Tottenham Hotspur are set to commence their Europa League campaign this evening. The club has historically struggled in this competition even by their own inconsistent standards. The Europa League occupies a unique position in Tottenham’s recent history of failing to secure trophies.
It is a tournament that Tottenham have often regarded as beneath their status yet one which has frequently proved to be beyond their capabilities. Since the rebranding of the UEFA Cup to the Europa League in 2009 Tottenham have participated in the competition on seven occasions.
This is comparable to their six appearances in the Champions League during the same period. Curiously and somewhat ironically Tottenham have achieved better results in the more prestigious Champions League. In addition to reaching the final in 2019 Tottenham have progressed to the quarter-finals once and the round of 16 on three other occasions in the Champions League.
They have only failed to advance from the group stage once in this competition. In contrast their record in the Europa League has been considerably less impressive. In their seven attempts Tottenham have only reached the quarter-finals once failing to progress any further. They have exited at the round of 16 stage three times matching their Champions League performance at this stage. However they have also suffered two eliminations in the round of 32 including one instance where they entered the competition after being eliminated from the Champions League group stage. Their most recent Europa League campaign in the 2020-2021 season was perhaps their most embarrassing.
Under the management of Jose Mourinho Tottenham were eliminated in the round of 16 by Dinamo Zagreb. After winning the first leg 2-0 in London Tottenham suffered a shock 3-0 defeat in the return leg against a team whose manager had recently been sentenced to prison. This defeat is often omitted from Mourinho’s recollections when he laments being denied the opportunity to lead Tottenham in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City shortly afterwards.
It is likely that no club of Tottenham’s stature has participated in the rebranded Europa League as frequently with such limited success while simultaneously displaying such a dismissive attitude towards the competition. This tournament has been won multiple times by clubs such as Sevilla Atletico Madrid and Chelsea during the period when Tottenham have been treating it with disdain while failing to win any other major trophies. Other notable clubs including Porto and Manchester United have also claimed victory in the Europa League. Arsenal Manchester United Liverpool Ajax Inter Milan Roma and Bayer Leverkusen have all reached the final during this time. Given this context Tottenham’s historical attitude towards the Europa League appears unjustified. The competition offers a realistic pathway to significant silverware for a club that has been in desperate need of such success. This year’s Europa League campaign presents an intriguing scenario for Tottenham. There are reasons to believe they may approach it with more seriousness than in previous years.
Manager Ange Postecoglou has set himself the challenge of winning a trophy in his second season at every club he manages. With the Premier League title realistically out of reach and the Carabao Cup presenting significant challenges the Europa League emerges as perhaps the most viable route to success for Postecoglou and his team. Tottenham have no justifiable reason not to give this competition their full attention. However the format of the Europa League presents its own challenges. The group stage or league phase extends into January allowing clubs more time to assess their priorities. For Tottenham this competition should be a priority given their recent difficulties in securing a Champions League spot through their league position. The early rounds of the Europa League lack tension due to the format which almost guarantees progression for clubs of Tottenham’s stature.
This could tempt them to treat the early matches with less seriousness similar to their approach in the recent Carabao Cup match against Coventry City which nearly resulted in an upset. The scheduling of a Premier League match against Manchester United this weekend adds another factor for consideration. Despite these potential distractions it would be beneficial for Tottenham to approach the Europa League with seriousness from the outset. This approach would not only set a precedent for how they view the competition but would also be a sensible use of their resources.
Tottenham’s group includes matches against Qarabag Ferencvaros and AZ Alkmaar before more challenging fixtures against Galatasaray and Roma. A strong start in the easier matches could secure their position in the knockout stages allowing them to approach the tougher games with less pressure. While some rotation of the squad is inevitable and understandable it would be preferable to see Postecoglou avoid making wholesale changes for these Europa League matches. Tottenham should demonstrate proper respect for a tournament they have historically treated poorly. This approach could potentially lead to surprising success in the competition. Even if they were to falter despite taking it seriously it would at least provide some entertainment for neutral observers. Ultimately Tottenham’s approach to the Europa League this season will be a significant indicator of their ambitions and their willingness to break from past attitudes that have yielded little success.
