LASK 3-3 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as Spurs make the knockout stage | Europa League 2020-21

#3 Joe Hart had a poor match for Tottenham

Joe Hart probably should've done better with two of LASK's goals.

Early in the first half, it looked like Joe Hart would be Tottenham’s most outstanding performer tonight. The former England international made a number of decent early saves to prevent LASK from scoring and looked generally confident.

However, when Peter Michorl’s curving shot beat him, alarm bells should’ve been ringing. The shot did dip somewhat as it curved towards goal. But upon viewing a replay, it was clear that Hart probably could’ve reached the ball before it hit the net.

And LASK’s second goal was even worse. Johannes Eggestein’s shot was a powerful one, but it appeared that Hart would get to it comfortably.

However, despite getting a hand to the ball, he could only turn it into his net. The way this happened was eerily reminiscent of how Hart had conceded key goals on England duty during Euro 2016.

When you add in his poor distribution throughout the game – on multiple occasions, his kicks were horribly inaccurate – this wasn’t a good match for Hart.

The former Manchester City man might be a good, experienced head to have in the dressing room at Tottenham. However, if he ever wants minutes in the Premier League, he’ll need to improve.

---

#4 Mourinho’s team selection was interesting

Jose Mourinho surprisingly deployed a number of first-team stars in tonight's game.

With a huge Premier League game on the horizon in the form of the North London derby, Jose Mourinho was expected to play a second-string side tonight, similarly to how he did in Tottenham’s game with Ludogorets last week.

However, the likes of Harry Kane and Sergio Reguilon were nowhere to be seen – injured, apparently. Eric Dier and Moussa Sissoko were on the bench, but Mourinho still chose to start Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele and Son Heung-min.

Given the workload that Tottenham’s players are under this season, to start three key players in a match like this was stunning, even if Spurs did need at least a point to make the knockout stages.

But more surprising were Mourinho’s substitutes. Despite having the likes of Harry Winks and Dele Alli on the bench, the Portuguese introduced Sissoko, Steven Bergwijn, and Dier first. Again, all three players would be expected to play a part against Arsenal.

In the end, even Tottenham’s first-choice stars couldn’t really produce a great performance tonight. But fans will be wondering what Mourinho was thinking here. Did he simply need to give his players a run-out?

Or is he planning to surprise Arsenal by deploying Dele or Winks on Sunday? Only time will tell.

---

#5 Tottenham’s tactical switch showed they might have a ‘Plan B’ if needed

Could a switch to 3-4-3 help Tottenham get the best out of Matt Doherty?

When Eric Dier was introduced for Giovani Lo Celso after 71 minutes, it seemed like the England international would slip into his old position as a holding midfielder. However, that wasn’t the case.

Tottenham actually switched to a 3-4-3 formation, with Dier forming a trio of center-backs alongside Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga. Matt Doherty and Ben Davies played as wing-backs, and Moussa Sissoko and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg acted as central midfielders.

Son Heung-min, Gareth Bale, and Steven Bergwijn were the front trio. Although curiously, by the time the game ended, that trio had become Bergwijn, Dele Alli, and Serge Aurier of all people.

The switch to 3-4-3 probably gave Tottenham and England fans flashbacks to Gareth Southgate’s stodgy Three Lions system. Either way, it was actually interesting to see Jose Mourinho go with it.

If nothing else, it’s proof that if required, Tottenham do have a ‘Plan B’ that might look to use Doherty and Sergio Reguilon in their more comfortable wing-back positions, with the front trio working in a more narrow fashion.

Whether the Portuguese uses the system in the Premier League remains to be seen, of course.