Advertisement

EUROPA LEAGUE: Top five talking points - Slick Schalke and last-gasp Sporting shine

1) Schalke are buzzing heading into knockout stages

When you rock up at someone else’s stadium and put four past them with no return, it’s pretty clear you mean business in the big scheme of things.

Bundesliga side Schalke went into the final round of Group K games already in the hat for the knockout stages, but they were in no mood to take their foot off the pedal.

Former Chelsea and Wigan striker Franco Di Santo got the party started before Cameroon international Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added one in each half.

By the time Max Meyer scored the fourth four minutes from time, Greek hosts Asteras must have been wishing they were sitting down for their Christmas turkey instead.

Schalke head coach André Breitenreiter may not have much managerial experience to call on, nevertheless his enterprising side currently lie two points off the Champions League places back home and will be a stern Europa test in February.

2) Sion have made great strides against expectations

Swiss Super League outfit Sion have managed to overcome the odds and qualify from Group B alongside Liverpool after a cagey point at home to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

They defeated Rubin Kazan 2-1 at the Stade Tourbillon back in the first round of matches to lay down their marker and they have delivered on that through the rest of their campaign.

Didier Tholot’s team took four points off Bordeaux to cement their position and their impressive performance tonight in Switzerland saw them garner the nine points necessary.

British fans might struggle to name anyone in their squad outside of former Spurs man Reto Ziegler, their only other claim to fame in recent years the short spell that former Italian international Gennaro Gattuso had as player-manager in 2012 and 2013.

Tholot, though, has performed admirably in getting the best out of his charges and keep highly strung chairman Christian Constantin at bay for a little longer.

3) Chadli faces a big fight to get spot back

Nacer Chadli was one of Tottenham’s better performers last season in the huge shadow cast by Harry Kane’s unbelievable breakthrough campaign at White Hart Lane.

Long trusted at national level by Belgian coach Marc Wilmots, the graceful winger has racked up 30 caps and his knack for important goals and heartening work-rate has got him in the good books of Spurs fans.

Unfortunately the injuries that have curtailed his appearances this season have allowed Erik Lamela to bloom finally, while new signing Son Heung-min has also flourished.

With Son back fit too and Lamela banging in a hat-trick against Monaco to cap off a fruitful Group J mission for boss Mauricio Pochettino, Chadli faces a tall order to regain a regular spot after his substitute run-out tonight.

Pochettino will not be complaining, though. He appears to have created a great squad spirit and Chadli’s return alongside Josh Onomah’s emergence could see Andros Townsend as the odd man out in the January sales.

4) Sporting leave it late to join the draw

The Group H finale was one of the more enjoyable this evening with three teams battling it out for two spots after Skenderbeu were left rock bottom heading into it.

Lokomotiv Moscow managed to seal top spot with a 3-0 win in Albania, given lustre thanks to two late goals from Baye Oumar Niasse and Aleksandr Samedov.

So the focus turned to Portugal where Sporting Lisbon were hosting rivals Besiktas in a winner takes all clash for the coveted second spot.

It looked like the Turkish side were going to carry out a classic smash and grab raid with Mario Gomez’s 58th-minute goal separating the two sides.

Sadly for the visitors, hot property Islam Slimani levelled nine minutes later, former Fulham forward Bryan Ruiz added a second five minutes after that and Teófilo Gutiérrez soon put it beyond doubt with a third to the delight of the Estádio José Alvalade crowd. Exactly the type of game that helps the Europa cause for UEFA.

5) Case for the defence will give Klopp lift

Jurgen Klopp is not getting it all his own way at Anfield since he was brought in to replace Brendan Rodgers and lift the Merseyside club back into trophy contention.

Classy displays against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Southampton have been undone a little with listless ones versus Crystal Palace and Newcastle.

The short trip to Switzerland tonight could have provided a few players with the chance to stake a larger claim to a slice of the first-team pie.

The attacking players failed to get to grips with the tricky pitch however, on the other hand, an often porous Liverpool defence managed to keep the home side out.

Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren’s confidence will have been boosted no end, while it seems Brad Smith has emerged as a reliable performer in the left-back slot if needed.

Join me on 18th February for the next round of reflection.

Follow @mattogborn on Twitter