Should we sack off the Europa League?

I've mentioned this a couple of times fellas, but I'm interested to see everyone's responses.

Prior to AVB, 'Arry never really took the competition very seriously, often fielding weakened sides and giving the youngsters a run.

As we all know, AVB had a different take on it and wanted to win it. Whilst I admire AVB for trying to get us some silverware in a competition we stood a very good chance of doing well in, the demands of the competition seem to have an affect on Domestic form. - and that's not just us.

Liverpool and Newcastle are both without Europa League football this season and the improvement in both clubs is evident. Swansea on the other hand, are struggling more this season.

I can't pinpoint the reasons why it seems to have such an affect. - Maybe it's to do with playing on Thursday and Sundays? maybe it's the distance the players have to generally travel? I dunno.

Now Sherwood is in charge and the europa was "AVB's baby", should Sherwood revert back to the approach Redknapp took a few seasons back? With our season looking like it might be back on track (fingers crossed), should we solely focus on the premier league now?

with the current injury list, do we really want to be taking our fit players all across europe?

I'm of the opinion that we get out asap. The season has been full of disruption so far, but now we finally look like we're on the mend. With everything above considered, I just can't see how it'll end well.

I'd rather we went for the FA cup (despite it being a lot to ask away at Arsenal on Saturday).

 

No, if we are to get into the CL we will need the experience of coping with european competition squad-wise and also we will be grateful for the coefficient points when the draw is done

 

I'd want us to try and win it but at the same time use the squad players until we face a "top team".

One of the things I fully backed AVB on was his desire to win every competition but what I disagreed with him on was the over exertion of certain players. I remember when he took most of the first team squad to Anzhi and then also took most of them to Tromso when we'd already qualified, to me that was poor choices but as I said, I was glad he wanted to win the trophy. I'd arguably take a trophy over 4th place at the moment I think. While I loved us playing against the likes of Inter, AC and Real, nothing beats seeing Spurs lift a cup. Besides, doesn't winning Europa get you CL qualification now? Or is that next season?

My "Europa Team" if all were fit would be:

Friedel,
Naughton, Dawson, Chiriches, Fryers
Lamela, Capoue, Holtby, Chadli
Sigurdsson
Defoe

A solid team in my opinion and capable of beating 85% of sides in the competition. Obviously that line up would change if we got paired with say the likes of Juventus or another CL drop out.

 

Next season SOS, so we've got a great chance of winning it this, and no chance next

 

I think our squad would be capable of dealing with a CL campaign, we've got enough players for it! We wouldn't win the thing anyway.
What I'm really getting at mate, is will the EL competition now be to our detriment due to our injuries? do we face other fit players going down the same route from 2 games a week?
It is worth getting out of it to give us a level playing field with Liverpool and Everton and standing the best chance of a top 4 finish?
With united still in the CL too, this could be a great chance for us to capitalise.

I agree with you on trophies, but the balance of domestic football and the EL just seems too difficult.
Th problem with that team though SOS, is that id depends on everyone being fit, like u say. If we were looking at this last September, we'd have 2 teams, which we all felt would be easily capable of competing in both competitions. Not the case now.

 

I don't understand, you think we could handle the CL but can't currently handle the EL? The CL will have much tougher games, admittedly maybe not in such remote places

 

We don't play EL till late Feb now. Our injury status should be a lot better by then? We have enough good players to have 2 good teams, especially if Kaboul can get to a decent level of fitness, so I can't see why we would not go into it trying to win.

 

I meant a CL campaign starting back in Sept. Not in our current situation!

 

True, but 2 cold months could also cause us to get more. I'm not trying to be negative here, but we see it time and time again during the winter when the niggling injuries kick in. Not to mention that we seem to be a club who sign injury prone players!

If the EL winners qualified for the CL next season, my thoughts would be totally different.
I just feel that we'd be better off putting our eggs in 1 basket with the league, then if we fail to make top 4, at least we're in Europa again next season, where winning it is a different kettle of fish and doesn't put as much pressure on the domestic league position.

We've faced some blows this year. More injuries or loss of form in the prem due to the strain of the Europa could be another kick in the balls, IMO.

 

I think this is spot on. We need to see what our injuries are like at the end of February. Not meaning to sound negative but we could well be out of the FA cup by then so potentially it's only 2 tournaments to go at. I want us to try and win something it's been too long.

My question would be would you rather win the Europa league and finish 5th or finish 4th and win nothing?

 

If we want to be a CL side then we need to be able to cope with extra games. To put all the effort in to qualify for Europe and then rubbish it seems futile to me.

We have a big enough squad now and we need these extra games to give them all a chance of playing regulaly. If we're in it we should try to win it.

 

If we want to move up to the next level we need to be able to compete in the wafer. If you are going to sack anything it need to be the league cup, which the Spam already did for us. As far as I see it the issue with the wafer is that it doesn't give the manager and coaches the time that they need on the training ground. If you are trying to get new players to gel it can be a disadvantage. Now we are beginning to gel I think the extra games may be in our favour rather than count against us. Furthermore, success in a European Tournament can only be good for team morale. Lets go and win it. COYS!!!

 

There's enough youngsters to come in and do a job as well I think though mate. Bentaleb has shown already that he's not fased by top opposition, Kane is more than ready for EL games, Fredericks impressed in his 45 minutes the other week and we've got others like McEvoy, Velijkovic and no doubt others that Tim knows of who could likely come in for a game or two if needed (maybe recalling Pritch & Mason from Swindon could be an option?). Even with all our injuries I think we can still cope with Europa providing the players are managed correctly. Like others have mentioned, if we do get CL football again we need to be prepared for it and the EL is the best preparation.

 

ahh. you've reminded me of what I was going to ask in my last reply to you!

How are we fixed in terms of registered players for the competition? I'm guessing AVB probably would have probably occupied most places with "first teamers". Now we've got so many key injuries, can this change and new players come in, whilst others are sacrificed? I've never really understood this.

If so, give all the youngsters a run to get them the experience. Perfect for the likes of Kane, Bentaleb, Fredricks etc.

 

I'm not sure of the ruling for the EL to be honest, I presume that most of our youngsters - especially home grown ones - are eligible, trying to think back, Kane, Fredericks, Fryers, McEvoy, Coulthirst and Archer have all either played or been named on the bench for at least one game I think. Maybe Bentaleb and Velijkovic need to be registered if there are spots left? Someone else will need to clear this up though mate.

 

Depends on the injury situation now, and the squad lineup come Feb 1.

We have two reference points.
2010-11, when the demands on the squad from the CL made the PL campaign grind to a halt.
2012-13, when the Europa KO ties coincided with the period Spurs had that PL slump that
let the Goons back in.

We now have at worst 2 more games before the last 16 stage, which then runs into the PL
spring fixture batch. So that is 4 more UEFA ranking points up for grabs.
20 odd points by March would be a decent tally even if we then went out in the next round.

If the squad is not injury-blighted by then, then that will allow strong teams to be fielded
without impacting on the PL. Given March is by far the worst month for Spurs in the PL run in,
if Sherwood then wants to go Arry-esque and field weak teams in the Europa, I would have no complaints.

 

Isn't there a 2nd registration at the end of Jan like in the league? If we sign peeps in the jan window i'm pretty sure we can amend registered squad so they can play as long as they aren't cup tied.

 

I think this is why I feel the way I do. As much as I want us to win a trophy, I'm not really seeing many positives with the Europa. I love the latter stages of the competition when the CL dropouts enter the race, as there's some really decent teams, but Part of me just thinks... why not just go for the FA cup instead? a trophy is a trophy. (my opinion might change as of 7pm-ish on saturday!

 

"Isn't there a 2nd registration at the end of Jan like in the league?"

There is, which is why I said you need to wait for the next transfer window to close.
Someone said that a few of the Academy kids (Veljkovic etc) might be classed as "home grown"
then, in which case we have potentially an even bigger squad available for the Europa
without the quota issues.

 

"I think this is why I feel the way I do."

As with all things, pragmatism over dogma.
We know what can happen to the PL form when the UEFA KO games come in.
Before then, try to win both legs in Feb. And then from a position of 20 odd pts
I will trust the coaches to assess the squad injury situation on a per round basis,
and then decide when/whether the PL campaign will be derailed because of the Europa
(and go Arry-esque with the team selections) .