Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 5-1 defeat to champions Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur prepare for their Europa League semi-final in the worst way possible, by losing 5-1 at the hands of the latest Premier League champions, Liverpool.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from the match:

Ange Postecoglou rings the changes for Tottenham

No Micky Van de Ven. No Cristian Romero. No Pedro Porro. No Rodrigo Bentancur. No Dejan Kulusevski. No Heung-min Son through injury. It is no secret what Ange Postecoglou was doing today. The Spurs boss wanted to rest his key players ahead of Bodo/Glimt on Thursday while also giving much-needed minutes to some players who need to hit form.

The Premier League is essentially just a mini pre-season for Tottenham’s Europa League campaign at this point, even if Postecoglou does still want to pick up wins along the way. However, losing 5-1 and getting torn apart is concerning, even in pre-season.

Top half finish is still possible for Tottenham

Believe it or not, despite Tottenham Hotspur being all the way down in 16th in the Premier League table, they can mathematically still finish in the top half. Of course, that will involve the Lilywhites winning every single one of their remaining four games (which feels unlikely). You can read more about the permutations needed for a Spurs top-half finish here.

A warning for Tottenham next season

There is one worrying sign for Tottenham, despite the result itself today meaning very little in the grand scheme of things. Spurs without Van de Ven and Romero look woeful. Don’t get me wrong, Spurs with Van de Ven and Romero have been shocking at times too, but the Lilywhites lose so much control when they’re without their first-choice defenders.

Unfortunately, Romero is being strongly linked with a move to Atletico Madrid this summer, while even Van de Ven is rumoured to have interest from Real Madrid. It seems unlikely that Spurs will sell both, but a world-class replacement will be needed to replace a World Cup winner like Romero. If Daniel Levy goes for a cheap option or a young up-and-comer, Tottenham are going to pay the price.

Dominic Solanke back among the goals

If you are looking for silver linings, then a Dominic Solanke goal is the clear winner. It may not have mattered in the context of this game, but it could be a huge boost to Tottenham’s season in general. Solanke hadn’t netted in his last seven Premier League games, dating all the way back to Newcastle in January.

One would assume that Dom will start up top against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, and heading into that fixture off the back of ending his goal drought will do his confidence the world of good. What a well-taken goal it was too – a powerful header at the back stick to leave Alisson absolutely rooted to the spot. We haven’t seen a lot of that aerial dominance from Solanke at corners this season, but Spurs seemed to engineer it today with some clever blocking.

You have to feel for Archie Gray in midfield

You have to feel for Archie Gray a little this season. Getting so many minutes in his debut Premier League campaign will do him a lot of good in the long run, but he has been on the end of some disappointing defeats this year. For the most part, he has played out of position, and his few chances in his preferred central midfield have often ended in Tottenham getting a right hiding. Even today, Postecoglou only gave him a 45 cameo before hauling him off for Pape Sarr.

In an ideal world, Gray needs a run of games in the midfield three where Spurs are in control, so he can learn the game at the highest level. As it is, the teenager has endured a baptism of fire all over the pitch this season. Short-term, some horrible results despite good individual performances. Long-term, hopefully, Gray’s game will grow from this kind of hardship and experience.

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