Do they stick or twist? “We need to look at the video and try to teach him”, the Argentinian said. When was the last time, 1961?
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“Spurs, of course, have a proud tradition in Europe too, but given a choice between both there’s no doubt which the fans and the players would choose”. In Mauricio Pochettino, they have a manager who is much sought after, and has galvanised Spurs over the last 18 months, introducing a style of football that whilst solid in defence, is extremely counter-attacking and presses up high on the opposition defence and midfield.
This means he could miss up to 11 more Spurs matches if they proceed to the next round of the Europa League and FA Cup. Playing Thursday and Sunday doesn’t do the players any favours either, as others have proved in the past.
Injury-depleted United suffered another blow close to kick-off when goalkeeper David de Gea was injured in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Sergio Romero. Tottenham’s push for a top-four spot also crumbled after that as they ran out of steam – but their head coach feels this team are better-equipped to challenge on three fronts.
Tottenham picked up a decent 1-1 draw with Italian outfit Fiorentina in Florence, after taking the lead in the first half through a penalty kick from Nacer Chadli. Will history repeat itself?
“They have a lot of quality, so even an injury doesn’t make them weaker”. I don’t think they are good enough. A repeat of last term’s European club competition results would see Serie A snatch an additional UEFA Champions League berth off the Premier League from 2017/18.
“The tie is open now, our aim is to get to the next round”, Pochettino told reporters after his side failed to extend their seven-match winning streak.
“I’m sure he sees this squad of players and what is happening at Tottenham on and off the field and realises these are very exciting times for the club”. Yes, you could call them favourites.
Fiorentina also showed their scoring prowess in the group stages as they forced 11 goals in the competition so far – they will surely hope that they can continue when they go up against Tottenham. The fact that title rivals Leicester have only their 12 Premier League fixtures left to play could be a key component to the first-team selection against Fiorentina.
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The 68-year-old, who has been out of management since leaving QPR in April 2015, guided Spurs to their first-ever Champions League campaign back in 2010.
