Following the Thursday win over Pacos de Ferreira, Tottenham Hotspur was immediately put into Friday’s Europa Conference League draw, so how did Spurs do?
Tottenham Hotspur guaranteed themselves at least six games of European football this season with their win on Thursday evening against Pacos 3-0. Then on Friday, Tottenham Hotspur was drawn into Group G of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. Let’s look at Tottenham’s opponents and how the team did.
The Conference League Draw
The Conference League draw was not as complex as the Champions League draw but took a similar approach. There were four pots of eight teams to draw from, starting with Pot 1, then on to Pot 2, and so forth.
Tottenham Hotspur was one of eight teams – ranked by coefficient – that was placed into Pot 1. As the seventh team that was drawn from the bowl of balls, the Spurs were immediately dropped into Group G, the first open group available to them.
From there, the same procedure was followed with Pot 2, Pot 3, and finally, Pot 4, until all 32 teams have been drawn and place into one of the groups A through H. So what can we make of Tottenham’s group and their competition?
Stade Rennais FC
Of all the teams in Pot 2 that the teams from Pot 1 did not want to have drawn against them Stade Rennais FC was likely high on the list. I say this because of all the teams in Pot 2, none are more highly ranked in the UEFA club rankings than is Renne at 62nd in the world.
How high of a ranking is 62nd you might wonder, well Leicester City and West Ham – who both finished in front of Tottenham last season – are 65th and 66th in the rankings. And while the rankings are a bit archaic with their rolling formula, Rennes had a solid season in Ligue 1 finishing 6th with the 5th best goal difference.
Based on that finish Rennes entered the competition at the same place that Tottenham and Roma did in the Play-off round. Following a convincing 1-5 victor over Rosenborg on aggregate they advanced to the draw. It is actually a bit stunning Renne were even in Pot 2, to begin with, but it should be an entertaining match for Tottenham, against a strong defensive side.
Vitesse
Vitesse is not quite at the level Rennes is but as a Dutch team, we know that anything can happen. Vitesse finished fourth in the Eredivisie last season. That fourth-place finish qualified Vitesse to enter the Conference League in the 3rd qualifying round.
After drawing at home against Dundalk, Vitesse went to Dublin and got a big 1-2 road win to advance to the playoffs. In the playoffs, Vitesse faced a more experienced European team in Anderlecht but managed to win 5-4 over the two legs.
Scoring three goals on the road in Brussels shows Vitesse can score and the 2-1 home win to clinch their spot in the group stage shows they can defend. At 147th in the club rankings, Vitesse is not an eye turner but they are a solid enough side.
NS Mura
NS Mura might be the most interesting team in the entire competition. Whereas Tottenham is actually the highest-ranked team in the competition according to UEFA at 13th, Mura is the lowest-ranked team in the competition at 323rd.
However, do not let the lowly rank fool you as Mura are the defending Slovenian PrvaLiga Champions. Mura tied with Maribor on 63 points but edged them out on a goal difference of 24 to Maribor’s 23. The calling card for Mura is truly their defense, conceding only 26 goals in 36 league matches last season.
Mura actually started their European journey in the middle of Champions League qualifying but ended up falling down to Europa League qualifying before making it to the Group Stage of the Conference League. Despite being defending league champions Mura is likely the team most suited to see a side similar to that used in the first match against Pacos de Ferreira.
So what are Tottenham’s chances?
While Rennes is a tough second team in the group, the reality is Tottenham should win this group and should be able to grow the squad a bit in the process. Certainly, on the road in the group stage, we could see Nuno Espirito Santo using a younger, less experienced squad and keep his stronger line-ups for the home games.
Of course, when the games are home versus away and how those matches stack up against the rest of the schedule will have some impact on who plays as well. Regardless, Tottenham should be deep enough and strong enough to win this group and make a serious run at this trophy.