Tottenham analysis: Mauricio Pochettino’s principles backfire, but will defeat test the faith of key Spurs figures?

Tottenham suffered FA Cup semi-final heartache for the eighth successive time as Manchester United fought back to win 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

Spurs lead after just 11 minutes through Dele Alli’s strike, but were unable to make their early dominance tell with Jose Mourinho’s side running out comfortable winners in the end.

Tom Collomosse was one of our reporters at Wembley, and here is his analysis of another disappointing day for Spurs.

Kane in pain?

Since returning only three weeks after damaging his ankle ligaments, Harry Kane has not looked himself. He made a blistering start to the game here, popping up all over the pitch, but soon faded and caused Chris Smalling and Phil Jones fewer problems than they would have imagined.

It is valid to ask whether Tottenham brought Kane back too early, as he has not regained his usual sharpness, on or off the ball. There was a perfect example in the second half, when Kane gained a yard of space on Smalling but could not move away from him, allowing the United defender to recover and block. At his best, Kane would have buried that opportunity. Would there really have been any harm in giving Kane a couple more weeks off to ensure he was 100 per cent? Tottenham and England must hope he gets there very quickly.

Tricky day for Davies

Ben Davies has had a solid season but he is Tottenham’s left-back by default: Danny Rose’s knee injury midway through last season, and his public criticism of the club’s transfer and wage policy in the summer, put him in an awkward spot with Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham did not then sign Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, leaving Davies as the main man. While the Welshman has performed reasonably well, he sometimes looks unsure of himself on the biggest stage. So it was against United, as he had a rough time against Jesse Lingard and then did not close down Ander Herrera quickly enough for United’s second goal. Spurs will seek an upgrade – possibly Sessegnon – this summer.

Pochettino’s principles backfire

Mauricio Pochettino commands great loyalty from most of his players and it is because of gestures like these: Michel Vorm has played in goal throughout the FA Cup and retained his place in this game, even though Hugo Lloris is the club’s first-choice goalkeeper. It was a principled call, but was it the right one? Although Lloris has had a sticky spell recently, he is still a far superior goalkeeper, and would have expected to save Herrera’s shot that flew past Vorm shortly after the hour mark.

Similarly, it is clear that Toby Alderweireld will leave Tottenham at the end of the season, yet his composed display at Brighton in midweek showed he was in form. In such a big game, he would surely have been a better option than the jumpy Davinson Sanchez.

Dembele loses his magic touch

Mousa Dembele has been outstanding for Tottenham in the second half of the season yet when they needed his magic most, it went missing. After a bright start, the Belgian’s confidence was shaken by the decisive moment of the match.

With Spurs 1-0 up and on top, Dembele lost the ball to Paul Pogba on the right, deep in his own half. Pogba had been quiet until then but he promptly sent over a perfect cross for Alexis Sanchez to head the equaliser. As well as reducing Dembele’s effectiveness, the incident seemed to galvanise United’s two biggest stars, particularly Sanchez, who had an excellent game thereafter. Dembele may leave Tottenham in the summer. It would be a shame if he were remembered like this.

Will this defeat change Tottenham’s life?

Mauricio Pochettino has said it throughout this campaign: if Spurs were to win this trophy, it would not change the life of the club. Yet the manager’s reaction when Ander Herrera’s winning goal hit the net told a different story.

Pochettino’s head slumped into his palm, and his players looked similarly dejected at the final whistle, particularly Eric Dier and Dele Alli. So what happens now? Even if Spurs seal a top-four finish and another season of Champions League football, perhaps their best players are starting to lose faith than they can win the big prizes at this club. Perhaps the manager is, too. This squad has admirers across Europe and after this result, they will feel a little bolder about picking up the phone to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy at the end of the season.