Tottenham Hotspur look shellshocked for much of the opening fifteen minutes in Turin last night, as Italian champs Juventus took an early two goal lead.

Then the North London club managed to find a foothold in the Champions League match and eventually got the tie back to an even 2-2 scoreline, meaning it’s still all to play for in the next leg at Wembley Stadium in a few weeks time.

Harry Kane was once again amongst the goals, Dele Alli provided a great assist and Danish maestro Christian Eriksen grabbed the vital equaliser.

For me, midfielder Mousa Dembele was extremely influential in getting Spurs back into top gear. The Belgian, like his teammates, had started nervously and it was he who gave away the free-kick that led to Juve’s opening goal.

It’s how you overcome disappointments that often define footballers and it was Dembele who seemed to get things back on track with his assured tackling, his smart passing, great ball control in tight positions and the ability to keep the ball going forward.

He was the first player in the away team to start nicking the ball in midfield positions and then he would keep possession for his team, often with forward thinking passes to the creative outlets. His composure and determination then seemed to spread throughout his teammates and Spurs started looking like a dominant force again.

No other Spurs man touched the ball more the thirty year old middle-man and no player on the pitch was more accurate with their passes.

The English Premier League side have recently picked up impressive wins against league rivals Manchester United and Arsenal. Arguably the comeback against the Serie A giants was more of a triumph as Juventus have been un super form in recent months, they hadn’t conceded a goal in the whole of 2018 until Kane’s strike!

In all three of those key fixtures; Dembele turned up, performed and was dominant. He knows when to push forward, put a foot in and when to hold off and sit back. Not only is he strong on the ball, he also has the pace to beat opponents in a foot race.

He’s a technically gifted athlete who is currently in top form and influencing the biggest of games. He doesn’t score the goals or provide the main assists but he does the hardwork in midfield and get the ball to the team’s star attacking talents.

He had a pesky ankle injury that kept him out for a month earlier in the campaign and he took time getting back into the swing of things but the Belgian international is fast becoming the unsung hero of this talented Spurs squad.

His recents top class performances against the strongest of opponents shows just how good Mousa Dembele is and it’s vital Tottenham keep him fully fit.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino knows exactly what he’s got and that he has to be managed appropriately:

“Because, about his quality, there is no doubt that like I have told you many times, for me he is a genius, and unbelievable player.

“But we must be careful about his fitness, it is good and he can train and, he can make this type of performance because he is a great talented player.”

Posted on February 14th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article