Champions League preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Young Boys (agg: 2-3)
A penny for Tottenham Hotspur supporters’ thoughts half an hour into the first leg of this clash in Switzerland.
Three-nil down, and all of last season’s hard work, along with dreams of trips to the Bernabeu, the Nou Camp and the San Siro, looked like heading out of the window in the land of cuckoo clocks, Swiss cheese and a talented Young Boys outfit, a team who were making Spurs look like old men. Then things changed.
Younes Kaboul’s header and Roman Pavlyuchenko’s rocket shot gave the visitors two precious away goals, and those strikes look all the more vital when you consider that Harry Redknapp could be without as many as four of his attacking talents for this second leg, with the Russian Pavlyuchenko, Luka Modric, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe all doubtful for what is surely the biggest match in Tottenham’s recent history.
Of the quartet, Defoe is the most likely to feature, but it’s at the back that Spurs could have concerns given the way that they were sliced open three times in the first leg, and they won’t be able to call upon the services of their newest recruit just yet either, with William Gallas ineligible due to the fact that he was signed in between both matches of this tie. One man who will certainly be available is Gareth Bale though, and the Welshman is in the finest of form.
“In my mind I just thought 'shoot',” said Bale of the moment that so lit up Saturday’s 2-1 win at Stoke City, a match in which the 21-year-old scored twice. “It was a natural reaction to hit it. I was delighted when it went into the top corner. It's nice to get a goal like that and hopefully I'll continue doing it.
“I've scored a few decent goals but I don't think I've caught a ball as sweetly as that in open play. As I said, I was delighted to see it go in and more importantly, that we got the three points.”
That they got those three points was largely down to referee Chris Foy’s inability to spot that Stoke debutant Jon Walters’ 86th-minute header had crossed the line, and it is that kind of luck that Spurs will hope to enjoy on a huge night against Young Boys, not that Bale thinks they need it.
“It was massively important to get the win at Stoke,” he said, “confidence is up now and hopefully we'll get the job done on Wednesday night.
“I don't think we feel pressure, we know we're good enough and if we play to the capability we know we can play. We can beat most teams.”
They’ll hope that one of those teams is Young Boys, and Defoe is certain that that’s possible, largely because of his desire to stop watching soap operas.
“On Tuesday or Wednesday nights you don't want to be at home watching Eastenders,” he says, “you want to be at the Lane playing against some of the best players in the world, or playing at their fantastic stadiums.
“For a lot of the lads it's the first time we've played in the Champions League and it’s great, especially after putting all the hard work in last season. We all feel we deserve to be on that stage.”
Deserving to be on that stage and earning the right to be there are different things though, and as Spurs attempt to perform well on the final platform that will help them hit new heights, the possibility of stage-fright has to be a problem.
They’ll need to start well, and an early goal will be vital as they bid to overcome a Young Boys side that could find themselves swept away on what is going to be a raucous White Hart Lane night.
Get that early goal, and the European elite beckons.
Spurs dare not contemplate what will happen if they don’t.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3 Young Boys 1 (agg: 5-4)
MJ
Tags: