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Humiliated Gent have to improve

2 min read

GENT v SPURS


Tonight Tottenham Hotspur are back in the UEFA Europa League and it is a tournament that we should no longer be taking lightly. We are arguably the strongest side left in the competition and we face a two-legged tie that we should come through, as long as we are motivated enough to do so.

Europa League Draw
  • Athletic Bilbao (Spain) v APOEL (Cyprus)
  • Legia Warsaw(Poland) v Ajax (Holland)
  • Anderlecht (Belgium) v Zenit St Petersburg (Russia)
  • Astra Girugiu (Roumania) v Genk (Belgium)
  • Manchester United v St-Étienne (France)
  • Villarreal (Spain) v Roma (Italy)
  • Ludogorets (Bulgaria) v Copenhagen (Denmark)
  • Celta Vigo (Spain) v Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
  • Olympiacos (Greece) v Osmanlıspor (Turkey)
  • Gent (Belgium) v Tottenham Hotspur
  • Rostov (Russia) v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
  • Krasnodar (Russia) v Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
  • Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) v Fiorentina (Italy)
  • AZ Alkmaar (Holland) v Lyon (France)
  • H. Beer-Sheva (Israel) v Beşiktaş (Turkey)
  • PAOK (Greece) v Schalke (Germany)
Spurs lost to Liverpool 2-0, Gent lost at home to Eupen 1-0. If either team puts is a similar display then they are in trouble.

Gent manager, Hein Vanhaezebrouck told the media at his pre-game press conference that he has warned his players that they can not play like that again against Spurs or it could be disastrous.

"I stressed the importance of this game and the fact that the player is not allowed to play in this way during the game against Tottenham. If they want to play against a team like this next year, they can not play like today."

Gent have been somewhat inconsistent of late. After a 1-0 win against Charleroi Sporting Club, they could only draw 0-0 against Sporting Club Lokeren, then they won 2-0 against Club Bruges and then drew 1-1 against SV Zulte-Waregem. Then came the AS Eupen humiliation.

Spurs will be looking to capitalise on that and take a first-leg lead, although the Belgians are bound to raise their game.

8 comments

  1. A thought springs to mind having seen the line-up...
    Poch is clearly not going to field a back three unless Verts is there to partner Toby & Eric, which means he is not confident that Wimmer can do the job.
    Looks like a line-up designed not to lose.

    • With Sissoko in the team?
      I have watched Sours since 1958 and can honestly say he is by far the worst players I have ever seen play for us. The best thing he did tonight was go off at half time hopefully never ever to come on the field for us again EVER
  2. Agreed hasn't exactly stamped his mark so far, but then neither has Kane...unless the rotating players get game time than what's the point?
  3. Funny isn't it...how many more times will I have to listen to supporters claiming the EPL is the best league in Europe but when push comes to shove................
    Another question...how many goals have we scored recently?
    Did our substitutes make any difference?
    Wanyama still looks out of it...
    When is this club going to realise that Harry Kane is actually a big lummox who has (recently) spent more time falling about than making game contributions...ok so he's had a couple of seasons poaching goals but the hymn sheet has changed and HK has failed to move on.


    • I don't often find myself disagreeing with your comments but I feel now I must.

      Kane's work often goes unnoticed because if he doesn't get the service there's not much he can do that's exciting. True, he's not the fastest in the world but he's always looking out intelligently to see what's available.

      I know it's easy to be down after such a loss but was this really such a poor performance away? Some players appeared ineffectual but it's so hard to play against a team away when the ref may as well have been a home supporter.

      It's like when playing against an effective high-pressing side such as Liverpool. It's really hard to show how well you can perform when everything is so much more difficult. Saturday was Liverpool's high press. Today was an appalling refereeing team.

      You know something's wrong when they kick you every time they can and the only yellow card is for one of our challenges that arguably shouldn't even have be…
    • Yep, you’re right Adrian I over-reacted…bloody merlot…
      It wasn’t a poor performance but it was an ineffectual one.
      The fact remains though that we have scored only one in the last four games and that was a penalty.
    • I agree we seem to struggle when our first eleven aren't out on the pitch. There are exceptions. Harry Winks always seems to impress.

      It reminds me of the collapse at the end of last season. That happened with a number of players injured and banned after the Chelsea debacle. Nevertheless, we need our supporting cast to let go of the old 'Spursy' way of thinking, just as our main stars seem to have done.

      I can hardly imagine a better captain at the helm to help with that.

      COYS!!
  4. Yet another very poor performance
    It seems to me that every time we are put under pressure we fold. We are a shadow if the team we were in Dec/Jan just don't understand what has gone wrong but at least once we got rid of Sissoko Walker could play his natural game.
    We seem to have lost our way.
    Come back Jan even unfit he must be better than what I've witnessed tonight.
    Where is the quality???
    Very poor