Tottenham Hotspur exited the Champions League on Tuesday night after a dismal defeat to Monaco, who qualify for the knockout stages as winners of Group E ahead of Bayer Leverkusen. The team from North London, who came from trailing against West Ham in the Premier League in their previous match to win 3-2 after two late goals, have had a disappointing European campaign so far this season. They may still retain some participation in European competition if they draw or beat CSKA Moscow on the final matchday in two weeks time.
Tottenham's poor start to campaign
Mauriccio Pochettino's team, who qualified for the Champions League with a third-placed finish in the Premier League last season - just missing out on the title to shock winners Leicester City - went down 2-1 away at Monaco with a reportedly weakened side.
Much of the damage had already been done in previous games, with Tottenham having a haul of just four points going into this fixture. Comparisons with Leicester, who have taken the football world by surprise again this season by reaching the last 16 with a match to spare, are inevitable, and Spurs have fallen short again.
Despite Leicester's league struggles this season, they have embraced this new and unexpected challenge in a way that Tottenham have not managed.
A full strength Tottenham side may have put up more of a fight but manager Pochettino played a balancing act between domestic and European Football and it tilted too far.
Goals from Djibril Sidibe and Thomas Lemar either side of Harry Kane's leveller from the penalty spot were enough to earn Monaco a richly deserved victory, even if they were playing a Spurs side not up to their usual high-performance standards.
Tottenham needed experienced heads
Pochettino deserves plenty of credit for the way he has introduced young stars to his side seamlessly up to now but perhaps this was a step too far. Maybe this was a night for experienced heads - Alli and Dier are fine players but the pressure of mounting a comeback to keep hopes of progressing in the tournament alive.
Spurs will resume their Premier League campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, but any further participation in competition outside the UK this season hangs in the balance.
