*** OMT TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs Fiorentina 2nd leg ***

[Cotswold]

I don't think we are good enough to win the Europa League and challenge for the top 4. Something has to give.
Therefore, I would prioritise the Capital One Cup and then pushing for 4th place rather than scraping past Fiorentina only to give ourselves more games in a season where we must have already played the best part of 40 matches.
With that in mind, and given Chelsea will have had a week long rest, i'd play the following:

……………………………….Lloris
……...Walker…..Dier…Vertonghen…Davies
…………………….Stambouli…Paulinho
…………Townsend….Dembele….Chadli
……………………………….Soldado

Subject to injuries I'd then look to bring in Fazio, Rose, Mason, Bentaleb, Lamela, Eriksen and Kane on Sunday, meaning 7 of Sunday's starting eleven won't have played for a week.

 

[Cotswold]

These types of games are what players at the top level work so hard to be a part of. All the big teams play in midweek and at the weekend, and we should be no different.

To some extent I agree - and Liverpool proved what we couldn't last weekend by winning on Thursday in the Europa and then again (away) on Sunday against a top half team. But this is more than just a week-day game in London. This is flying out to Florence today, playing a match, possibly with extra time tomorrow night, and then not getting back to London/Stanstead/home/hotel until the early hours of Friday morning. No training Friday, a light session on Saturday and then a Cup Final on Sunday. Compare that preparation to Chelsea's. I think Poch needs to make a very strong decision as to how he's going to go about this because if we lose in Florence and then get whipped on Sunday, he'll have real difficulty getting this team up for a fight for 4th, and let's be honest, if we're not in the CL next season, we are going to see a number of decent players (Vertonghen, Eriksen, Lloris??) heading off this summer.
The EL is a pain in the arse and Louis Van Gaal will be sitting at home tomorrow night thinking 'thank f*ck I'm not involved in this'.

 

[braineclipse]

Please do not look for something that is not there, I just do not understand how some ' fans ' ( do not get upset now), can take the chance of a European trophy so lightly.

There is no point in playing a game if we do not try and win it, and that means putting out our best team.

And some fans don't understand how others can take the league cup so lightly that they don't want us to rotate some players for Fiorentina.

Common for all is that they want what is best for our club...

Claiming that other fans are suggesting that we "throw away a trophy" seem pretty uncalled for to me. But sure, if you say that there's nothing there that's fine.

 

[markysimmo]

Brad Friedel, Emmanuel Adebayor, Younes Kaboul, DeAndre Yedlin, Ettiene Capoue and Cristian Ceballos have not travelled to Florence. #THFC

 

[SpurSF]

I think Poch needs to make a very strong decision as to how he's going to go about this because if we lose in Florence and then get whipped on Sunday, he'll have real difficulty getting this team up for a fight for 4th, and let's be honest, if we're not in the CL next season, we are going to see a number of decent players (Vertonghen, Eriksen, Lloris??) heading off this summer.
The EL is a pain in the arse and Louis Van Gaal will be sitting at home tomorrow night thinking 'thank f*ck I'm not involved in this'.

I don't really see it that way. If Poch can't get us geared up for a battle for fourth place, then what will he get the players up for? It's not like we are far off the pace. The way I see it, the only players who will start two matches this week are Eriksen, Kane, Bentaleb, Lloris, Vertonghen, one of Walker or Dier, and possibly Mason (depending on his comeback from that muscle injury). Those are the type of players who our team is built around and who will want to be in those big games and give everything for the team. Of course, I'm not privy to their fitness levels behind the scenes, but I'd think that they'd all back themselves and Poch's fitness regime to allow them to play two games in a week. It's not exactly Stoke in midweek then Villa at home on Saturday morning.

These are two massive games under the lights, away at Fiorentina and home for a cup final against Chelsea. This is what they train so hard for, and I don't think Poch can leave those players out of these matches.

 

[scaramanga]

Please do not look for something that is not there, I just do not understand how some ' fans ' ( do not get upset now), can take the chance of a European trophy so lightly.

There is no point in playing a game if we do not try and win it, and that means putting out our best team.

It's easy to take lightly because, at the moment, it's a very small chance of winning the least prestigious competition we're in this season.

 

[braineclipse]

I don't really see it that way. If Poch can't get us geared up for a battle for fourth place, then what will he get the players up for? It's not like we are far off the pace. The way I see it, the only players who will start two matches this week are Eriksen, Kane, Bentaleb, Lloris, Vertonghen, one of Walker or Dier, and possibly Mason (depending on his comeback from that muscle injury). Those are the type of players who our team is built around and who will want to be in those big games and give everything for the team. Of course, I'm not privy to their fitness levels behind the scenes, but I'd think that they'd all back themselves and Poch's fitness regime to allow them to play two games in a week. It's not exactly Stoke in midweek then Villa at home on Saturday morning.

These are two massive games under the lights, away at Fiorentina and home for a cup final against Chelsea. This is what they train so hard for, and I don't think Poch can leave those players out of these matches.

That really is a bit of a misrepresentation...

It's 3 games in 8 days. 4 games in 11. If we go through to the next round of the EL we will be playing 10 games in 30 or 31 days. I know on Sunday all focus will be on Chelsea, but we have a midweek game in the league coming up directly after that and I really don't think we can just say ignore that to focus only on the two cup games, particularly the Thursday EL game.

I think focusing on Sunday is perfectly fine. But we're not going to successfully get to the end of the season competing in both the EL and PL by thinking "Oh, just two games this week, the players really should manage two games in a week" every single week. Poch seems to realize this based on his selections in the first EL tie and against West Ham.

 

[jaysea67]

Adebayor, Capoue, Kaboul, Yedlin, Ceballos & Friedel have remained in London

They might have wanted to see the sights of Florence but, since they're not eligible to play in the EL, there wasn't really a lot of point in those 3 going.

 

[Joesh]

It's easy to take lightly because, at the moment, it's a very small chance of winning the least prestigious competition we're in this season.

In fairness, we can't afford to be picky on which trophies we want to win, how many trophies have we won in the last 20 years?? Basically none, as the League cup is beneath us and nobody cares about it. You see how English teams struggle in Europe, we should be using these games as a big learning opportunity so when we do get there we won't get dismantled in the CL.

 

[Pirate55]

Please do not look for something that is not there, I just do not understand how some ' fans ' ( do not get upset now), can take the chance of a European trophy so lightly.

There is no point in playing a game if we do not try and win it, and that means putting out our best team.

The point is we just have to prioritise. Playing the best club in the PL at the moment just three days rest after this game with a knackered side is asking for trouble IMO. Especially as they have had a full week to recover.To get a result in those circumstances is going to be well nigh impossible.

Also, one major factor is the point made by one of the pundits the other day (Michael Owen?) who said that with a Wembley Cup Final looming, it is inevitable that some players take their eye off the immediate game and focus on the glittering prize of a Wembley appearance. We simply can't afford any of our first teamers to be anything less than 100% to face Chelscum.

 

[ringo]

We are only at the last 32 at the moment, and this is a tough enough round. Additionally another four midweek games on the way to the final is bound to affect our chances of finishing 4th.

Sunday, with a fresh side, we would have reasonable chance (more so than winning the EUFA Cup at this point) of beating Chelsea, winning a cup and getting into EUFA at least. 4th place is a tough call, but still possible, I think, if we are not in the EUFA cup.

The worse case scenario is that we partly to commit to the EUFA cup, progress through this round, tired players lose the Cup, the EUFA rounds take their toll on the team and we miss 4th, and we get knocked out of the EUFA cup at some point or lose the final.

On balance I would play a complete second team -or as much as possible in the EUFA -- field as fresh and strong a team in the Cup and continue to field a second side in the EUFA if we progress, while making our priority finishing 4th. Only if we made the EUFA final would I add in other players.

I'm sure a decent mathematician could model our various choices and expected outcomes, I wonder if they do that at the club. Anybody good at probability or game theory (notwithstanding ludic fallacy)? Perhaps they can email Poch with the most potentially productive course of action.

 

[yiddo37]

Team v Fiorentina

--------------------------Lloris-------------------------
Walker---------- Dier----------Fazio---------Davies
----------------Stambouli---Dembele----------------
Lamela---------------Paulinho-----------Townsend
------------------------Soldado------------------------

Subs: Vorm, Rose, Vertonghen, Eriksen, Mason, Chadli, Kane.

Team v Chelski

-------------------------Lloris---------------------------
Walker---------Fazio---------Vertonghen------Rose
-----------------Mason--------Bentaleb---------------
Chadli---------------Dembele----------------Eriksen
-------------------------Kane---------------------------

Subs: Vorm, Davies, Dier, Stambouli, Lamela, Townsend, Soldado.

 

[Modric THFC]

It's easy to take lightly because, at the moment, it's a very small chance of winning the least prestigious competition we're in this season.

The least Prestigious competition is the League Cup. Outside of Britiain no one even know what it is.
We have more chance in the Europa than getting 4th in the league. We raise our game for big teams and can beat any of the teams left in it. I fancy us with more chance of getting a result over 2 legs against Inter than getting the 3 points we need away at Southampton and Swansea.

 

[Pirate55]

It's the third most prestigious trophy we could win though and at this stage there's no place for the kids.

But we are a long long way off winning it. We only have one game to win a cup. Think strategically.

 

[Jordinho]

But we are a long long way off winning it. We only have one game to win a cup. Think strategically.

The players are already out there. Playing 60-70 minutes tomorrow is hardly going to make much of a difference.

 

[scaramanga]

The least Prestigious competition is the League Cup. Outside of Britiain no one even know what it is.
We have more chance in the Europa than getting 4th in the league. We raise our game for big teams and can beat any of the teams left in it. I fancy us with more chance of getting a result over 2 legs against Inter than getting the 3 points we need away at Southampton and Swansea.

I value the League Cup more highly than I do the wafer cup but it's close. I couldn't care less what fans of FC Pigfarmer in Estonia know about our league cup, most people I speak to about football support an English team and know plenty about it.

Our chances of winning the wafer cup are (according to the experts) around 20/1 - a pretty small chance. Our chances of winning the League Cup are 12/5 - very good. Our odds of finishing in the top 4 are 6/1 - not that bad.

So if we want silverware, we have a massively better chance of we go for the League Cup. If we want CL qualification, we're far more likely to get it via the league.

From every angle, the ITV4 Cup is the worst option.

 

[alekaras]

Everyone seems to be forgetting we have a game 3 days after the final against Swansea and then another 3 days after that at QPR. That's 4 games in 10 days. That's fudging brutal, regardless of who the opposition is.

 

[Joesh]

I'd almost laugh if we put out a weak team in the EL and get hammered only for our rested first 11 to also get hammered on Sunday. I am sure some people here would be in dreamland as we'd have only top 4 to concentrate on and none of these distractions. To dare is to do...

 

[alekaras]

I'd almost laugh if we put out a weak team in the EL and get hammered only for our rested first 11 to also get hammered on Sunday. I am sure some people here would be in dreamland as we'd have only top 4 to concentrate on and none of these distractions. To dare is to do...

To run your team into the ground with the congested fixture list we have is not daring. It's stupid.

 

[nayenezgani]

Having a look through the official site, the squad are looking buoyant in the training pics they've posted .. I have a good feeling about this match, I think we could get a good morale boost heading into Sunday.. I had a premonition that Soldado and Lamela will both get on the scoresheet. Fingers crossed.

Really looking forward to it already!