Tottenham play Belgian club K.A.A Gent tonight in the first knockout round after being ousted from the Champions League. The Tottenham fans have had mixed reactions to qualification and the responses of the fans have varied wildly. The North London outfit have got a rather favourable draw in the round of 32 and this perhaps has given rise to even more debate among the Tottenham fans. While some see it as a ticket to the Champions League if they win it, many others feel it might prove to be a huge distraction from the Premier League.
Although this particular draw would not necessarily demand a strong team to be fielded to win against the Belgian outfit, draws in the next round may require Tottenham to do away with the balance in the Premier League.
The preconceived notion before the Premier League started was that squad was self-sufficient and had enough quality players to manage multiple competitions. That thought has all but evaporated with dismal Champions League outing and numerous injuries to vital players like Moussa Dembele, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose and Harry Kane over the course of the season which has deprived Pochettino of fielding the best side possible not only in the Premier League but other competitions as well. This has also led to rather inadequate breaks to the first team and even the fringe players.
Tottenham’s primary concern now should be Premier League and although Tottenham are sitting third they cannot possibly relax and have to be on their toes for the next Premier League games. That’s not to say I wouldn’t want Pochettino to give up Europa League altogether. I know my response sounds strongly diplomatic but that’s only because that’s how actually confusing it is.
The solution I propose to this particular problem is this: play only the fringe players in the first two rounds, and if we qualify for the next two rounds, maybe we can field a sufficiently strong side in accordance to the team we draw and then play our best possible eleven in the subsequent games given we qualify.
This way not only can Tottenham make do without having to play their first team but also keep themselves from jeopardising their chances of qualifying for the Champions League by finishing in the top four.
Also, there are other added advantages of playing in the Europa League which includes getting players used to playing a game every three days. Not to undermine the exertion of travelling, but it can be worth it since really strong sides like Dortmund aren’t participating this time around which actually increases our chances of winning it. In addition, this will also help players in getting used to Wembley which they may be used for half of the next season in the Premier League as well as other competitions. Also, a European trophy could do a lot of good to the confidence of the players at the club.
With Tottenham’s new stadium in sight, Champions League is of paramount importance to Spurs and it will only be downright idiotic to not be open to options for Pochettino.