Five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League

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Tottenham secured a 2-2 draw away from home in the Arctic Circle against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night in matchday two of the Champions League.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt:

Spurs show fight but lack consistency

Tottenham Hotspur could not make it two victories from two in the Champions League, as they managed to snatch a 2-2 draw after staring down the barrel of defeat.

It was a poor, dismal and abysmal performance from Thomas Frank’s men in the first half, and they were lucky not to have found themselves behind at the break had Hogh scored his penalty.

One would have expected a response from Frank’s side, but it was more of the same from the Lilywhites, who quickly found themselves two goals down.

However, as we have seen in three of the last four games, Spurs under the Dane do have a way of clawing back a point from these situations, and today was very much similar.

The Lilywhites refused to be beaten even when they went two goals down, showing great fighting spirit to claw their way back.

But every Tottenham fan would tell you they would rather a solid and consistent performance across both halves, which has been lacking in recent weeks, as we saw against Wolves, Brighton and now Glimt. Still, the positive for Frank is that his players are willing to fight until the death.

Richarlison struggles with just 10 touches for Tottenham vs Bodo/Glimt

Tottenham were poor and lacked any real invention in their attacking play tonight, and this lack of attacking intent was summed up in Richarlison’s performance.

Spurs were so ineffective that they struggled to find their number nine, with the Brazil international limited to just 10 touches of the ball all game against Bodo/Glimt.

One of those touches did lead to the equaliser, and ironically, it was a touch that the forward knew little about as Archie Gray’s cross was parried against him before the ball found its way into the back of the net.

Where are Tottenham in the Champions League table?

We are now two games down with six more to go in the league phase of the Champions League. No doubt, for Frank and his men, the ideal scenario would be to qualify automatically by finishing in the top eight, in order to avoid any extra play-off games.

At the moment, with a win and a draw, Spurs find themselves on four points and are currently sat fourth in the Champions League table, although several teams are yet to play their second game.

However, there is no need for panic yet, as last season four home wins and four away draws were enough for a top-eight place. At the moment, Spurs are on course for that, having beaten Villarreal at home and drawn at the Arctic Circle.

Spurs defence shaky as they allow 17 shots on goal

Spurs have been defensively resolute under Thomas Frank in all competitions this season, but today’s outing was anything but that, as they gave up 17 shots on their own goal.

It was a lacklustre performance that saw the Lilywhites drop off, particularly in the first half, inviting Bodo/Glimt to attack, with little pressure put on the ball.

At this level, if they continue to allow that many chances against stronger sides, fighting spirit might count for very little, as a good team could very well be out of sight before Tottenham have the chance to respond.

It is always better to defend by being on the front foot and keeping your opponent as far away from your goal as possible, but that was far from the case tonight, and it was little surprise that Tottenham found themselves two goals down.

Tottenham lack creativity as Xavi Simons left out of number ten role

Yes, it is early days, and there are injuries for Frank to deal with, but the lack of creativity is becoming increasingly glaring with each passing game.

The forwards are simply not scoring enough goals for a side that is supposed to be playing on the front foot.

It seems Tottenham’s best chance of grabbing a goal these days comes from a set piece or a wonder strike, and that is not sustainable.

Spurs need to create clearer chances if they are to score consistently. Bodo/Glimt’s 2.57 xG compared to Tottenham’s 1.46 tells you all you need to know about the type of chances Spurs are creating.

Tottenham do have a number ten in their squad and Frank needs to give Xavi Simons a chance in that role so the Dutchman can quickly acclimatise. All these brief cameos and spells on the left wing are doing little to help.

If Frank keeps reverting to Simons in the ten role when chasing a game, then why is he not starting the 22-year-old there in the first place?