Failing to reach Champions’ league group stages would be no disaster: Tottenham Hotspur’s manager
In an attempt to lower the pressure level on his squad, Tottenham Hotspur’s manager Harry Redknapp on Tuesday claimed that failing to reach the group stages of UEFA Champions league would be no disaster.
The North London club would be a mega favorite when it meets much easy opponents-the Swiss league runner ups. However, it would be the first time that Spurs make such a journey as they have not featured in a European Cup for over 45 years. Harry Redknapp was furious on fan’s high expectations from his club, stating that failure to reach the next round wouldn’t lead to any mass suicides from his players. He added that all his squad can do is to be at its best and that is exactly what it will be doing. The manager claimed that if the Spurs played on their best, they have a great chance of winning the tie. The match is worth 10 million pounds as the victor would be guaranteed this amount. So the stakes would be high when the Spurs meet Young Boys in League tie soon.
Redknapp stated that nobody expected the Tottenham Hotspur to reach such a stage in the first place. Spurs broke into the so called Big Four monopoly and became the first team to be in the Champions League spot for over 5 years. Redknapp acknowledged that such a dream run last season surely takes expectations to a new level but he honestly doesn’t think of his squad qualifying. He added that it would be a hard game for the Spurs but he believes in his squad and thus expects them to bring out their A game against the Swiss side.
Redknapp himself would be making his debut as manager in the Champions league. Earlier, he suffered a humiliating 9-0 defeat in his first match after taking over Bournemouth as caretaker manager. Despite this, Redknapp seemed happy with his performance over the years and said that he instead of looking back always adopted a forward-looking approach. He added that making it into Europe’s elite aroused great feelings in him but for this, he gave all the credit to his squad members.
The Tottenham Hotspur could be without its captain Ledley King, owing to his physical fitness. King had featured in the premier league opener against Manchester City but was left at home for this crucial encounter with Young Boys. However, this could make way for England International’s Michael Dawson, who was recently awarded his international cap by England’s Manager Fabio Capello. Dawson seems delighted with the opportunity as he may soon be making his Champions League debut. The defender looks to test his ability against the top European talents such as Lionel Messi, David Villa and Cristiano Ronaldo who are also playing in the competition.
The North London club would be looking to win this crucial encounter with Redknapp trying to keep their momentum going.
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