***OMT - Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund - first leg***

[the dza]

I think a lot of people are ignoring the fatigue issue, it's not about resting players for Villa, it's about players who ran their cobblers off against West Ham and/or Arsenal not having enough energy to play against a constrictive all action Dortmund side tonight.

And then some of them playing AGAIN against Villa...and then all of them AGAIN v Dortmund...and most of them AGAIN v Bournemouth. Leaving us nice and phucked for Liverpool away and Utd at home, with (iirc) the next Europa League game in between those two (i might be wrong on that one though). Though it probably would have been a heroic extra time and pens defeat v Dortmund, just for good measure.

Meanwhile, Leicester keep picking the same team week after week and win the phucking league, because none of the teams behind them could avoid dropping points due to being knackered.

 

[milo]

Yeah I agree with that but our record after Europa is awful and it costs us season after season. This season we look like we're having a go at it and when we play our first top team we fold....

I 100% wouldn't have minded had it been in the last round as it would have been a case of throwing it earlier enough to focus on others.

I'm not saying we didn't have the hardest draw as we clearly did but seems strange to throw it after so many games

But we didn't throw it tonight anymore than when we picked a similar strength side in the last round.

 

[glorygloryeze]

He will have the money to sign a couple of key reinforcements.

Hi Steff; are you saying this as ITK or is it your assumption/opinion?

 

[Robspur12]

But we didn't throw it tonight anymore than when we picked a similar strength side in the last round.

Not quite true. It is a more reasonable gamble to field a weakened side against a "weaker" European team. It is suicide against one the top teams in Europe unless of course you are contemptuous of the Tournament in the first place.

 

[glasgowspur]

As soon as we draw Dortmund it was always unlikely we would go through.
The style they play we would have run out cobblers off over to legs to win. Affecting out league chances.
We had more chance of winning the league than knocking Dortmund out.
That Dortmund side would be out of sight if they played in the PL.

 

[diego_maradona]

When assessing today think about shifting priorities.
How crazy is it to say with 9 games left of the PL there's a better chance of winning the PL then the EL with 6 games to go.

 

[StephenH]

Just to talk about something that happened in tonights game, for a change...

Was it me, or did they seem to target the full-back on whichever side Onomah was playing? 1st half, Trippier had a hard time, 2nd half, Onomah was on the left more and Davies was getting the sh1t. He will have to work on the defensive part of his game.

Trippier was all over the place tonight - and the midfield two were an accident waiting to happen.
But we have to give these players 'big game' time or they will never improve, it's hard to watch but invaluable learning experience.

 

[We are Tottenham]

So...whatever way you put it..it's ok to raise the white flag for this game?
That's what we have done...
If poch wins us the Premier....we can and will forgive..it's a big if though....

 

[balesleftboot]

Bit wound up right now but going to say it, this game, this club is about the Glory. Not about the obsession in this country with top 4. So obsessed with the CL yet rarely get a winner from our nation.

All very well people sitting at home being pleased we sacrificed tonight for Villa on Sunday, what about those that have paid good money , or taken time off work to travel to Germany to have to watch that brick. A complete joke and in many ways I can't stand the way football is now.

I would love to have been old enough to be a fan between the 60s-80's , back when every game mattered. And certainly a last 16 European game against a top side.

If that is really what football has become, making sure that you're competing in the CL rather than try and win the tournaments that we are in then what's the point.

There are big changes I'd make to football to make it more competetive on all fronts again. For starters I'd make CL only for Champions, as it should be. Then rename Europa back to UEFA Cup, play it on a seperate week to the CL on Tues/Wednesday night and back to it's old format. Still award the winner of the UEFA Cup a CL spot, so that it would definitely be better than finishing 4th in your league!

 

[milo]

Not quite true. It is a more reasonable gamble to field a weakened side against a "weaker" European team. It is suicide against one the top teams in Europe unless of course you are contemptuous of the Tournament in the first place.

It is true in that we played a similar strength side away against Fiorentina. No argument that we played a better side tonight.

The question is, was it worth playing a stronger side tonight if it would have had a detrimental impact on our league challenge and, even if we get past Dortmund, what is our chance of winning this Cup?

Even before tonight, we had a better chance of winning the league than the Europa League.

 

[StephenH]

As soon as we draw Dortmund it was always unlikely we would go through.
The style they play we would have run out cobblers off over to legs to win. Affecting out league chances.
We had more chance of winning the league than knocking Dortmund out.
That Dortmund side would be out of sight if they played in the PL.

I think you are right re PL - We are running on empty IMHO - we needed Dortmund ATM like I needed another arsehole. I don't by the way!

West Ham, Arsenal and tonight Dortmund all in 8 days was just too much ATM

 

[Bedfordspurs]

But we didn't throw it tonight anymore than when we picked a similar strength side in the last round.

We didnt take it serious though

That was our weakest side we have played in a very long time

No centre forward, no holding midfielder, our most inexperienced full backs (I won't say second choice)

We made 7 changes from our first 11 - that's not a team put out to get a result against a team that are in the top 5 or 6 in Europe

 

[mudshark]

Meh, can't get too worked up. Dortmund look good value for their tag as favourites, and I think we'd very likely have lost tonight whatever side was put out. There was probably only at best a 1 in 3 chance of the quarter-finals, even if we didn't have key players running on empty and we could afford only minimal rotation. On the other hand, if we'd played a 'first choice' XI tonight and then proceeded to drop points against Villa on Sunday, we'd all be dodging spat dummies then. Might as well watch them fly tonight.

 

[glorygloryeze]

We are playing Aston Villa in our next league game, NOT Arsenal or West Ham....

 

[Bedfordspurs]

And then some of them playing AGAIN against Villa...and then all of them AGAIN v Dortmund...and most of them AGAIN v Bournemouth. Leaving us nice and phucked for Liverpool away and Utd at home, with (iirc) the next Europa League game in between those two (i might be wrong on that one though). Though it probably would have been a heroic extra time and pens defeat v Dortmund, just for good measure.

Meanwhile, Leicester keep picking the same team week after week and win the phucking league, because none of the teams behind them could avoid dropping points due to being knackered.

Whilst I get the logic the issue I have is the points we have already dropped from playing in this tournament could be the ones that cost us the league!!! Games like Swansea away and poocastle and chelsea at home - that's 8 points dropped against poor sides after Europa straight away

Why play in the tournament to lose those league points and then give it up when it gets hard

 

[milo]

We are playing Aston Villa in our next league game, NOT Arsenal or West Ham....

Yeah but as others have said, we have played West Ham and Arsenal in the last 8 days and maybe some of the first 11 are carrying knocks or are fatigued.

 

[Robspur12]

It is true in that we played a similar strength side away against Fiorentina. No argument that we played a better side tonight.

The question is, was it worth playing a stronger side tonight if it would have had a detrimental impact on our league challenge and, even if we get past Dortmund, what is our chance of winning this Cup?

Even before tonight, we had a better chance of winning the league than the Europa League.

Hard to say mate. I wrote a post after the West Ham game suggesting that we had to go for it in either the league or Europe as we could not win both. We have a tough run in, so the league is no more likely perhaps. Any way I hope we really go for it on Sunday and go out in a blaze of glory on Thursday other wise we are doing what I always criticise Arsenal for- being a side who have long ago given up on glory and settled for just taking part in the big tournaments.

 

[We are Tottenham]

How many on here do you think would agree with you?

ATMo I don,t rate either. I said before Carrol is not
Prem material ..pity he can,t prove me wrong!

 

[glasgowspur]

We didnt take it serious though

That was our weakest side we have played in a very long time

No centre forward, no holding midfielder, our most inexperienced full backs (I won't say second choice)

We made 7 changes from our first 11 - that's not a team put out to get a result against a team that are in the top 5 or 6 in Europe

One was injured, Jan
One suspended, alli
One has a very good record against this team, son

We also have something like 6 games in 14 days starting from West Ham through to Bournemouth. Even if we don't win the league we need to keep something in the tank to stay 2nd

 

[milo]

We didnt take it serious though

That was our weakest side we have played in a very long time

No centre forward, no holding midfielder, our most inexperienced full backs (I won't say second choice)

We made 7 changes from our first 11 - that's not a team put out to get a result against a team that are in the top 5 or 6 in Europe

We took it as seriously as the last round.

I am not saying that it is a straight choice between the two but would you have been happy to see us throw the league to stand a better chance of winning difficult tie?