Tottenham deserved better than their 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid yesterday
Tottenham fans can take comfort in the fact that Spurs played much better in their defeat to Atletico compared to their previous setback to Juventus. The La Liga giants kept Tottenham off the score sheet, but Spurs dominated play for long stretches against Diego Simeone’s squad.
As we discussed in the lessons learned against Juventus piece, the end result is not all that important here. The point of these preseason matches is for Mauricio Pochettino to learn more about his squad. Unquestionably, that was accomplished against Atleti.
Ironically, even though Spurs were shutout in this one, they played considerably better on the offensive end of the pitch than they did against The Old Lady. Tottenham showed some really clever play against one of the best defensive setups in all of Europe. Spurs rattled the woodwork on two notable occasions during the match, and Atleti keep Jan Oblak did everything but stand on his head to prevent a few other shots from finding the back of the net.
Defensively, Spurs were able to steer clear of the errors that plagued them in the first half against Juve. Giving up a goal on a set piece was disappointing, but infinitely correctable. Pochettino was surely pleased at his team’s improved defensive organization.
That’s all well and good, but preseason is all about learning what players can help the squad next season. Read on to discover the five lessons that Pochettino learned yesterday on that front.
Next: 5. Christian Eriksen keeps things ticking