This is my team, rather than stab at what Poch will probably pick.
As per this week’s Hotspur’s Half Hour, I’ve decided that in an ideal world we ought to aim to finish about 10th. Fings ain’t what they used to be in Europe. The Champions League is where it’s at.
The Europa is a war of attrition that nobody in their right mind would voluntarily undertake. It’s an extra half a season on top of your actual Premier League commitment and the net result is fatigue. Yes you can win a pot, yes you can gain a free pass into the Champions League. But this is a classic example of the stick being far more imposing than then the carrot.
So what’s wrong with trying to finish 4th, then? In theory, it sounds like a good plan, but this squad is 100% a work in progress and if it isn’t up to getting beyond the Round of 32 in the Europa, how on earth the same squad going to make a credible dent in a tougher competition?
And if you miss 4th, there’s a significantly better chance of you finishing 5th than 3rd.
The absolute blight of this season has been the Europa. It has hindered Pochettino’s development of the lads and it’s time to say that out loud. Playing in Europe sounds romantic enough, but the bitter reality is a 5.30pm kick off just outside the Arctic Circle, watching us on ITV4+1, watching us play in front of three men and a dog.
I’m not suggesting we throw games, of course not. Rather that we acknowledge that a Europa League qualifying spot is something to actively swerve. If it looks like we’re close to ‘accidentally’ securing a place, we start ‘resting’ the likes of Kane and Eriksen at once.
Anyway – Swansea are very beatable. Yes, they are 4 points over our shoulder, and they appeared to have ‘coped’ comparatively well with the absence of Bony. But they are no heavy hitters, we’re at home, and this is a great opportunity for all the players that have been spouting upbeat claptrap on the official site to put their ‘ where their mouth is.’
Prediction? It would be nice if we won a game. Something we have failed to do since the Arsenal match.
Nevertheless I’m going for an ultimately unsatisfying Desmond; 2-2.
