Tottenham are not “too young” for the Champions League

Like so many others before him, William Gallas has preemptively downplayed Tottenham’s chances in the Champions League for next season.

The French defender, who served three seasons with Tottenham at the tail end of his career, believes that Mauricio Pochettino’s side is too young and too inexperienced to succeed in Europe’s elite international club competition.

This is broadly in line with the criticism Spurs face from many other doubters out there. Even since Spurs failed to overcome Chelsea in the League Cup final in Pochettino’s first season, the club have been perennially billed as not-yet-ready-for-primetime.

They were too young, with too little relevant experience, with no trophies and therefore none of the requisite glory that begets yet more glory. Somehow these doubts have stuck through two remarkable seasons that saw the club challenge for the title and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in consecutive seasons.

Gallas, like many other pessimists, wasn’t content with recognizing that achievement however. The Daily Star quoted him in full, including this enlightening little tidbit.

"“It was a big shame what happened to them last season but this Tottenham squad is a little too young for the Champions League.“Against Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen in the [2016/17 season] group games, it showed that they needed more experience.“The Champions League is different to the Premier League. You need experience, you need to be more clever and stay focused.“"

In fairness to Gallas’ point, Spurs’ Champions League experience last season was far from ideal. They did, in fact, struggle against Leverkusen and Monaco, and then proceeded to drop out of the Europa League in humiliating fashion.

To wrap that experience up in a tidy little package called “inexperience” is only telling a small fraction of the full story however.

While it’s true that few players currently in the Spurs setup have experience in the Champions League, that is hardly the weakness Gallas makes it out to be.

Indeed, one of the team he himself brings up as an example of how Spurs were bested was Monaco. As in, the same Monaco side composed of budget-priced youngsters with barely any experience at all outside one or two seasons of Ligue 1 — universally considered to be the lowest quality of Europe’s top five domestic leagues.

More from Tottenham News

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

It’s also worth noting too that that same Monaco side that bested Spurs over two group stage matches actually managed to do the same to both Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the competition’s knockout rounds. They were, despite abundant youth and limited experience, a shockingly good team that defied almost everyone’s expectations.

Now, Spurs are never going to catch other teams unawares in the same way Monaco did time and time again this season. Pochettino’s side is a much more known quantity, which means that the opposition will not show up drunk on — and thus impaired by — confidence.

The likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are good enough to beat Chelsea, City, and virtually everyone else in the Premier League, and therefore should be able to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League.

Last season’s difficulties could be chopped up to several factors, mostly unrelated to the side’s youthful blush. Adjusting to the dramatic dimensional and atmospheric changes of Wembley was a huge factor, as was the fact that Pochettino appeared to favor the team’s efforts in the Premier League. A deeper squad, more accustomed to Wembley’s pitch, could very easily defy Gallas’ and many other’s expectations.

Next: Are Tottenham close to losing Eric Dier?

What Spurs can’t do is let Gallas and others make them believe that they aren’t yet ready for the rigors of the Champions League. They found themselves near the top of the pile in a very competitive top eight in the Premier League this season, and will only have grown from that accomplishment.