{"id":292080,"date":"2023-10-02T21:36:58","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T21:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=292080"},"modified":"2023-10-02T21:36:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T21:36:58","slug":"tottenham-vs-ajax-five-things-we-learned-from-spurs-first-leg-defeat-in-champions-league-semi-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/tottenham-vs-ajax-five-things-we-learned-from-spurs-first-leg-defeat-in-champions-league-semi-final\/","title":{"rendered":"Tottenham vs Ajax: Five things we learned from Spurs&#8217; first-leg defeat in Champions League semi-final"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/19\/Lionel-Messi.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/09\/27\/08\/newFile.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/09\/27\/08\/newFile.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h2><span><\/p>\n<p><\/span>Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/22\/tottenham-loss.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/16\/1141570275.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/16\/2019-04-09T210232Z-1130750681-RC1F2AA25F00-RTRMADP-3-SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-TOT-MCI.JPG\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/16\/davinson-sanchez.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Van de Beek is the hidden gem of this Ajax side<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ajax\u2019s 19-year-old centre-back Matthjis de Ligt and Barcelona-bound midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 21, have gotten all the plaudits in recent months. But Donny van de Beek is only 22 and is as crucial to the Dutch side as his afore-mentioned compatriots.<\/p>\n<p>The midfielder set the tone early on Tuesday night by dispossessing Davinson Sanchez ruthlessly, before bearing down on a goal like a man possessed. He was central to the creativity and swiftness of so many of Ajax\u2019s attacking moves throughout the evening, but could also be seen tracking back to break up Tottenham moves with well-timed tackles.<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, he also took his goal with supreme confidence. There was a hint of offside, but the midfielder timed his run well to catch out the Spurs defenders, who seemed to freeze with the rest of the footballing world. Fitting then that the Dutchman should provide an ice-cold finish, but not before feinting to pick the perfect moment to beat Lloris.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/21\/van-de-beek.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Spurs are a better side with Sissoko playing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There was a time when Moussa Sissoko was a source of amusement for many followers of the Premier League. His ungainly stride suggests a clumsiness, and even Tottenham fans once struggled to take the midfielder seriously.<\/p>\n<p>This season, though, he has been a revelation. His performance against Chelsea at Wembley in November stands out as emblematic of the Frenchman\u2019s talents, but his greatest asset is arguably his ability to pull up his fellow midfielders\u2019 socks, figuratively speaking.<\/p>\n<p>When he arrived on the pitch in place of Vertonghen on Tuesday evening, he took hold of the game for Spurs. He was winning challenges, spraying inch-perfect cross-field balls, and lending an assurance to his midfield partner Victor Wanyama. Who would have thought it?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Football is not taking concussions seriously enough<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Towards the end of the first half, Tottenham centre-backs Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld collided with one another and Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana in the opposition box.<\/p>\n<p>The two Belgian defenders were both in pain but it was Vertonghen who ultimately failed to recover, exhibiting concussion-like symptoms. In fact, the centre-back looked almost unconscious as he was helped off the pitch.<\/p>\n<p>Spurs\u2019 medical staff sent Vertonghen back on, having checked his condition, but Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz stopped the game after recognising that the Belgium international was still not right.<\/p>\n<p>There have been significant efforts in the NFL to combat concussion problems in recent years, and these efforts have seen a decrease in diagnoses. Maybe it\u2019s time for football to realise that the issue doesn\u2019t just exist across the pond.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/21\/jan-vertonghen-.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tottenham are not out of it yet<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the first half, Tottenham were out-thought and out-fought. Ajax unsettled the north London side from the moment the first whistle was blown, and capitalised early on with Van de Beek\u2019s goal. But Pochettino\u2019s team emerged for the second half a much improved outfit.<\/p>\n<h3>Recommended<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2019\/04\/30\/19\/Lionel-Messi.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/09\/27\/08\/newFile.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/09\/27\/08\/newFile.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Vertonghen\u2019s unfortunate head injury had already forced the Argentine to bring on Sissoko \u2013 who immediately set about turning in the best performance of any Spurs player on the evening \u2013 and the Tottenham manager took that moment to switch to four at the back.<\/p>\n<p>These changes should be taken into consideration when Spurs travel to Amsterdam next week for the second leg, as they may be vital if the Premier League club are to level the tie, or even win it.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/sport\/football\/european\/tottenham-ajax-score-result-champions-league-semi-final-jan-vertonghen-injury-donny-van-de-beek-goal-a8893831.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Van de Beek is the hidden gem of this Ajax side Ajax\u2019s 19-year-old centre-back Matthjis de Ligt and Barcelona-bound midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 21, have gotten all the plaudits in recent months. But Donny van de Beek is only 22 and is as crucial to the Dutch side as his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Tottenham vs Ajax: Five things we learned from Spurs&#039; first-leg defeat in Champions League semi-final - Sports Life Tale<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/soccer\/tottenham-vs-ajax-five-things-we-learned-from-spurs-first-leg-defeat-in-champions-league-semi-final\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tottenham vs Ajax: Five things we learned from Spurs&#039; first-leg defeat in Champions League semi-final - Sports Life Tale\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Player ratings: Spurs vs Ajax Van de Beek is the hidden gem of this Ajax side Ajax\u2019s 19-year-old centre-back Matthjis de Ligt and Barcelona-bound midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 21, have gotten all the plaudits in recent months. 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