanish club are asking for at least $88 million, despite Lo Celso being priced at $67 million. I also don’t think he would be the most ideal replacement for Eriksen but he is young and has shown his flashes of potential. Perhaps Pochettino can craft a player swap deal with Madrid, like Eriksen for Isco. This summer will be interesting for Spurs. Hopefully they can take the Champions League final loss with a grain of salt and figure out how to improve the squad to get over the trophy-less hump.
Sometimes teams defy odds that shouldn’t be defied and sometimes they get lost in the hype of the last victory than focusing on the next challenge. Spurs had every reason to relish their win over Ajax, but I think they were living too much in that moment. They did dominate Liverpool in possession and played tight defensively, but offensively they seemed out of sorts. Harry Kane’s reemergence in the Starting XI was an interesting move. Having recovered from his ankle injury, Kane seemed fit but he was relatively useless on the pitch. Maybe he wasn’t fully fit; maybe he shook up the chemistry that developed with the squad during his absence. Or maybe Virgil van Djik showed his class and kept the English striker at bay. It’s hard to admit that Harry Kane maybe shouldn’t have played but when you look at who propelled Tottenham to the Final, I can’t help but think about why Lucas Moura didn’t start. He could’ve easily played on the right wing with Son and Kane, allowing Eriksen and Alli to drop back into midfield with Sissoko. As much as I love Harry Winks, the English teen was too distracted by the porn star running on to the pitch (seriously go look at his face lol) and maybe the pressure got to him. Tottenham has a lot to be proud of, but they need to figure out how to get back to the Final and win it, or start really contending for the Premier League, Carabao Cup, or FA Cup
Heading into summer, it seems like Spurs will be losing some key pieces. Eriksen seems like he will move to Real Madrid this summer, which would be a huge blow to the Tottenham attack. While Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso has made it clear he wants to go North London, the Spanish club are asking for at least $88 million, despite Lo Celso being priced at $67 million. I also don’t think he would be the most ideal replacement for Eriksen but he is young and has shown his flashes of potential. Perhaps Pochettino can craft a player swap deal with Madrid, like Eriksen for Isco. This summer will be interesting for Spurs. Hopefully they can take the Champions League final loss with a grain of salt and figure out how to improve the squad to get over the trophy-less hump.
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