Tottenham Hotspur finally looks like it belongs in Champions League

Big games generate big conclusions, even when nobody ends up winning. Tottenham Hotspur went to Real Madrid on Tuesday night, and came away with a 1-1 draw, a point, and top place in their group. But it wasn’t just an entertaining game that could have been won by either team. It was a statement from Spurs, of various kinds. Of ability. Of intent. And, perhaps, of belonging.

On a practical level, this was a demonstration of both flexibility and depth within the squad. A handful of Spurs most important players were missing, so Mauricio Pochettino had to reshuffle both his shape and his personnel. With Dele Alli missing, Fernando Llorente came in to play with Harry Kane, and was particularly effective in the second half, when Spurs went a little more direct and he adopted “the Fellaini role.”

In defence, with Ben Davies and Danny Rose not fit to start, Jan Vertonghen had to move over to left wingback. This meant a start for 21-year-old Davinson Sánchez. And with Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama missing from midfield, Harry Winks (also 21) and general misfit Moussa Sissoko were given starting places.

Did it work? Well … yes and no. Yes, because they got the draw; and because Sissoko and Winks coped admirably against one of the best midfields in Europe. And no, because Real Madrid created plenty of chances, and Hugo Lloris was man of the match.

If Karim Benzema tucks his goals away, then everything fizzles off into uselessness. It is, by cliche, better to be lucky than good. It is probably more sustainable to be good than to be lucky. Sometimes, though, a side needs to be both.

So we know that Spurs, even under-strength and out-of-shape, can scrap their way to a decent result against the champions of Europe. We can now start to wonder if they’ve permanently overcome last season’s weird allergy to the Champions League.

Tuesday’s performance certainly bodes well. Spurs were never the better team against Real Madrid but they worked hard even as they were riding their luck. Most importantly, they never wilted. Not when Madrid hit the post in the opening exchanges; not when Serge Aurier dived in heroically-slash-idiotically and gave Cristiano Ronaldo his equaliser; not when Marco Asensio, the best kid in Europe, came on to reinforce an already intimidating attack.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of Spurs under Pochettino has been the consistency with which things get better. Players improve under his management. Problems get dealt with. And the team as a whole is more dangerous, and more well-rounded, with every passing season. So perhaps it shouldn’t be any surprise that this mysterious European problem, whatever it was, has apparently been solved.

So far in Group H, Spurs have managed a good home win against a decent side, a comfortable away victory against the anticipated minnow of the group, and now an away draw against one of Europe’s best teams. That’s exactly the run of results you’d expect from a “proper” Champions League team, one feeling secure in its ability to reach the latter stages. Spurs didn’t look better than Real Madrid. But they looked like they belonged in the same competition. And that’s an improvement.