This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Tottenham Hotspur face Bayern Munich this week in a Champions League dead rubber but how exactly can Spurs stop them?
On the chalkboard
Manager Jose Mourinho has already said that he intends to rest a number of first-team players, notably Harry Kane, because the north Londoners are confirmed to be finishing second behind the group leaders.
Of course, Bayern ran riot against Spurs in their clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning 7-2.
The German giants, clearly, are a fearsome force.
In their five games thus far in the Champions League, they have won all five, scoring 21 goals and conceding just four.
On average, per WhoScored, they concede just 7.6 shots per game, while taking 25.2. They average more shots on target in the Champions League per game than the total number of shots they concede.
They also dominate possession, with an average of 61.7%, and are efficient with it, notching a pass completion rate of 88.4%.
Interestingly, they average 16.4 right-footed shots throughout a game, as opposed to 6 with the left foot and 2.6 with the head. An average of 12.4 shots per game come from inside the penalty area, with 10.4 outside the box and 2.4 in the six-yard box.
Add into that the fact that Robert Lewandowski has scored 10 goals in five European outings, while Serge Gnabry has four in four, and one begins to see the kind of task Spurs are facing.
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A learning experience
Spurs’ youngsters are set for a learning experience here.
Bayern are phenomenal at home – they are yet to concede at the Allianz Arena in the Champions League – and they may be out to rub salt in Spurs’ wounds after thrashing them in their own back yard.
If Mourinho commits to playing the kids across every part of the pitch, one has to imagine that they will either fight or flee.
Nevertheless, it is something of a win-win for the Premier League club’s youngsters; if they lose, then it is nothing more than a lesson, a reminder of how far they have to go; if they win, they may well be heroes.
It is time for the kids to stand up and be counted.
Meanwhile, take a look at Spurs’ potential XI against Bayern.
