Why Tottenham rotating in Europa League is wise move from Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou repeated a familiar line when asked which competition he is prioritising ahead of Tottenham's Europa League curtain-raiser at home to Qarabag on Thursday

"We want to win everything, mate, so no preference," said the Spurs head coach.

Postecoglou's ambition is laudable, but everyone knows that Spurs do not have the squad depth to win a clean sweep of four trophies this season; at some point down the line, the Australian will likely face tough decisions over where his true priorities lie.

Does Postecoglou really want to win the Europa League even if it means, for example, that Spurs squander the chance at a fourth-place finish and a guaranteed return to the Champions League next season?

Ange Postecoglou

With the exception of Andre Villas-Boas, Postecoglou's modern predecessors have tended to treat the Europa League as an afterthought and in 11 seasons in UEFA's secondary club competition this century, Spurs have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals, which they reached in 2012-13 under the Portuguese.

For a club of Tottenham's size and ambitions, this is an underachievement, particularly given they competed in the Champions League final in 2019 in their sixth campaign in the competition.

With supporters desperate for a first trophy since 2008 and Spurs' beginning the revamped Europa League among the favourites, Postecoglou will be expected to finally have a proper crack at winning the competition this term.

There is no longer any drop-down of clubs from the Champions League, either, making the Europa League arguably more winnable than ever.

For now, though, the questions over the manager's priorities can probably be put on ice; the revamped Europa League format will see every team play eight matches in the initial phase, minimising the jeopardy, and Postecoglou can afford to rotate his squad for the visit of Qarabag without fear of recriminations.

"Your European games, your cup games are an opportunity for us to develop players and get them ready," he said. "What you don't want to do is make too many changes every game we did that obviously against Coventry [in last week's Carabao Cup win] because we needed to, but that tends to disrupt."

Ben Davies and Timo Werner are expected to return to the side against the Azerbaijani champions, while Postecoglou faces a decision over his goalkeeper.

Djed Spence was left out of the Europa League squad to allow Spurs to include another senior goalkeeper in Fraser Forster, leaving Postecoglou arguably under a degree of pressure to start the 36-year-old. But can Spurs really go all the way in the Europa League if Forster plays every game? It feels doubtful.

With Cristian Romero suspended after being sent off against AC Milan in Spurs' last European game, the 0-0 draw with AC Milan under Antonio Conte, back in March 2023, Radu Dragusin is certain to return to the back four after a second start of the season against Coventry.

One thing almost every supporter can agree on is that the Europa League should be an important proving ground for Spurs' talented young players.

Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, who made their first competitive starts at Coventry, are set to feature again, while Postecoglou could hand a full debut to 17-year-old academy graduate Mikey Moore, which would be exciting for the home fans.

"Let's don't give him too much pressure on his shoulders," Spurs captain Heung-min Son said of Moore yesterday. "Just let's enjoy how he develops, how he improves every single day, every single season and as a fan, as supporters, we should just enjoy watching him and he will be, I think, one of the top players."

Given Spurs' place in the food chain and supporters' desperation for silveware, Postecoglou cannot afford to be dismissive of any cup competitions (like Pep Guardiola, for example, who has said he will play his second string in the Carabao Cup).

The early stages of the Europa League feel like the perfect time to rotate, however, and the additions of Bergvall, Gray and perhaps Moore would add intrigue to Spurs' meeting with Qarabag, appeasing even those fans who would like to see Europe as the top priority.