Tottenham’s story in European football has become a tale of ups and downs. After being hugely successful in this competition during the 1970s and 80s when it was called as the UEFA Cup, Spurs have struggled to take their game to the next level by being a regular at the Champions League. For a club that had its first success in the European football was back in 1963 in the form of a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup over Atletico Madrid, just two seasons and 20 games in the Champions League is not a great return.
As Spurs prepare for only their second Champions League campaign when they host Monaco on Wednesday night, there are a few things that they should avoid in order to experience the feeling of a successful European campaign once again.
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Making Use of Home Fixtures
European football has become so competitive that away victories are becoming a rarity nowadays. Gone are those days when qualification from the group stages was easy. Even teams that may be unheard of put together a tough challenge especially in front of their home supporters. This makes it vitally important for teams to win their home games to stand a chance of qualification. Tottenham will begin their campaign at home match against Monaco, and a positive start will help feed confidence into the minds of the young players.
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Forget Attacking in Numbers
The Champions League games are always closely fought encounters with teams trying to give a little. Spurs should grab the Premier League-level enthusiasm in terms of attack so as to avoid being counter-attacked by the opposition. The likes of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose pushing forward may be crucial to their style of play, but they have to be a little cautious in European games. The defensive midfielder will have to stay aware at all times so as to protect his back line.
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Not Taking It Easy
Seeing fellow English outfit Manchester City drawn in the ‘group of death’ against the likes of Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach should not lead Tottenham into thinking that their group is easy. There are no easy games in the Champions League and Mauricio Pochettino should repeatedly make this fact clear in the minds of the players. Further, playing the home matches at Wembley stadium is also likely to see the players receive less support from their fans, as Wembley stands are not as close to the pitch as at White Hart Lane.
CSKA Moscow and Bayer Leverkusen are the other group opponents.