Tottenham Hotspur 2-4 FC Barcelona: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis

#2 Tottenham bereft of options, ultimately make a game out of it

Mauricio Pochettino's men came close to salvaging a point

Tottenham Hotspur were without the services of several key first-team players in the form of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen but still managed to look promising albeit in patches during the second-half.

The hosts were completely outplayed by Barcelona during the first 45 minutes but responded well to the challenge after the interval and displayed tremendous character to put the visitors under pressure in the final 20 minutes or so.

Despite having key absentees across various departments, some of the fringe players including Erik Lamela and Harry Winks stepped up in the latter stages to try and salvage something from the game for the hosts. Barca were undoubtedly the better side on the night but Spurs deserve credit for the show they put on for neutrals, even when bereft of options due to injuries.