Paul Parker: Tottenham could echo Manchester United in the 90s if they stick together

It’s no disgrace what happened. Tottenham showed that they can’t protect a lead against Juventus at Wembley. They just haven’t got enough experience of playing in the Champions League. Yet.

Something similar happened to me the first season I played in Europe with Manchester United. It was a culture shock and the lesson was the same.

We were playing away against Atletico Madrid in the second round of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991. We were 1-0 down but comfortable and had the second leg to come at Old Trafford. Then, all of a sudden, in the space of three minutes, it was 3-0. Paolo Futre notched his second – he was like a quicker version of Sergio Aguero – then Manolo scored with just a few minutes left. It was almost game over.

And it’s the same in the Champions League today. But Tottenham must not get disheartened – even Sir Alex Ferguson had to go through it. You get better and better the more you play in these games, closer and closer to the business end of the tournament.

In 1997, United lost the semi-final to Borussia Dortmund, then had a setback in the quarter-finals against Monaco in 1998. But they won it in 1999, and this time it was us who scored two late goals. It took Fergie that long to transform the team – which was kind of mixed and matched after the foreigner ruling was relaxed – and their style of play so they could be successful in Europe.

You can’t suddenly do it on the back of two or three good domestic seasons, with a young side. And domestic form means nothing – just look at Real Madrid, they are 15 points off Barca in La Liga, but beat PSG.

Tottenham are nearly there. They got themselves two away goals against Juve, then started the second leg so well. They could’ve bagged a couple more, won the game and everyone would’ve said they really deserved it. But they didn’t. And here comes the cliché (though it rings true): you have to take every single opportunity. It doesn’t matter how poor another side might be, if they get a chance, you know they will score. And it will kill everything you have tried.

Tottenham scoring that first goal didn’t make much difference. Juventus had to score anyway to make a game of it and, when they did, Tottenham panicked. That’s where their lack of maturity came into it. And their least experienced players are British – the likes of Dele Alli who, as talented as he is, doesn’t really have a clue about Champions League football.

They’ve learnt a harsh lesson, but you can’t crucify them. They’ve got better and better each year, even when it’s gone against them this season not being able to play at their home ground and having to adjust.

Some of their results have been exceptional in the Champions League. It wasn’t a fluke when they went to Spain and drew with Real Madrid, or won in Dortmund, then came back and beat Real at Wembley. But they will look back on that last 30 minutes against Juve and know they allowed the Italians to get back into the game. They gave them a bit too much respect in allowing them to kill the tie. Juventus took the sting out of Spurs, then added their own bit of venom.

Juventus have got composure because they have been doing it over so many seasons. Similarly, when they scored their second, they knew exactly how to close out the game.

Don't just take it from me, Giorgio Chiellini believes the same. "Tottenham proved to be a great team,' he said after the match. I think they are missing very little in becoming one of the best teams in Europe, maybe some experience.

For Tottenham, it’s all about the players knowing what to do next when they concede. It’s not one of those situations when the players need to be brought together in a huddle: they know. And next season they will have learnt from this. Even if there are a couple of changes in personnel, eight or nine of those players will know how to deal with it better next time.

They will definitely improve with just a few tweaks, and could echo that gradual improvement we had at United in the 90s. Pochettino doesn’t have to go mad in the transfer market. They are a team that are learning, with good individuals. In my view, Heung-min Son is the best Asian player to feature in the Premier League.

The public might start looking for negatives, reasons why players might leave – the pay structure etc. But they are excuses for why teams can fail. If we look at why they could flourish, there are answers there too. Who knows what the bonus system for playing and winning matches is at Spurs? That’s a way to encourage players for each and every game, stop them from going through the motions because they are guaranteed a huge pay cheque every week. Maybe that’s how they work.

Yet because they have been successful on a relatively small budget, many are assuming they will go backwards, that Mauricio Pochettino could get snatched by Real Madrid after their victory in the group stages.

They must ignore it. Sticking together as a squad could reap rewards for Tottenham, even if they don't go splashing huge sums of money on players. They are so close.

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