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5 things Tottenham learned from the Borussia Dortmund loss

By Rucker Haringey

DORTMUND, GERMANY - MARCH 10: Joshua Onomah of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Mats Hummels (L) and Lukasz Piszczek of Borussia Dortmund (R) during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur at Signal Iduna Park on March 10, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - MARCH 10: Joshua Onomah of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Mats Hummels (L) and Lukasz Piszczek of Borussia Dortmund (R) during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur at Signal Iduna Park on March 10, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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Dortmund’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Tom Carroll vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg football match between BVB Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in Dortmund, western Germany on March 10, 2016. / AFP / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Dortmund’s Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Tottenham Hotspur’s English midfielder Tom Carroll vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg football match between BVB Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in Dortmund, western Germany on March 10, 2016. / AFP / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images) /

2. Tom Carroll just isn’t good enough

Even the most optimistic Tottenham fan became concerned when the starting 11 was announced featuring a Ryan Mason-Tom Carroll partnership in the defensive midfield. Those concerns proved to be entirely justified as the pair were routinely overrun by the Dortmund attack.

Mason wasn’t a standout by any means, but he was far better than the diminutive Carroll. It’s time that Spurs fans realize that no matter how skilled Carroll can be on the ball, he’s just not big or athletic enough to really help Tottenham.

At 23 years of age it isn’t as if the young Englishman is going to get much bigger. Nor is he likely to become significantly more athletic over the next several years. He is what he is. Unfortunately for fans of the stylish midfielder, the player he is today isn’t good enough for Spurs if they’re going to continue their upward trajectory.

Carroll would be well served to seek a move away from White Hart Lane if he really wants to receive meaningful playing time for a club. It’s not that he isn’t capable of being a Premier League regular, he just isn’t up to the standard that Tottenham need. He’d be much better off at one of the Premier League’s lesser clubs.

I really want to see Tom Carroll do well at Spurs, but this was the last nail in the coffin for me. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be a key part of Tottenham as they become a serious competitor on the world stage.

Next: 1. Mauricio Pochettino is still gunning for the Premier League

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