Competition for places a good thing for Tottenham Hotspur

With Europe on the line, Nuno Espirito Santo is banking on rotation and competition winning the day for Tottenham Hotspur against FC Paços de Ferreira. 

Tottenham Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo did not mince words when asked about his players from Sunday participating in the first-leg of the Europa Conference League playoff against FC Paços de Ferreira. Upon indicating that he was not using any of his previous starting XI, immediately the questions turned to the seriousness with which the Lilywhites were taking the competition. Santo’s answer was simple the team selection is not about being serious or not, it is about creating competition.

Competition is something Spurs need

There is no doubt that the best teams thrive on competition. While many do not like the way they go about it, both Chelsea and Manchester City have big, deep squads, where competition for playing time helps keep everyone performing.

Over the last couple of years of Pochettino’s tenure, the team got stale and competition was lacking. Then last season, despite having players who could compete, Jose Mourinho tried to win every game with his main team and run the lads into the ground.  Following the grueling match with Manchester City, we raised the question if Tottenham could play that hard all season. Santo has clearly answered that question with a resounding, yes assuming we rotate.

Now we see a reversion back toward the early days of Pochettino’s reign when no-one’s spot was safe and everything was up for grabs. When asked about the players left behind and rather than sharing names, Nuno went straight to the reasoning. Santo said that it was “important that our players, all of them have real competition”.

No Tottenham players from Sunday in Portugal

Of course to create competition you have to actually play the other players in real game situations. As Santo was talking about the idea of competition he made it clear saying the “players who started the game Sunday are not going to be involved”.

Given the context of having just beaten Manchester City with Wolves coming up right after, rotating to create competition and keep players sharp and fresh just makes sense.

If the playoff game against FC Paços de Ferreira was just a one-game match, then maybe we would see a different approach. However, this is a two-legged affair and if needed the big guns can participate next week.

As for this Thursday in Portugal, we should expect a very young and hungry side looking to show they deserve more minutes and opportunities, whether in this competition or any other. Ultimately with a team, when people are fighting for jobs it makes for a better squad.