Tottenham Hotspur beat FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, despite going down to 10 men.
Thomas Frank’s side now sit in the automatic qualification spots of the Champions League at their halfway stage. Spurs were looking to bounce back from their lacklustre defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, and they dominated early proceedings.
Tottenham controlled possession and dictated the tempo, patiently probing against a deep-sitting Copenhagen. Brennan Johnson have Tottenham a deserved half-time lead, before Wilson Odobert put them firmly in control shortly after the break.
Johnson’s rash red card threatened to sour Tottenham’s night but they responded impressively. Micky van de Ven’s sensational solo effort and a Joao Palhinha strike sealed the emphatic 4-0 win.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Xavi Simons sparkles
Tottenham set up in what was essentially a 3-2-4-1/3-2-5 in possession, so Xavi Simons primarily took up the right-sided No.10 role. This granted him plenty of freedom to wreak havoc between the lines.
Pedro Porro tucked in to form a back three, while Johnson hugged the touchline high and wide on the right. Copenhagen’s central midfielders were focussed on their Tottenham counterparts, and Randal Kolo Muani occupied one or two markers. So Simons had a lot of space to exploit in the right half space.
The Dutchman could duly receive, turn and charge at the Copenhagen backline, with the central defenders unwilling to leave Muani to step to Simons. He thrived in these conditions, relishing being the free man to capitalise on the numerical and positional superiorities.
Simons was a constant thorn in Copenhagen’s side. His class on the ball also shone brightly. Not only did he set up Johnson with a masterful through ball, but he also created three big chances — including two notable ones for Muani.
Firstly, in a sequence that showcased his exquisite close control, vision and dribbling, he conjured a terrific opportunity for Muani, only for him to fire wide. Shortly after, Simons delivered a sparkling cross after inheriting possession between the lines, but the Frenchman headed over on this occasion.
Simons was eager to add to his assist, three big chances created and 16 final third passes completed. But Johnson’s sending off put an end to that idea. Simons was the man sacrificed for Palhinha as Frank shuffled the midfield. The Dutchman left the pitch visibly upset in what was a disappointing end to a tremendous shift by the little magician.
Udogie and Odobert dovetail nicely
Destiny Udogie and Odobert were a persistent menace down Tottenham’s left with their frequent rotations. They alternated between coming inside to cause danger between the lines or staying wide, proving tough to handle.
Their crafty movement kept Copenhagen guessing and disrupted their defensive shape. Whoever was infield would often position themselves in the half spaces between the lines to exploit the space left by Copenhagen’s midfield and defence tracking other players.
The pair also cleverly exploited the gaps that appeared when right-winger Jordan Larsson stepped up to press Van de Ven, taking advantage of the space manufactured to form ideal two-on-ones.
Their interchanges, combined with Muani’s movement to join their rotations at times, elevated their threat and caused extra confusion for Copenhagen, in a game where opposing defenders were regularly late or lost their marking assignments.
Udogie’s superbly timed underlaps in particular highlighted why he is so vital to Tottenham’s left-sided dynamics. He brutally exposed Copenhagen centrally, providing a fantastic offensive avenue for Spurs.
Fittingly, Odobert capped his performance with a goal and by being involved in their fourth. Tottenham’s mechanics down the left bodes extremely well for the future given their struggles on that side so far this season.
Van de Ven’s heroics leads Tottenham’s superb response
Despite leading 2-0, Johnson’s red card looked set to derail Tottenham’s evening. But they reacted exceptionally from the setback.
Tottenham wasted little time in extending their lead with a truly spectacular goal from Van de Ven serving as the catalyst. Midway through the second half, the Dutchman took centre stage, picking the ball up from the edge of his own area before embarking on a powerful driving run. He beat five opponents before finishing clinically to round out an absolutely scintillating passage of play.
This marked Van de Ven’s sixth goal of the season, more than any other Tottenham player across all competitions.
Super-sub Palhinha then wrapped things up after a searing transition following a handy assist by van de Ven’s defensive partner, Cristian Romero. While they went down to 10 men, Tottenham remarkably looked better, sharper and more full of life when outnumbered to ultimately run out comfortable winners.
Although far from a perfect display, it’s something to build on for Tottenham and Frank. They continue to search for the right solutions to elevate their attacking impetus while remaining rock solid at the back.