Fiorentina: A shot at glory, a shopping trip or a bit of both?

Article by Chris Evans

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On Thursday 19th February, 2015 Tottenham Hotspur, the only genuine top flight team from North London, will recommence their attempts to win UEFA’s Europa League: a competition which has been riddled with scorn in recent years, not just by the Woolwich Arsenal fans who treat it like a nervous joke whilst looking over their shoulder nervously and wondering how much longer Wenger can keep them in the Champions League, but also by Spurs fans themselves who got to drink from the Holy Grail of Champions League themselves, albeit it only for one season.

But this season there is a prize which is equal to that of 4th place in the league. Another chance to dine at Europe’s top table. And with that, another chance to select from the World’s top-level players. Maybe. Let’s remember that not only is the Champions League a lucrative competition which keeps the rich clubs rich but also the benchmark to which today’s modern crop of footballers set their standards. In an age where a footballer’s loyalty is to his bank account rather than his club the Champions League represents more to these players than club history or passion of the fans. You suspect that Samir Nasri would sign for Milton Keynes if they reached the Champions League at the expense of his current club and added and extra zero to the end of his weekly salary.

With this in mind, and unable to pay the top wages that City, Chelsea and United can offer, Spurs should try to use this competition not only as a backdoor to Europe’s elite tournament but, failing that, also as a window-shopping experience for some of Europe’s less-heralded players.

In addition to Tottenham’s tough fixture against the Viola, this round sees Liverpool play Besiktas, Everton have a rendez-vous with Switzerland’s Young Boys and Celtic take on former giants Inter. It is a good chance to see how the likes of van Dijk perform against strong opposition and whether the latest crop of Swiss and Turkish players can perform against the Scousers. There are a few interesting faces still on offer at this stage of the competition, which could lead to some summer transfer activity for any of the teams who come just short at the end of the season. Van Dijk as mentioned, Kramarić, Konoplyanka, Kampl (who has recently joined Borussia Dortmund) and Fiorentina’s own Savic and Babacar are just some whose names are rolling stones gathering attention. Should Savic and Babacar shine in North London then perhaps they could be a gamble worth considering for Paul Mitchell, Franco Baldini, Daniel Levy or whoever is in charge of buying Spurs’ players these days.

Spurs chances of winning Europa League have certainly been dampened a touch with their drawing Fiorentina as their next opponents. Indeed, all the British clubs have picked up tough draws in the last 32 and you could very easily see a non-British last 16. But let’s think positively; after all, I have been a Spurs fan for nearly thirty years now and for much of the time thinking positively is all we can do.

Both teams have motivated, highly-regarded young coaches. Both teams have squads littered with talent in all positions. Both teams have fans with high expectations. Both teams have proud histories, graced with star-studded alumni. Recent times would probably give Spurs the edge (and it’s not often you can say that). Thanks to the last few years playing at this ‘level’ the Lilywhites now boast a squad of young players, including some academy graduates, who are now accomplished veterans within this competition. This season the whole squad (bar BAE for reasons we do not know) has been involved – while the league has seen the integration of Bentaleb and Mason, the European adventure has afforded game time for Paulinho and Dembélé. Whether you like them or not these guys have been to the World Cup and have big game experience.

Finally, over a third of the way through the season we have a turning point. The players, except Younes if you believe the tabloid rumours, have taken to MoPo’s methods and now understand where they should be on the pitch and what they should be doing with the football. We have a World-class goalkeeper, a World-class defender (when it suits him), a World-class playmaker and...well, Harry Kane. Kane now has five goals from the group stage, seven if you include qualifying. Here is the slight worry however; Harry has scored over fifty percent of the team’s goals. Nine goals in six games, five scored by one guy and five scored in one game...it’s a worry. It’s one of the lowest tallies of the teams which have qualified for the next round and you certainly couldn’t say we were in the toughest group. That said, Fiorentina have hardly set the World ablaze with their scoring exploits and, if anything, their form seems to have petered out a touch with recent results. Domestically, they are in a similar position to Spurs themselves.

Despite this, aside from maybe Napoli, Ajax and Roma, Fiorentina is probably the toughest it could have got at this stage. Sure, we lost to Besiktas but should we encounter them later in the competition I would hand on heart fancy our chances of seeing them off fairly convincingly. A mention perhaps for Salzburg? The high scorers of the group stages certainly look impressive when you look at the Europa League tables and read the ‘goals for’ column but if your eyes drift slightly further right to the goals against column...

Let’s not pretend this is an easy draw but there is no reason for Tottenham to fear their opponents. Italians are notorious for the slow, methodical approach to the beautiful game and the English for their gung-ho approach so you wonder how this would pan out. Back a few years ago, when Spurs were mixing it with the best Harry’s flat-out attack reaped the rewards against an ageing Inter but this doesn’t guarantee success; just see England’s performance against the Italians at the latest World Cup. Plenty of running and passion and a nice performance from Raheem Sterling but the Italians wore the English down and the result saw England get back in the team bus with their tails firmly between their legs.

So, which result will we see here? Mauricio Pochettino’s pressing game is not particularly English and perhaps this is where Tottenham will wear down Fiorentina; hurrying their passing and pushing them back deep. The high-line is less likely to be exposed in a game like this and should Spurs, with their heightened fitness, be able to take control of the game in the second half of the first leg we could see, if Harry and Christian maintain their clinical finishing, a fairly comfortable win for the Lilywhites. If they get through this game and come away happy from a Ryan Air return trip to Pisa, then who knows what...

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