Qarabag vs. Tottenham: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game
Tottenham Hotspur secured qualification to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 stage with a 1-0 victory over Qarabag in Azerbaijan on Thursday evening.
After huffing and puffing for 78 minutes, Harry Kane's close-range header from a good Christian Eriksen corner was enough to settle the match. Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli had hit the post and bar, respectively, before the breakthrough finally came.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
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Many questioned Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to field such a star-studded XI on Thursday, and whether that comes back to bite them remains to be seen. As uMAXit’s Raj Bains stated on Twitter, “Pochettino must have some serious faith in the fitness of the spine of his squad” to make such a calculated gamble.
Ultimately, Pochettino wanted to secure qualification to the round of 32 swiftly rather than let it hang ominously over Matchday 6’s events, and after 78 gruelling minutes, Harry Kane answered the bell.
The finish was easy, but his all-round performance was very good. He split wide frequently to create, worked hard to find space and reaped the rewards with a close-range header late on.
That’s nine in six in all competitions for the Englishman, per WhoScored.com.
Loser: Kieran Trippier, Tottenham Hotspur
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Despite Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to field a surprisingly strong XI out in Azerbaijan, he did give three squad players the chance to impress. One of those was Kieran Trippier, but he did little to convince those who doubt him.
With Kyle Walker performing superbly over the past few months, the right-back slot in Tottenham Hotspur’s formation has been well and truly locked down. Trippier, a summer arrival, has been on the outside looking in, playing just eight Premier League minutes as a substitute and having to settle for Europa League action.
Trippier lacked penetration pushing forward, with most of Spurs’ good work coming from Harry Kane’s wide splits and passes. These are the type of chances the former Burnley man must seize if he is to displace Walker, but on this evidence, he’ll be waiting a little longer.
Winner: Ibrahim Sehic, Qarabag
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If anyone's looking for a cheap, yet reliable fix at goalkeeper this January, look no further than Qarabag's Ibrahim Sehic.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international shone on Thursday night as he dove left and right to deny Tottenham Hotspur over and over, and although he was eventually beaten, he did enough to stand out on a drab night of football.
Agile, positive in commanding his area and adept at organising a deep line, he should interest a fair few top-level clubs this winter.
Loser: Ben Davies, Tottenham Hotspur
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Like Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies has to use the Europa League to impress, as his position in the side has been assumed by Danny Rose. He strung together a nice little streak early in the season while his colleague was injured, but he was usurped very quickly following his recovery.
On Thursday night, he struggled—even against a Qarabag team who rarely attacked with any more than three players. Most of the counter-attacks were pushed down his side, with Afran Ismayilov afforded plenty of room to surge forward and Dani Quintana allowed to exploit the space created.
Winner: Qurban Qurbanov, Qarabag
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Qarabag have been very strong at home during the Europa League group stage, beating Anderlecht (1-0) and holding Monaco (1-1) at the Azersun Arena before hosting Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
They’ve built their success on a cagey, careful system, guarding the defence with a flat bank of five midfielders who reduce the space in between the lines. They break at pace but only with three, leaving at least six back at all times to prevent teams any space to play.
It’s an ugly way to play, but it sure is effective. Qurban Qurbanov deserves credit for getting the best out of an undergunned squad and making his outfit competitive and hard to beat—even in light of the loss to Spurs.
They made an exceptional side fight tooth and nail for one goal, and the gusto with which they took to the nullification plan impressed.
