Tottenham frustration

Kane and Son fire blanks against Germans

A point away from home is perhaps a sign of progress for Tottenham Hotspur, given their previous defeats on the road, yet this was still another night of frustration and annoyance for Antonio Conte.

The Italian was an image of frustration before the game and he was similarly irritated during it, as his players wasted a series of chances in Germany. It remains the case that Spurs have won just once away from home this season, against Nottingham Forest. There have been some tough tests outside of north London, including this meeting with Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, and they are struggling to pass these examinations.

Still, their Champions League fate remains in their own hands. A draw is by no means fatal, with Spurs second in their group. It certainly felt like another missed opportunity, however, and the questions over their creativity and midfield control will not yet go away.

Conte can at least argue that they forged enough goalscoring chances on this occasion, unlike in the weekend’s derby loss to Arsenal.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, usually so deadly, arrived in Frankfurt with malfunctioning radars. Son, in particular, was worryingly careless at the crucial moments in the final third. By the end of the night, the game had become like many others this season for Spurs: they are dangerous in flashes, but rarely totally dominant.

Maybe they will not need to be dominant to achieve their goals this season, but if not, then they will definitely need their forwards to be ruthless. Here, as against Arsenal, they were not.

“We created chances to score, but if I have to find a situation that we need to improve, we need to be more clinical,” Conte said. “Football is simple, to win you have to score.”

The Italian said that he was relatively pleased, overall, with the improved performance. But his demeanour throughout the match suggested otherwise and the away form is gradually becoming an issue, especially with a difficult trip to Brighton to come on Saturday.

“The performance gave me confidence,” Conte said. “We coped with a difficult atmosphere in the right way. It is important for us to understand that playing at home or away, it has to be the same way. The personality when you play away has to be stronger.”

Conte is not the most willing recipient of criticism and, before this match, he had bristled at suggestions that his Spurs side can be a little too defensive. A defeat in the north London derby inevitably leads to all sorts of awkward questions, though, and the Italian is wise enough to know that this is a time to take the punches on the chin.

Was it with the derby fallout in mind that he selected the same team that crumbled at the Emirates? To change the side, perhaps, could have been seen as an admission of an error on his own part. Instead, he chose to give the same line-up another chance to execute the gameplan, having failed to do so at the weekend.

The unchanged side meant another start for Emerson Royal, the villain of the derby following his red card. Redemption was clearly on the mind of the Brazilian, who almost scored with a spectacular volleyed effort early on. The chance came from a bullet of a pass by Eric Dier, whose distribution created an attack out of nothing.

Frankfurt is a tough place to visit. West Ham United learned as much last season, when they lost here in the Europa League semi-final, and Spurs were forced to deal with a few spells of considerable pressure.

At the other end the attacks were hardly flowing, but there were still opportunities. There always will be when Kane, Son and Richarlison are in attack. The three forwards produced a wonderfully incisive few seconds, in which Richarlison and Son combined before the South Korean tried to find Kane in the box. If the cross had been aimed at Kane’s feet or head, rather than his waist, it would have been a simple tap-in.

Kane and Son also fired wide in the first half, and the wastefulness continued after the break. Frankfurt continued to cause problems. Hugo Lloris was required to make a low save from Ansgar Knauff ’s volley, before Jesper Lindstrom smashed a shot over the bar.

The tension began to rise. When Pierre-emile Hojbjerg misplaced a forward pass, Conte repeatedly slapped his own thighs in anxious irritation. The ongoing absences of the injured Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Moura are not helping Spurs’ cause, and Conte’s lack of attacking options on the bench was troubling. Spurs are still not sparking and, until they do, the uncomfortable questions will continue to be asked. Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4-2-1) Trapp 6; Tuta 6, Hasebe 6, N’dicka 7; Jakic 6, Rode 7 (Pellegrini 71), Sow 7, Knauff 6; Lindstrom 7 (Ebimbe 87), Kamada 7; Kolo Muani 6 (Borre 57).

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-3) Lloris 7; Romero 6, Dier 7, Lenglet 6 (Davies 78); Emerson 6, Hojbjerg 6, Bentancur 6, Perisic 6 (Sessegnon 71); Richarlison 6 (Gil 79), Kane 6, Son 5. Booked Hojbjerg, Lenglet, Kane

Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy). Att 50,500.