Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino book Real Madrid futures and other talking points as Tottenham draw 1-1

Andy West 01:31 18/10/2017
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  • A pair of stunning second-half saves from Hugo Lloris salvaged a precious point for Tottenham Hotspur as they held European champions Real Madrid 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

    Both sides remain unbeaten in this season’s Champions League and well placed to progress to the last 16. They each have seven points after Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty cancelled out Raphael Varane’s own goal in the first period.

    Here we take a look at some of the talking points from the game.

    Spurs show they belong

    Tottenham’s general rise and rise over the last couple of years coupled with their contrasting early Champions League exit last season begged the question: are they for real, or will they again fall short in exalted company?

    Their answer at the Bernabeu was assuredly the former, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men fully deserving their draw against reigning European champions Real Madrid.

    It could have been even better, too. Madrid only managed to find the net from the penalty spot, Cristiano Ronaldo blasting home after a silly challenge by the otherwise excellent Serge Aurier on Toni Kroos, while home keeper Keylor Navas had to make two brilliant saves to prevent Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen from restoring Tottenham’s lead.

    When you also consider the absence of key players Dele Alli and Moussa Dembele, it’s clear the North London club should now be regarded as one of the top teams in Europe. And with their progress to the knockout stage almost assured, they could do plenty of damage in the spring.

    Tottenham

    Tottenham

    Kane and Pochettino book future Bernabeu returns?

    Perhaps the two biggest architects of Tottenham’s recent rise, goal-hungry frontman Harry Kane and astute manager Maurico Pochettino, are being consistently linked with potential future link-ups with Madrid and their night’s work on Tuesday certainly won’t dampen that speculation.

    Pochettino, in particular, had a great game by lining up with a three-man central defence plus another trio of central midfielders who all served to stifle Madrid’s approach play in the middle of the pitch, whilst still retaining attacking intent especially with the runs of Aurier down the right wing.

    Kane also did just about enough to retain any interest that might be forthcoming from the Bernabeu’s corridors of power, although his night would have been even better if he had struck his second half shot more crisply into the bottom corner rather than giving Navas the opportunity to get down and make a brilliant save.

    With Zinedine Zidane unlikely to drag out his managerial tenure for many more years and Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo both in their latter years, don’t be surprised to see Kane and Pochettino working together in Madrid on a more regular basis in the future.

    Mauricio Pochettino with Harry Kane

    Mauricio Pochettino with Harry Kane

    Madrid out of sorts but under control

    If you’re a Real Madrid fan, you would have every reason to feel rather concerned about your team’s start to the season, which has seen points dropped in three out of four La Liga home games and now Tuesday’s largely lethargic display against Spurs.

    Even some of the games Madrid are winning have been far from convincing, with Saturday’s victory at Getafe needing a late goal from Ronaldo and lowly Alaves also only being dispatched with difficulty.

    And it’s certainly true that Los Blancos are well below their best, with several players – notable Marcelo, Benzema and Casemiro – struggling to produce their usual form against Tottenham and only two superb saves from Navas preventing the visitors from claiming a famous win.

    But before any panic buttons are pressed, remember we’ve been here before. Wily boss Zidane knows that nothing is decided in October and, perhaps more than any other manager, really does treat each season as a marathon rather than a sprint, carefully pacing his team’s progress to ensure they peak in the spring.

    Playing like this, Madrid almost certainly wouldn’t retain the Champions League. But they almost certainly won’t be playing like this in April and May.

    Zinedine Zidane

    Zinedine Zidane

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