Our best chance of Champions League next year

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It would be nice to win a cup, but there is much less chance of us winning the Europa than getting top four.

- top four is exactly that, there are FOUR positions and all get CL. Compare that to the Europa League where you have to win and only one club does.
- to finish top four you can lose games, it's not a problem, but in a cup competition you cannot lose games/ties or you are out and that is it.
- clubs raise their game for cup competitions, whereas things are more relaxed and predictable in the league.
- luck (both in-game and who you are drawn to play) plays a much bigger role in cup competitions than the league which is played over many more games. We aren't the luckiest club out there, but even if we put aside that idea, luck is random and is far more likely to cost you in a cup competition than the league.

I personally think we have a great chance of getting top four if we can sort our shit out. This season we are playing weird and inconsistent so I am not sure what to expect.
 
Winning something is also a source of pride for the players. Just think of a guy like Hugo that has been outstanding for us but when he looks back on his career he won't be able to say he won any trophies with Tottenham.

These guys have got to win the FA Cup or Europa.
 
Alli-Luya said:
Yeah, for some of us fans a trophy and a lower league position would be great. Not sure some of our players would prefer that though - or at least that's what most of the media would have us (and them) believe. Qualifying for the Champions League has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, thanks to players being told they have to be in it or they aren't playing at the highest level.
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Win the EL & we qualify for the CL. We could do a Sevilla- cut our teeth properly in the EL & then have that little extra experience/know how to take on European teams in the CL. Experience is what we lack rather than ability. That goes for the players & the manager.
 
Boltonspur said:
Win the EL & we qualify for the CL. We could do a Sevilla- cut our teeth properly in the EL & then have that little extra experience/know how to take on European teams in the CL. Experience is what we lack rather than ability. That goes for the players & the manager.
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Don't disagree. Looking at the teams left in the EL and there's probably only 6 that can (should) win it. 2 of those are gonna be knocked out in this round - then it's down to 4 and we're one of those 4.

We do lack maturity and more and more, i think that Poch also needs to wise up a bit, so he can pass that on to our brilliant young team.
 
davlathom said:
The beauty of it is we don't need to worry about it till mid Feb anyway. Lets see how the next 2 months of domestic action go first and then decide how seriously we should take it.

If we are in or around top 4 Poch will play his strongest side in the league and make changes for Thursday nights. Last season proved that.
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I think this year is much different than last year. If we are 10 points plus off the league leaders and we prioritise a league match over a knockout round of EUropa or FA Cup QF I, for one will be none pleased. Last year we were right to go for it at all costs. Leicester is Leicester they had the luckiest run of all my years watching football (also teams rolling over for them). This year you have teams that frankly if we are being honest are better than us above us. Not saying we can't manage a top 4 finish we will be there about in all likelihood but we aren't going to win it.
 
davlathom said:
Couldn't agree more to be honest. I do think come Feb 16 we will still be within striking distance of the top 4 but this is where the manager has to use his head a bit. I would much rather give the tournament the respect it deserves and make a few changes for the PL game afterwards. Point in case after the 2nd leg against Gent we have Stoke at home. If the tie is still finely poised I'd rather see us play a full strength XI on the Thursday and worry about the Sunday in the 2 days in between. As Pochettino always preaches - the next game is the most important.
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I can point right to our season two years ago. We were on the fringes of top 4 and rested many of our regulars in the FA Cup and Europa (Soldado almost single handedly took care of that). We got knocked out of both and then instead of our league form improving, we limped to the finish.
 
clevelandspur said:
I can point right to our season two years ago. We were on the fringes of top 4 and rested many of our regulars in the FA Cup and Europa (Soldado almost single handedly took care of that). We got knocked out of both and then instead of our league form improving, we limped to the finish.
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Less likely to run out of steam/motivation while there are cup final team places up for grabs? I like it.
 
Suzyfree said:
We can get top 4.

Man United, on the other hand are desperate to win the EL. It's their only chance.
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Man United, on the other hand are desperate to win the EL. It's their only chance.[/QUOTE]

To be honest I still can't get my head around what is so great about the top four, unless money is your focus. Even if money is your priority, you should realise that Levy has a history of investing none of it in the playing staff. Nobody gets excited if the England team comes 4th in a competition (not is if they ever do of course), nobody is elated if their favourite runner comes 4th in a race, and nobody is jumping up and down when their sprog comes 4th in the sack race. Fourth is a meaningless failure. What's more it just means we have to play for a trophy we don't have a monkeys chance of winning, and will most likely get embarrassed by when the team comes up against a half decent side (like this year). Of course, if we ever become a genuinely good side, the CL may excite me more. Until then I think the EL and the FA cup should be our main priority, so I just hope Poch takes both of them seriously, but I have my doubts !!
 
Super Jan Fan said:
- clubs raise their game for cup competitions, whereas things are more relaxed and predictable in the league.
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Everyone except us! We send out kids and squad players and/or can't be bothered way too often.

I really hope we take Europa and the FA Cup seriously. We are now 10 points off Chelski, priorities need to be adjusted. If cup runs cost us some points in the league so be it
 
Boltonspur said:
This is where Poch has to make a very serious decision. We know we haven't managed cups & the league too well with our squad & have ended up empty handed to finish in the top 4. Been there, done that. Maybe, just maybe, prioritising the cups (EL & FA) over the league would allow us to keep our strongest XI fit to give both a real good go, whilst allowing the squad players to get valuable game time in the league, perhaps playing more regularly as a group & with some of the more senior players playing a part.

Personally I wouldn't care if we finished 8th,9th or even 10th if we brought home a trophy or two this year because I would know that it was given a different priority. Our squad is neither strong enough or experienced enough to fight on all fronts when we consider injuries, fatigue & suspensions have & will play their part.

If we don't take the cups seriously, then I think it's a missed opportunity.
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Agreed on all points. Even if league results did suffer from prioritising for cups, I highly doubt we would finish below 6th. Haven't seen anything from Everton or Southampton to suggest they can be consistent enough to finish 6th and now you have the likes of Watford and WBA sniffing around there.
 
Yeah, for some of us fans a trophy and a lower league position would be great. Not sure some of our players would prefer that though - or at least that's what most of the media would have us (and them) believe. Qualifying for the Champions League has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, thanks to players being told they have to be in it or they aren't playing at the highest level.
 
Alli-Luya said:
Yeah, for some of us fans a trophy and a lower league position would be great. Not sure some of our players would prefer that though - or at least that's what most of the media would have us (and them) believe. Qualifying for the Champions League has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, thanks to players being told they have to be in it or they aren't playing at the highest level.
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Media bollocks. How has Chelski and Liverpool not being in the Champions League this season hurt them exactly?
 
Boltonspur said:
This is where Poch has to make a very serious decision. We know we haven't managed cups & the league too well with our squad & have ended up empty handed to finish in the top 4. Been there, done that. Maybe, just maybe, prioritising the cups (EL & FA) over the league would allow us to keep our strongest XI fit to give both a real good go, whilst allowing the squad players to get valuable game time in the league, perhaps playing more regularly as a group & with some of the more senior players playing a part.

Personally I wouldn't care if we finished 8th,9th or even 10th if we brought home a trophy or two this year because I would know that it was given a different priority. Our squad is neither strong enough or experienced enough to fight on all fronts when we consider injuries, fatigue & suspensions have & will play their part.

If we don't take the cups seriously, then I think it's a missed opportunity.
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8th and a cup double I'll rip your arm off
 
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