Tottenham commence their Europa League campaign shortly
Tottenham Hotspur are back in continental action next week as their UEFA Europa League campaign gets underway against Azerbaijani side Qarabag.
It is the first of eight league phase fixtures for the Lilywhites with Europe’s second tier club competition also adopting a different format as with the Champions League.
The team is also set to feature against the likes of Ferencvaros, AZ Alkmaar, Galatasaray, AS Roma, Rangers, Hoffenheim and Elsborg in the opening phase of the tournament and at least on paper, these are fixtures which the north Londoners should not face too many difficulties in.
It goes without saying that Tottenham have one of the best squads and a very capable manager in the Europa League, but besides that, there are enough reasons to believe why they can win the competition in May in Bilbao.
United will have different objectives
Tottenham’s biggest threat to the Europa League is a domestic rival, Manchester United. The Red Devils secured passage to the competition by winning the FA Cup at Manchester City’s expense last season. However, it remains to be seen how much importance they will give the continental competition.
After their worst Premier League finish last season having ended eighth, Erik ten Hag was backed in the transfer window and has no excuse to not secure a top four berth in the league this season. As a result, United’s ambitions of winning the continental trophy could take a backseat.
Tottenham, on the other hand, will see the Europa League as their best chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season besides winning a first piece of silverware in over a decade. They are not at the level to contend for a top four spot in the Premier League just yet and therefore, Ange Postecoglou could go all-in on the Europa League.
Postecoglou’s second season factor
Ange Postecoglou has maintained that he will win a trophy at Tottenham Hotspur, citing successful campaigns elsewhere as a benchmark he hopes to maintain in north London. The Australian called last season a “failure” and seems very determined to let the results speak for themselves.
Unlike Spurs’ previous managers like Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho who were reactive to poor results, Postecoglou seems to have accepted the long-time issues at Hotspur Way and consequent to that, he continues to have the faith of the board members, particularly Daniel Levy, and the dressing room for the longer run.
With a good mix of experienced and young players, both of whom are ambitious, Tottenham could defy the odds to win the Europa League this season. If indeed he does so, Ange Postecoglou would secure undisputed status as a club legend.
Team on paper
Barring Manchester United, Tottenham have the best team on paper as compared to the rest of the Europa League participants. Athletic Bilbao from La Liga could be a threat for Spurs and might be motivated at the prospect of playing the Europa League final at their venue in May, but it is hard to argue that their squad is better than Spurs’, at least by the looks of it.
Heung-min Son is arguably the best player in this edition of the Europa League while a stable backline consisting of the likes of Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro amongst others should lay a good foundation for success. The midfield is also a strong department and though admittedly not as strong as it was a few years ago, there is enough differential firepower.
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Finally, Dominic Solanke, whose career at Chelsea and Liverpool was largely spent as a second fiddle will also be determined to prove a point by translating his goals into silverware. As such, there is no better stage than the continental one for the Englishman to flourish.
