13  CIRKOVIC  (21  Sasa MIRKOVIC 68)
  6  Vojislav STANKOVIC
30  Branko ILIC     
  3  VOLKOV  (  5  Nemanja PETROVIC 55)

  4  Miroslav VULICEVIC
18  Nikola DRINCIC
22  Sasa ILIC  (c)
55  Danilo PANTIC
14  Petar GRBIC  (  7  Predag LUKA 85     )

27  Danko LAZOVIC

Unused subs: 
12  Filip KLJAJIC
11  Nikola NINKOVIC
17  Andrija ZIVKOVIC
10  Ismael Beko FOFANA

 

16  Kyle NAUGHTON
  5  Jan VERTONGHEN
21  Federico FAZIO
33  Ben DAVIES     

42  Nabil BENTALEB
25  Benjamin STAMBOULI  (29  Etienne CAPOUE  72)

17  Andros TOWNSEND       (11  Erik Lamela 59)
  8  PAULINHO  (  9 Roberto SOLDADO 60)
  7  Aaron LENNON

18  Harry KANE

Unused subs: 
13  Michel VORM
  6  Vlad CHIRICHES
15  Eric DIER
23  Christian ERIKSEN
 

Tottenham's opening Group C Europa League match in Belgrade saw ten changes form the team that faced Sunderland last Saturday and the changes may not have helped Spurs be as fluent as they looked at the Stadium of Light.  However, they displayed a confidence on the ball, which was a little concerning sometimes on a pitch that did not allow the ball to run true.  However, there was enough control to limit Partizan's efforts on goal, but there was a lack of action for  Lukac in the home goal, as the match finished goal-less.

Spurs started well and were almost ahead after 68 seconds. A corner on our right was headed on at the near post by a defender and the ball found its way to Kane at the far post. Harry took a touch past a defender and from a narrow angle struck a rising shot that beat the keeper but bounced down off the crossbar and was hacked clear.
Tottenham had to face a typically European performance, with every challenge being met with a Partizan player falling to ground holding his face in the hope of securing a red card. It really is shameful and I don’t know why officials can’t see through it, especially as there are five sets of eyes to see it.

A lot of Partizan’s attacking moves came from our left back position, with crosses into the box, which mostly failed to find their target. They did have a good chance in the 25th minute from the other side when Fazio got under a long throw into the area, trying to beat Lazovic to the ball, but it left him free on the corner of the six yard box and Vertonghen’s block prevented the effort troubling Lloris. Ben Davies looked hesitant to start with and maybe Partizan seized on that.

Spurs plugged away with their passing to try and find a way through the Partizan massed ranks and the ploughed field that was the pitch. Passes jumped up like vicious leg-spinners, while judging a ball through was not as easy as it should have been, with the speed off the turf also being variable, as was the colour of it. The possession meant that most of the half was played with most of the players in the Partizan last third, making it hard to make clear cut chances and it being a chess game, rather than two sides going for it.

Tottenham almost got through when Townsend, who wasn’t getting much joy out wide, played a neat lofted pass from a central position on halfway and nearly picked out Lennon, but the keeper came out to claim it. The passing was generally good, with Stambouli playing some neat short passes through to the players breaking forward. However, just before half time, a Spurs corner was caught by the keeper and the home team broke quickly to find space on their right, but the shot from Pantic went low straight at Lloris at his near post.

Spurs kicked off the second half and Davies was soon in the book when he brought down Lazovic out wide and the free-kick was punched out by Hugo. It seemed to rattle Davies and he had to bailed out by Fazio, before the Partizan side played Lazovic through on their left and his pull back was scuffed at Lloris by Grbic. Spurs were getting closed down quickly in the first fifteen minutes of the half, but Lamela came on for Townsend and Soldado for Paulinho, who had not been involved a great deal.
On the hour, a cross from the left was almost touched in by Lazovic, but Davies played him offside and Hugo made the save before the ref’s whistle gave Tottenham the free-kick. Lamela’s early ball out to Soldado on the left saw the Spaniard cross for Kane, who was just eased out of it by a defender. The Serbian team were reasonably neat in their passing, but their main strength was their strength in holding Spurs players off the ball. They were without their star striker, but appeared to lack the adventure to make Tottenham work hard at the back.

The crowd had been quietened during the first half, but Partizan’s spirited second half got them singing again. The flags had stopped waving and the shirts were not twirling around the home fans heads, as Spurs started to take a bit of control of the ball. They failed to create anything with it and then a scuffed Davies clearance went straight to Sasa Ilic and he sliced it way over the bar. They got free wide right and Grbic lifted a cross to the far post where their captain put his header way over from ten yards out.

Most of Partizan’s best pressure came from set-pieces, but Tottenham defended them pretty well with a new back four playing together for the first time. In the last ten minutes, Partizan looked tired, but were given impetus when Bentaleb gave away a needless free-kick when Spurs were on the attack.
The second half failed to produce a save from the Partizan keeper and were seemingly happy enough to knock the ball about without penetrating the home defence. Partizan were more dangerous in the second period, but they lacked the necessary quality in making anything of the balls slung into the Tottenham box. Fazio did better in the second half, when the ball was played in the air and he won a good majority of headers, while Stambouli was steady and used the ball well, despite some physical attention from the home players.

So, once more it is about turning possession into goals and although a point from the opening group game was not the best result, with Partizan a limited side, but points away from home and three home victories should see Tottenham through.
 

Matt Enright