Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has demanded that his players take the Europa League seriously. The Portuguese boss wants his men to go on and win the tournament, which would be a very impressive achievement.
Although he is likely to give younger players a go in the group stage, that does not mean that Villas-Boas is taking this tournament lightly. He believes that the players he puts out will be good enough to win. If you bet online at www.betvictor.com, you will see Spurs are 14/1 to win the Europa League.
He has said that it should be treated with as much respect and passion as the Champions League would be: “I think the most important thing for you is to change [the mentality] of the players so this midweek game starts being important once again.
“Tottenham missed the Champions League through Chelsea winning it. But if this was a Champions League game most of the players would be willing and would be making sure they were completely fit.”
If Spurs are at their best, there is no doubt that they can win the Europa League, or at least mount a serious challenge to.
If you look at the teams that are competing this season, it goes to show what a fantastic competition this is. You have the current holders Athletico Madrid, who are one of the best attacking teams in Europe, as well as the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool, Inter Milan and many more, which makes a bet online with www.betvictor.com for an outright winner very interesting.
So AVB needs to send a young side out to give them some experience, but make sure that he has a few senior men in the mix as well during the group stages – because it will not be easy. He also needs a very strong bench, just in case he has to call upon his senior men to turn the game on its head.
White Hart Lane has a special atmosphere on European nights, and the Spurs faithful need to treat these encounters as if they were Champions League matches.
If you get a strong side out, with an electric atmosphere, then Tottenham Hotspur could be lifting a major European trophy come the end of the season.
