Why Lucas Moura holds the key to Tottenham’s success against Inter Milan
Tottenham Hotspur will kick off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a trip to Italy to face Inter Milan at San Siro. Spurs are not the only English team who might feel the Champions League draw has been unkind to them.
While Spurs find themselves in a tough group with Inter Milan, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United have been grouped together with Valencia and Juventus. Liverpool have been drawn along with European heavyweights like Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain but Manchester City should breathe a sigh of relief for being drawn in a relatively easier group.
Spurs were in red-hot form in the Premier League with three wins from their first three games, which includes a 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United away from home. However, back-to-back defeats against Watford and Liverpool seem to have taken the wind out of their sails.
Nevertheless, Spurs must do well at all fronts and Pochettino should boost the confidence levels of his squad as they prepare to go head-to-head against Inter.
The two teams share an interesting history. In 2010/11, when Inter made their last appearance in the Champions League, the Italians beat Spurs 4-1 at home in the group stages but the Lilywhites came back to win 3-1 at White Hart Lane.
In the 2012/13 season, the two teams met in the UEFA Europa League’s Round of 16, where Spurs won 3-0 at home. Prior to that, Inter netted three at home to send the game to extra time, with the second leg finishing 4-1 to send Spurs through on away goals.
The fact that Inter haven’t been at the top of their game in the Serie A this season should offer some encouragement for Spurs. The Italian stalwarts have lost two out of their first three Serie A fixtures. Furthermore, the defeats have come at the hands of teams like Parma and Sassuolo, who are mid-table clubs at best.
While Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Christian Eriksen have been the standout performers for Spurs in their ongoing Premier League campaign, the likes of Moussa Dembele, Dele Alli and Eric Dier haven’t hit the ground running.
That said, Kane struggled to score in the last two Premier League matches and the failures of the midfield has left the strikers feeding on scraps. However, one player who has stood out in the last two defeats is none other than Lucas Moura, who joined Tottenham for a fee of £25m in January.
The Brazilian has caught the eye with some top-class performances for the north London club this season and has been a lively presence in the attacking third. Inter haven’t looked solid defensively, despite boasting of talents like Milan Skriniar and Stefan De Vrij. To make matters worse, they conceded a soft goal against Parma in the last game.
Lucas has got the pace and the dribbling skills to trouble the defenders and he should hold the key to Tottenham’s success in the opening game of the Champions League.
Inter are making a comeback to Europe’s premier club tournament after an absence of seven long years. It will be important for the Lilywhites to pick up a point, if not all three, given that they must face Spanish giants Barcelona in the coming weeks.
