Tottenham are undoubtedly in the midst of the most crucial stage of their season to date. The return of the Europa League means games are coming thick and fast, and with the title race hotting up, every point in the league is crucial.
Now, it is almost a given that Spurs will have a chance of winning Europe’s second tier competition at this time of the year and as a result the Europa League has lost its appeal to many Lilywhite’s fans.
However, at no point in the Premier League era, have the North Londoners been in serious contention for the league title with this amount of games played, so many are now pondering whether Mauricio Pochettino should effectively sacrifice the continental tournament in favour of the domestic one.
It cannot be denied that choosing which competition the club should treat with more seriousness is narcissism personified but there is some validity to the argument.
Should Spurs progress to the final of the Europa League, they will still have to play 20 games before the end of the season, which is significantly greater than the 12, league leaders Leicester have left.
Now it could be argued that fellow title contenders, Arsenal and Manchester City may theoretically take to the field around as many times as Tottenham, although what must also be brought into the debate is the dynamic of competing in both the Europa League and Premier League. It has been shown multiple times by multiple teams, that playing on a Thursday and then a Sunday puts a serious strain on the team’s stamina and often results slip.
This takes on extra significance with news of injuries to Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele, just breaking, injuries which Mauricio Pochettino simply cannot afford if he wishes to lead his side on a serious title charge.
With this being said, the whole argument has one, very significant flaw. It presumes Spurs’ advancement throughout the Europa League tournament to the final. While the North Londoners are without a doubt one of the strongest teams in the competition, there remains a number of strong sides in contention: Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Sevilla and Valencia to name but a few.
Additionally, if most fans were to cast their mind back to the beginning of the season, expectations would almost certainly not have included the prospect of a league title and few would have given the side a chance in Europe. So to now revise aims to prioritise winning the league by sacrificing European commitments is inherently wrong.
Instead, the Lilywhites should continue with the winning formula which has led them to this point, taking each game as it comes with the youthful exuberance exerted by the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
To start throwing games would corrupt this attitude and kill the momentum Pochettino and his team have built, thus having the opposite effect to the one they wish.
