Alli or Carroll, is this their opportunity?

A quick peek at Wikipedia to find out a bit more about Qarabag throws up a fishy sounding story for when we visit Azerbaijan for the away tie.

'Before each game, a mascot has the honour of presenting a sturgeon to the opposing team, as dictated by Azerbaijani custom.'

It beats swapping pennants, but what are you supposed to do with a fish! Qarabag won their first title for 21-years and while everyone will be expecting a Spurs win, we have seen countless time that European ties can be tricky, especially if they are not approached in the right frame of mind.

To that end hungry players may well be the ones we want to start, the last thing we need are players going through the motions saving themselves for Sunday, not that I'm suggesting they would, but it is a possibility. Take that out of the equation by picking the fringe players, remind them how the Europa League helped Harry Kane and they will have all the incentive they need to perform.

Dutch side FC Twente are no mugs and are regulars in Europe, but Qarabag dumped them out of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League in the play-off round. Funnily enough Qarabag are a satellite club of FC Twente.

European Record (statistics from Wikipedia)

Competition	Matches	W	D	L	GF	GA
UEFA Champions League	8	4	2	2	8	4
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League	44	18	13	13	47	48
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	4	0	1	3	1	12
UEFA Intertoto Cup	4	1	0	3	2	11
Total	60	23	16	21	58	75

These games can be revealing, I'll be interested to see who takes over the Ryan Mason role with Nabil Bentaleb and Mousa Dembele out injured. There is an opportunity now for someone to take a game by the scruff of the neck and assert themselves, give Pochettino a clear message that they should be playing the role. Will Dele Alli drop there or will Tom Carroll get his chance.

Whoever gets the nod must pass the ball with the same authority Mason did on Sunday, if you haven't seen the video of his performance then click the link and watch the speed he puts on the ball when he plays it.
Mason specific Video

A run in the side is a luxury most players can not be afforded, points are too valuable, besides if a player has the right burning desire to succeed he won't need a run of games, it will help of course it will, but if the desire is there he gives himself every opportunity of impressing. There are many ways to do that, one of the most important is to do what the coach asks you to do.

If your role in the side is to win the ball and pass to a Modric type then that's what you do, you don't keep looking to play your own Hollywood balls to impress, you won't. You are in the side for what you can bring to the role or to see how you react to being in the role, do nerves overtake you, do you go into your shell, are you always looking for the ball, always making yourself available, do you know instantly where your teammates are, do you know what runs they are going to make before they make them, do you read the game?

There are a whole list of questions the coach wants to know the answers to, for some it is almost a starting point. The game can be analysed after and areas to improve identified. When the next game comes around they can then be compared to see what you did better, whether you learned anything from the previous experience.

What each and every player should not be doing is to keep churning out the same thing, each should be adding to their game even if it is only a small detail. Ten outfield players with a small detail improved add up to a greater improvement than the sum of those small parts. Take someone like Jab Vertonghen, h has not played many games with Tom Carroll or Dele Alli in front of him, nor Eric Dier for that matter, he has to learn hoe they play, how he best fits with them, does his leadership qualities need to come to the fore, does he need to be more vocal or just let everyone get on with it. We may have players who need him to raise that side of his game, he doesn't appear the most vocal.

He may well not be playing, it may well be Fazio and Wimmer where Fazio has to almost be the father to the team, will that responsibility help him improve his game, he has to step it up a notch from last season.

Errors will happen, many of these are fresh to White Hart Lane in a competitive match, writing a player off in such a situation isn't the answer, understanding what they need to do to improve and supporting through that is. We will get the chance to see Njie, Wimmer and Trippier, or I assume we will, that adds an air of expectation, an expectation we hope they fulfil.

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