Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham: Spurs to rue missed chances

Tottenham Hotspur couldn’t find a way to goal in a scoreless draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany on Tuesday, leaving their UEFA Champions League fate in the middle of a muddled Group D.

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Spurs had 56% of the ball but the game featured only two shots on target each and was utterly forgettable for those not in attendance to sing and take in the Waldstadion atmosphere.

Harry Kane couldn’t convert either of two glorious chances and Spurs failed to manufacture much else, but will feel more than comfortable with the idea of beating Eintracht in North London next week

Someone freeze time so Harry Kane can rest: Tottenham’s star striker looks like a man who could use a refresh. Kane has played 270 of 270 minutes in UEFA Champions League, 180 of 180 minutes for England and 708 of 720 minutes during the Premier League since September 1. Yes, big time players play most of their teams’ minutes. And yes, Kane is the Premier League’s second-leading scorer. But the idea of Tottenham’s depth should just be to rotate Heung-min Son, Richarlison, and Dejan Kulusevski a bit.

Tottenham’s knockout round berth not a fait accompli, but this is alright: Spurs have now taken four of nine points from Group D, beating Marseille at home and losing to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. The group is congested, with only three points separating first place Sporting Lisbon from last-place OM. However, Spurs have four of nine points from Group D and have won Marseille at home and lost to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. This gives them a strong chance of reaching the knockout rounds.

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Spurs are still in the lead in Group D with three points from their two first games. Sporting leads the group with six points. However, there are four games remaining, including the return fixture in north London, Oct. 26. Eintracht Frankfurt has beaten Marseille (away), and been hammered by the Portuguese (home), leaving their two hardest fixtures (Tottenham, Sporting away) for half of the group stage.

Despite some (minor) frustrations over Tottenham’s rather defensive style of play under Conte, it’s worth noting they’ve only failed to score once all season (the loss to Sporting). Harry Kane leads the way in the Premier League with seven goals, including one against Arsenal, on the heels of Son Heung-min’s hat trick against the Foxes prior to the international break. Finally, Kane is off the mark for the season, and he has been locked in for the moment with Dejan Kulusevski recovering from a thigh injury. Richarlison scored the first two goals for Tottenham against Marseille, but the Brazilian has been without a goal or assist for three consecutive games (all starts).

OUT: Dejan Kulusevski (thigh), Lucas Moura (achilles)

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