Tottenham - EFL Cup Final | Pre-Match Thread

[lionheart]

Pep can make 5 changes, and he will use them to make sure that virtually any of the starters in Paris will play no more than 60-70 minutes vs Spurs (including extra time)...

Sadly Pep rarely makes more than two substitutions and usually very late. He seems to become brain dead once the kick off whistle sounds.

 

[Gingers Dad]

Think we will go strong against PSG so

Steffen
Garcia, Laporte, Ake, Mendy
Cancelo, Fernandinho, Zinchenko
Ferran, Jesus, Sterling

Or

Steffen
Cancelo, Laporte, Ake, Mendy
Ferran, Fernandinho, Zinchenko
Sterling, Aguero, Jesus
​

I hate being a hater but please no Garcia

 

[Gingers Dad]

Sadly Pep rarely makes more than two substitutions and usually very late. He seems to become brain dead once the kick off whistle sounds.

It's a shame you can't stand next to him in the technical area. You could suggest who and when he should make his subs

 

[Citizen in Pakistan]

Torres and Sterling are a complete and utter waste of space. I'd rather play two EDS lads, hungry for success.

Thanks to the midweek redcard, it will be a big ask from foden, bernado or mahrez to do it again and then face psg. We need our best 11 against psg to give ourselves a chance, that's why foden, bernado and mahrez are not in my starting 11, we can bring them on by 60th minute. This isnt an ideal front 3 considering the current form but it's worth taking a risk

 

[alexmcity]

i think people are justifiably miffed.

I'm sure the majority would

People? The majority?

Pep wouldn't be so successful if he followed the majority. I doubt the majority was happy with Pep's tactics back in 16/17. It was just several months ago when the majority wanted Gundogan and Mahrez out and couldn't stand Rodri.

Let's use our brains and try to understand better why Pep rotates heavily. Let's not regurgitate clichés ("final!", "trophy!", "Use your best team!", etc.), but try to see things in their proper context, that is, that the CL is a firm priority. We have won the league cup many times, but haven't played a CL final. Doing better in the CL is more important for the future of the club, at least for the owner, the club bosses, the manager, and the players, than winning another league cup.

Pep is going to prioritise the CL and the PL. Let's not forget, it is very difficult to win both! The players need to be at their very best. A PL/CL double after the domestic treble would be fantastic and would cement this team as one of the greatest (English teams) of all time. A treble, let alone a quadruple, would be even better, but the physical and mental resources of the team are finite and should be managed cleverly.

Nothing guarantees that if we play our best team on Sunday we will win, and nothing guarantees that if we don't play our best team on Sunday, we will win in Paris. It's about probabilities: if we rest players on Sunday, they are likelier to be fresh and injury free in Paris, i.e., they are likelier to get a good result in Paris. And, at the same time, the squad players will feel valuable to the team if selected to play in a final, it's highly important to have a happy squad when you play for the biggest trophies.

Time will tell, Pep may play our most in form players on Sunday, who knows? Personally, I would be very surprised. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised, if the selected squad players played well and won the cup (even though Spurs have excellent players and shouldn't be underestimated at all).

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

Not sure this will work out well , one motivated team that hasnt won a trophy for years against a team that has an eye on a far more important game in a few days , will our second string be good enough to beat Spurs ? , Well Spuds arent at Chelsea's level defensively , so expect us to score a couple of goals.

 

[SWP's back]

Yeah but this is a final!

Is swap a few Carabao Cups for a Champions League tbf.

 

[BLUEMATT23]

I think pep is bluffing a bit
Expect a strong side in sunday

 

[FantasyIreland]

People? The majority?

Pep wouldn't be so successful if he followed the majority. You don't manage a professional team, let alone one of the best teams in the world, by consulting the majority. I doubt the majority was happy with Pep's tactics back in 16/17. It was just several months ago when the majority wanted Gundogan and Mahrez out and couldn't stand Rodri.

Let's use our brains and try to understand better why Pep rotates heavily. Let's not regurgitate clichés ("final!", "trophy!", "Use your best team!", etc.), but try to see things in their proper context, that is, that the CL is a firm priority. We have won the league cup many times, but haven't played a CL final. Doing better in the CL is more important for the future of the club, at least for the owner, the club bosses, the manager, and the players, than winning another league cup.

Pep is going to prioritise the CL and the PL. A PL/CL double after the domestic treble would be fantastic and would cement this team as one of the greatest (English teams) of all time. A treble, let alone a quadruple, would be even better, but the physical and mental resources of the team are finite and should be managed cleverly.

Nothing guarantees that if we play our best team on Sunday we will win, and nothing guarantees that if we don't play our best team on Sunday, we will win in Paris. It's about probabilities: if we rest players on Sunday, they are likelier to be fresh and injury free in Paris, i.e., they are likelier to get a good result in Paris. And, at the same time, the squad players will feel valuable to the team if selected to play in a final, it's highly important to have a happy squad when you play for the biggest trophies.

Time will tell, Pep may play our most in form players on Sunday, who knows? Personally, I would be very surprised. At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised, if the squad players play well and win the cup.

Sure,it's fair comment,and while there are of course many variables....i would just rather we went for it,a fall on your sword approach.

 

[TueartsOHK]

I think we’ve seen from the Leeds and Chelsea games that when we rest too many players we lose. If we play Mendy, Torres and Sterling (in his current form) with a midfield which doesn’t contain De Bruyne or Gundog I think we’ll struggle against a full strength Spuds. If Pep thinks we need to take that risk to maximise our chances next week so be it. But it seems daft to get to a final and not try to win it.