Mauricio Pochettino's Tough Tottenham Embodied by Erik Lamela, Danny Rose

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated by the 1-1 Europa League draw against Monaco. 

Afterwards, the Argentinian manager admitted, per Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail, "the feeling is bad because we dominated and we need to learn because we had more chances."

Monaco gave one of their better performances of the season, but Spurs should have swept them aside.

The strong team selected by Pochettino was clearly aimed at securing early control of Group J in order to rotate his stars later in the campaign. 

That Spurs were unable to secure the victory should wrankle Pochettino but, having underlined his belief that the Premier League clash against Swansea is the priority, the implications are not yet clear. 

If victory can be won in Wales before the international break, the team selection against Monaco will not be judged an error. 

In any case, a number of Tottenham's most reliable players underwhelmed against the Monegasques. 

There was an uncharacteristically shaky display from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. 

He produced an almost identical imitation of the Michel Vorm fumble against Arsenal but, unlike his Dutch teammate, was not punished for it. He was partly at fault for Monaco's equaliser though. 

Stephan El Shaarawy leapt high and produced a fine downward header, but Lloris slipped as he tried to block the ball on the line. 

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

The Frenchman's error probably cost Spurs two points, but there is little reason to believe that this performance was anything more than a blip for the usually sensational goalkeeper. 

Eric Dier, another of Spurs' finest performers this season, was unable to influence the match as Monaco's dual-pivot moved the ball quickly through his area of the pitch. 

Even Harry Kane, he of the over-wrought and largely imagined goal drought, struggled to leave his mark on the slippery Stage Louis II pitch. 

Despite the disappointing performances of Spurs' usual suspects, there were silver linings. 

Chief among those was the continued ascent of Erik Lamela. 

The Argentinian enjoyed something of a rebirth last season, so his explosion into form in recent weeks cannot be quite compared with a phoenix. But after his dire display against Stoke in August, it wouldn't be far wrong. 

Lamela scored Tottenham's only goal against Monaco, but his contribution began seconds earlier when he won the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. 

Not content with simply sparking a counter-attack with a fizzed pass up the right touchline, Lamela raced upfield and barely broke stride before finding himself with the ball at his feet once more. This time though, there was an open goal and he converted for his third goal of the season. 

In just eight games, Lamela is within sight of last season's tally (five) and also leads his team in assists. 

His attitude has never been in doubt, nor has his talent, but his ability to harness both productively had reinforced the doubts over whether he could succeed for Spurs. 

Lamela now appears to have found the consistency that has eluded him in the past. 

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

At the level he has produced in recent matches, Lamela is among Tottenham's best. 

While Lamela was influential in the centre and on the right side of the pitch, Danny Rose was the key man on the opposite flank. 

The little Yorkshireman produced a flurry of activity at both ends of the pitch. 

Rose's attacking runs became a strikingly effective tool for Spurs last season, and he continues to improve in that regard, penetrating Monaco's back line almost at will and providing a constant outlet out wide. 

He also produced the moment of the match when his acrobatic clearance saved an almost certain winner for Monaco. Rose landed in a heap after clearing the ball, having shown a total disregard for his own safety.

His tenacity and willingness to throw himself after 50/50 balls is now a dependable facet of his game, and it seems only a matter of time before he dislodges Ben Davies as the starting full-back once again. 

Both Rose and Lamela embody the self-sacrificing philosophy of Pochettino's new tough Tottenham, and they possess an aggressive mean streak that is making their team tough to beat. 

While Spurs expected to beat Monaco, and probably should have on the balance of play, they could easily have lost the match in the closing stages. 

Previous iterations of the same group of players have shown less backbone, but this generation are made of sterner stuff.