Tottenham must consider the option of punting the Burnley match
Tottenham need all three points against Burnley, but Jose Mourinho may start a weakened squad to focus on Champions League football.
Jose Mourinho faces quite a difficult decision heading into Saturday’s match at Burnley. He must either prepare his Tottenham squad for a difficult fixture at Turf Moor or start a weakened squad with an eye towards his team’s upcoming match against RB Leipzig.
If you read the manager’s latest comments in Football London, it’s clear that he’s quite concerned about the fitness levels of his attacking players. Injuries to Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son have left Mourinho short of offensive players. That’s put stars like Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura in the unenviable position of playing too much football in recent weeks.
Starting them against Burnley almost certainly means they won’t be in the frame for a spot in the starting XI at Leipzig. That’s why Mourinho must choose carefully between prioritizing the Premier League or his club’s European aspirations.
To put it simply, he must choose to focus his resources on domestic competition. It will take a Herculean effort from Tottenham’s injury-riddled squad to turn the Leipzig tie around. Winning at Burnley isn’t going to be easy, but it’s the much more manageable chore for Spurs at the moment.
Admittedly, winning on Saturday won’t achieve anything of real consequence for Tottenham. It will only help stop the club’s recent bleeding in the Premier League table. A victory would, however, give Spurs some much-needed momentum in the race for a top four (or five) spot. That’s where the club need to be if they want to be participants in next year’s Champions League competition.
Focusing energy on Burnley will leave Tottenham open to an ugly result in Europe. No one at Spurs should fancy the possibility of starting unproven youngsters like Troy Parrott and/or Kion Etete up front against elite Bundesliga opposition. It’s still the right choice for Mourinho if he wants to put Tottenham on the right road to achieve long-term success.
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As such, Spurs supporters should hope to see their manager’s strongest XI when the team sheets are announced on Saturday. Anything less will only increase the likelihood that Tottenham’s domestic struggles will continue. Mourinho must stop the bleeding by focusing on getting three points at Burnley.