What can Tottenham learn from last season's Champions League to make this year's knockout stages?

Despite the jibes and predictable jokes that greeted Tottenham's Champions League exit to Juventus, last season's European campaign contained tangible progress. 

Spurs took four points from eventual winners Real Madrid in the group stages, put Borussia Dortmund to the sword home and away and came from two goals down to draw in an impressively dominant performance in Turin. 

Mauricio Pochettino's team had previously struggled to implement their suffocating press and high line in Europe, but it finally seemed they were learning lessons.

Now Tottenham are in a tight spot after defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona, and must beat PSV twice and Inter at Wembley to realistically stand a chance of qualifying for the last-16. 

Although their opponents have different strengths and weaknesses this season, here are three ways Spurs can find their feet again in the Champions League. 

Rediscover the counter-attack

Those group stage victories over Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund were the high-water mark of Pochettino's Spurs tenure, but were achieved in distinctly un-Pochettino fashion.

With their Champions League struggles at Wembley in 2016-17 in mind, as well as the attacking quality of their opponents, Spurs pressed far more judiciously. They saw just 32 per cent and 37 per cent of possession against Dortmund and Real respectively, staying compact with bodies behind the ball before breaking at speed. Heung-min Son in particular started to carve out a niche for himself in Europe. 

In those two games, Spurs created five chances from what Opta defines as a 'Fast Break' and carved out four 'Big Chances'. With opposition defences exposed and disorganised, Spurs were able to fashion clear opportunities and shots from better locations. In their Champions League games this season against Inter and Barcelona, Spurs have created precisely zero chances from Fast Breaks and zero Big Chances. Put simply, they are not taking full advantage of the phases of play when their opponents are at their most vulnerable. 

Spurs' counter-attacking strategy last season was also aided by scoring first and scoring early. Against Barcelona, they were in the unenviable position of having to chase the game from 1-0 down just moments into the match, having previously lost in Milan. The absence of Dele Alli through injury in both matches has blunted Tottenham's threat in transitions, while there was also no Christian Eriksen to supply Lucas Moura and Son against Barcelona. 

Styles make fights of course, and the opponent needs to open up in order for there to be chances to counter-punch. Spurs can expect to have the better of possession and territory against PSV, who are on paper the weakest team in their group. However, the Dutch side are used to dominating domestic games and may leave gaps in the away game in Eindhoven. 

Nurse Christian Eriksen back to top form

Eriksen featured in three of Tottenham's top five passing combinations in that Wembley win over Dortmund and two of their top four when they vanquished Real Madrid, and on both occasions the Eriksen-Harry Kane combination was prominent. It is no great revelation to say good things happen when Tottenham's most creative player and reliable goalscorer connect. 

Against Inter at the San Siro, Eriksen did not feature in any of Tottenham's 10 most frequent pass combinations, although he did score with a deflected shot. Goalkeeper Michel Vorm featured in two of their top four, evidence that Pochettino's side struggled to progress play through the thirds and spent too long playing in the wrong areas. 

In the two Champions League games this season, Spurs have also completed just two successful through balls, a route to goal they would normally expect Eriksen to explore. Kane's post-March tendency to drop into a No.10 position and look for passes to feet may have played a role in depressing this number, although the strategy can be effective when Son and Lucas burst into the space he vacates. 

Eriksen has also looked a little off-colour domestically, but is now back from an abdominal injury that may have restricted him. For all Spurs' intensity, organisation and vibrancy over the past three years, one criticism is that they can lack subtlety and guile and rely heavily on Eriksen to provide invention. 

Consider a back three

Pochettino looked to have settled on three centre-halves and wing-backs in last season's group stage, but is yet to use the system in this year's competition despite numerous domestic tweaks and changes of shape. 

The formation is a strong option for Spurs, who do not really possess a natural winger in the squad - Pochettino tends to use Lucas through the middle close to Kane. In Danny Rose, Ben Davies, Serge Aurier and Kieran Trippier, Spurs have scope to rotate and use two dynamic wing-backs to stretch the pitch and hug the touchline. That allows any combination of Erik Lamela, Alli or Eriksen to start in a central position rather than a nominal wide role. 

Jan Vertonghen, currently injured, and Toby Alderweireld play in a three frequently with Belgium, while Davinson Sanchez's adventurous style in possession can be indulged with two other defenders covering for him.

Kane is not quite the darting, irrepressible lone striker of a year ago, so several variations on a back three enable him to have a partnership with Lucas, Son or Alli. If Spurs progress in the competition, Pochettino may well revert to this formula.