In spite of the opposition sitting 46 league positions below ourselves, this is the biggest game of our season so far.
Here we are, 90 minutes away from Wembley. At the start of the season, this would have been seen as a fantastic opportunity and one that shows real signs of progression.
However, following a dismal performance in our FA Cup 4th round tie with Leicester City, there’s far more pressure on Tottenham Hotspur to deliver a result at Bramall Lane.
Thankfully, we were but a blip on a day filled with shocks, and our terrible showing slipped under the radar. The matter remains though, we simply have to advance to the Capital One Cup final.
The first leg didn’t really leave much promise either. We were lacklustre and uninspiring- I don’t care if Sheffield United have a good track record, that was a game we should have won without the assistance of a penalty.
The worst thing is the Blades didn’t set up with ten men back and one huge oaf up top; they came to play. They weren’t intimidated by the occasion nor the (supposed) standards of Premier League footballers. Mind you, playing our best players out of position didn’t really pose much threat, and that must be addressed in the second leg.
Whilst we succumbed to late defeat on Saturday, a significantly weakened Sheffield United side went to Preston North End and returned with a replay, with a potential tie with Manchester United awaiting them in round 5.
Speaking of significantly weakened sides, I think Spurs, Manchester City and Chelsea fans alike can agree that ‘second-string’ teams don’t carry the determination to succeed as much as first thought. With this in mind, Mauricio Pochettino needs to back up his quotes about making the fans proud of our club with a solid selection on Wednesday night.
Source: Source: tottenhamhotspur.com
Even though he made two saves out of the very top drawer, Michel Vorm’s performance against Leicester City will be remembered most for his mistake that led to the Foxes’ winner. Arguably, Vorm should have been sent off long before the calamitous error, but his openness about the mistake has left me and a lot of others filled with confidence.
“Things go so quickly and when the ball goes in, you feel horrible. Even though there were only a few minutes to go, you just hope you can get the ball and get something back.
“It just keeps going around in your head and as I said, if it happened in the first minute it’s different. In a way it made it worse because I made some good saves in the first half.
“That’s football. It’s all part of the job. You can’t be gutted for too long. I am now, obviously, but you have to move on.”
Like Vorm, Poch too is moving on, declaring the Dutchman will start in goal again on Wednesday. As much as I think Vorm is a good keeper, we shouldn’t be taking any chances. Hugo Lloris is our rightful captain and the only world class player at the club- he pretty much guarantees we concede at least one fewer goal per game.
At the back, I expect Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen to return, with Danny Rose keeping his role at left back to add width to our side. Club captain Younes Kaboul should not be stepping anywhere near a football pitch in the colours of Tottenham Hotspur, so Eric Dier or Federico Fazio should partner the Belgian.
In midfield, Ryan Mason seems match fit once again, and this sort of occasion is one he’ll be relishing. With the absence of Nabil Bentaleb, Mason is by far our best central midfielder. Benjamin Stambouli is set to partner him in midfield, and a good performance here may finally win over the fans for him.
On the flanks, Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend should start out wide again due to the absence of Nacer Chadli. The Argentine has looked good on his last two starts, despite them being a month apart, and the Tottenham fan has been in good form recently.
In terms of the number 10 and the centre forward, those roles must be filled by Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane respectively. Our English talisman looked lost on the left last week, having no influence on the game whatsoever, whereas his missing presence up front meant our Danish maestro was doing a lot more leg work thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor’s laziness.
I don’t want to tempt fate, but our last League Cup semi-final second leg against lower league opposition nearly resulted in one of modern footballs greatest capitulations- nothing like that this time around please Spurs.
Predicted XI: Vorm; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Mason, Stambouli; Lamela, Eriksen, Townsend; Kane
Sean Walsh
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