Tottenham's Failure to Take Chances in Europe Could See Shift in Priorities

A 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in the Europa League round of 32 is no cause for alarm. Spurs played well and were easily the better side in a clash with the fourth-best team in Italy.

While it is no embarrassment to have finished this match level, Tottenham should have blown Fiorentina away. 

The Italians began the match at White Hart Lane with a narrow formation aimed at stopping Spurs' central midfield. Unfortunately for them, Nacer Chadli and Andros Townsend don't play down the middle, and the pair ran riot through much of the first half. 

Spurs took an early lead through Roberto Soldado, but then failed to make the most of a host of chances. Both wingers, Christian Eriksen and Soldado, had chances to stretch Tottenham's lead but did not. 

As the half wore on, the sense that Spurs hadn't done enough with their dominance began to build. Their explosive start eventually waned as they allowed their opponents to recover their composure and eventually claim an equaliser. 

The second half felt far more like a typical Tottenham group stage match against some nameless opponent than the glamour tie against a big European club that it really was. 

Neither side produced much attractive football, and while Spurs were still the better side, they were unable force the scorekeepers to reflect it. 

The introduction of Harry Kane threatened to provoke yet another late winner, but it wasn't to be. 

Now, with a somewhat intimidating second leg in Florence, Spurs' priorities will be put to the test. Three days after Spurs complete their Italian Job, they travel to Wembley for the League Cup final. 

Those two dates alone have the potential to determine Tottenham's season. To complicate matters further, they also host two must-win Premier League matches before and after their four days of destiny.

A more clinical performance at White Hart Lane might have secured a lead that would have allowed manager Mauricio Pochettino to rest his main men in the second leg. Now Spurs must risk fatigue and injury or rotate heavily throughout a run of vital fixtures.

The absence of just a few key players from Spurs' first choice eleven was keenly felt in the Fiorentina draw. 

Pochettino named a strong, balanced eleven to face the Italians. No individuals, beyond perhaps Paulinho, could really be blamed for Spurs' missed opportunities. 

Eriksen buzzed around creating havoc, but without Kane as an outlet, he was below his best. 

Nabil Bentaleb, one of the unsung heroes of Spurs' season, was left with all the defensive work as Paulinho performed a disappearing act. The Brazilian was a mightily poor substitute for Ryan Mason. 

Few teams have the depth to rest star players and still win comfortably. The fact is that Spurs should have been able to do so. 

With the chances they made in both halves, Tottenham should have put themselves out of sight but are now in a quandary of their own making. 

Pochettino will not sacrifice the League Cup final. A chance to win a trophy in his first season in charge is too good to pass up while Tottenham are just a handful of wins away from a European final.

Tottenham's Premier League campaign is likely to be the victim of the slip-up against Fiorentina. 

The next two fixtures, at home to West Ham and Swansea, are vital to any hopes Spurs have of returning to the top four and securing Champions League football for next season, but they are also the lowest priority in a hectic schedule. 

A first-leg draw has not ruined Tottenham's season. It has, though, introduced an obstacle that must now be overcome. Tottenham's key men—Kane, Eriksen, Hugo Lloris, Bentaleb and Mason—do not have adequate understudies. 

This difficult series of fixtures is an opportunity for Pochettino to prove himself yet again. His famous fitness regime will be put its greatest test, and if Spurs emerge with their league campaign intact, a trophy and a place in the next round of the Europa League, he will have gone to another level.