‘Bad day at office’ for Spurs as Marco Reus runs riot
Harry Kane was left on the bench at the Westfalenstadion as Pochettino played Nacer Chadli up front, Ryan Mason and Tom Carroll in midfield, and handed 18-year-old Josh Onomah only his fourth start of the season.
The decision to rest some of his top players, with Mousa Dembele also on the bench and Eric Dier left at home, backfired as Marco Reus’ double and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s header all but ended Spurs’ hopes of progress.
“No regrets,” Pochettino said. “I’m very disappointed with the result but we didn’t have a very good day. It was a bad day in the office.
“When we analysed the squad and picked the starting 11 we tried to win the game. It started OK but it was a really bad day for us.”
Reus scored twice as Dortmund overpowered the Londoners. The German side took charge when Aubameyang, who earlier had an effort disallowed, headed the opener after 30 minutes.
Reus emphatically volleyed a second from close range just after the hour and then potentially put the tie beyond Spurs with a neat finish after 70 minutes.
A trip to bottom-of-the-table Aston Villa on Sunday offers the perfect chance to bounce back as Spurs look to resume a title challenge that has them sitting five points behind league leaders Leicester.
“I am not worried, I know the circumstances,” Pochettino said.
“We need to accept some periods during 10 months that we will have good and bad times. We have always had things good.
“It has only been in the last few games not so much. The players are very sad but we have to take the positives.
“We have a big challenge against Aston Villa on Sunday. We are in a very good position in the league and we will do our best.”
Dortmund demonstrated Spurs still have a way to go to compete with the European elite.
“I think they had a good experience but we spoke yesterday and I told them that to play at the next level you compete with teams like Borussia Dortmund, which is a real test,” Pochettino said.
“It was good for us to feel what a game in the Champions League feels like.
“It was disappointing because the result was bad but to build a group for the next few years to compete at the level of Borussia Dortmund is very difficult.
“We were disappointed but it was a very good test for us to compare the level.”
Weidenfeller, Bender (Subotic 58), Hummels, Piszczek, Weigl, Schmelzer, Durm, Mkhitaryan, Castro, Reus (Ramos 82), Aubameyang (Kagawa 82).
Burki, Leitner, Sahin, Ginter.
Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies, Carroll, Mason, Onomah, Eriksen (Lamela 65), Son (Kane 76), Chadli (Dembele 58).
Vorm, Walker, Bentaleb, Carter-Vickers.
Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
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Anderlecht rallied after the break and pulled one back through Frank Acheampong but Eduardo’s 79th-minute effort ensured a healthy lead for Shakhtar.
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