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5 things Tottenham must do to advance against Gent

By Rucker Haringey

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur speak during Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on February 22, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Harry Kane and Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur speak during Tottenham Hotspur Press Conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground on February 22, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 07: Wembley stadium with Tottenham Hotspur signage before the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and PFC CSKA Moskva at Wembley Stadium on December 7, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 07: Wembley stadium with Tottenham Hotspur signage before the UEFA Champions League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and PFC CSKA Moskva at Wembley Stadium on December 7, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images) /

1. Embrace the crowd

Tottenham’s Wembley experience hasn’t been all that pretty to date. Spurs only managed to win one of their home fixtures at Wembley in Champions League play. They’ll need to do much better in the Europa League to win silverware.

The whole thing got in the squad’s head during Champions League play. The players turned what should have been a terrific advantage into a an anvil hanging around their collective necks.

Hopefully, the win against CSKA Moscow, although meaningless in the Champions League table, meant something to dispel the Wembley Stadium hex. It will be interesting to see if Tottenham look as if they’re playing a lot more free this time around.

The mental approach to the match will be Pochettino’s biggest challenge today. He needs to convince his team that they should be buoyed by the throng of home fans. If they are, expect for Spurs to come out with one of their best performances of the season. If instead, they play timid and hesitant, they will crash out of European football for the season.

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