CUPS & DOWNS
Alderweireld insists there’s no Prem benefit from Europa exit
TOBY ALDERWEIRELD insists being dumped out of the Europa League is no blessing in disguise.
Spurs crashed out of the competition on Thursday against Belgians Gent, reducing the number of games they face between now and the end of term.
That will ease the burden on Mauricio Pochettino’s men and boost their chances in the Premier League and FA Cup.
But defender Alderweireld said: “If you are not qualifying then it is not a blessing in disguise. Of course not. We are disappointed. A club like Tottenham has to go through.We have to fight for every game and that is what we said after the game.
“We still have the FA Cup and the league to fight for, so we will do everything to fight for them.”
Gent’s two sucker-punch goals and the 2-2 Wembley draw, which sent Spurs out 3-2 on aggregate, overshadowed what was actually a good
Spurs perfor- mance. Striker Harry Kane, whose own-goal gifted Gent their first equaliser, said: “You could look at it like that (Spurs now face the same number of games as Chelsea) but obviously we want to be in every competition.
“We are gutted that we are out of this but we try to take the positives from it. We have to show this attitude again against Stoke and in every game between now and the end of the season. If we play with that attitude and togetherness for the rest of the season we will be OK.
“We have a big quarterfinal in the FA Cup next month against Millwall and then we are fighting for places in the Premier League.
“We need to keep focused, do our jobs and see what we can do.”
Spurs’ hopes of reaching the Europa League last-16 were hit when Dele Alli was sent off for an X-rated, knee-high horror tackle in the first half against Gent.
Pochettino publicly backed Alli and is understood to empathise with the midfielder, having been no stranger to a rash challenge in his career.
Kane said: “He is obviously gutted and feels like he has let us down a bit. Dele will learn from this. Obviously in European football with tackles like that, you are more likely to get a red card.
“But Dele has been great for us this season. We fought hard for him to turn it around. It is something he will learn from and get experience for the future.”