The former Spurs player and manager fears for Spurs’ balancing act.
20-20 Football Technical Director Glenn Hoddle during the press conference
Tottenham Hotspur get their Champions League campaign under way this week, with the visit of Monaco to Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.
Spurs will be playing their European fixtures at the national stadium this season as essential building works are currently taking place at their White Hart Lane home – with Spurs set to move into a brand new stadium.
The game v Monaco is already a sell-out and many Spurs fans are excited and intrigued into how this move will work out.
Others are worried that it could have a detrimental impact on their football. This is also the view of former Tottenham player and manager Glenn Hoddle.
He wrote in his column for Yahoo! this week:
“I suspect their Champions League opponents this season will relish the chance to play at the most famous stadium in the world, with the home advantage Spurs would have had at White Hart Lane surrendered to an extent by the move to Wembley.
General view outside the stadium before the match
“Big European games on a massive pitch at Wembley or a long way from home may well have an (sic) affect on the players when they play their Premier League games the following weekend, with the quick turnaround if you are playing a league game on the Saturday after a European match an adjustment that many clubs find tough to deal with.
“While Champions League football is what Tottenham have been striving to achieve for many years now, they have a challenge on their hands to make sure they do not allow their European commitments to detract from their ambitions to succeed in the Premier League.”
Hoddle certainly makes a point. Wembley is a large pitch and the style of play Spurs have will see them covering plenty of ground in midweek fixtures.
Whilst the club have made some transfer moves this summer they will be relying on some of their younger, less experienced, players to perform at a high level if they are to have success in both European and domestic football this season.
Hopefully the move to Wembley will not detract from Spurs form in the Premier League.
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