Gent manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck will be hoping Tottenham leave Mousa Dembele out this evening.
Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele in action with Gent’s Brecht Dejaegere
Gent boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck has hailed Tottenham Hotspur ace Mousa Dembele ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League decider.
The Belgian side visit Wembley with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, hoping to cause an upset and progress to the last 16 of the competition.
Speaking at a press conference, reported by Nieuwsblad, Vanhaezebrouck complimented Dembele and insisted Tottenham Hotspur would be a more limited side without him.
He said: “I’m a big fan of Mousa Dembélé. He is very important for Tottenham, they would not do so well without him.”
Tottenham’s form trailed off badly without Dembele last season and it is hard to argue too much with his assessment.
Striker Harry Kane tends to come to life when Dembele is in the side and struggles more without him, and this is not a knock on Tottenham’s replacements, it is simply praise of the impressive influence the former Fulham midfielder has on his side.
Dembele did start the first leg in Belgium and ended up on the losing side, and is likely to get the chance to attempt to redress the balance of the tie in the return fixture.
Tottenham need to handle playing at Wembley better than they did in the Champions League group stages, but with the game carrying a little less attention due to being Europe’s secondary competition, the North London side could get over the mental barrier.
Tottenham’s Mousa Dembele applauds fans
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