Despite the source article being Jamie Carragher’s work, the conclusion I’ve drawn makes sense.
Our record against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal across all competitions plus Champions League fixtures reads: nine wins out of 37 matches.
The odds of us doing any damage in a prolonged campaign are as long as your arm. We’re so hit and miss against the better sides that any good we do is permanently diluted.
This explains a lot. Spurs under Poch prioritise the Premier League and our results in that competition are further enhanced thanks to there being so many naff sides to collect bread and butter points from.
In the Europa, we unable to commit to fielding full strength teams and again, when we met someone good, we invariably got beaten.
The Champions League is the worst case scenario, our best XI couldn’t make it past the Group stage.
Add the incredibly stupid Wembley decision into the mix and…
What does stand out as a strong idea, is to target the domestic cups.
Here we have a very short run of games before getting to a final. Other positives include we could well end up facing someone like Birmingham City in the final and most Premier League sides don’t take these competitions seriously.
But there’s a problem.
I’m thinking like a fan.
From ENIC’s financial perspective this is unchecked madness. None of these cups come anywhere close to maximising profits.