00:00Tottenham Hotspur head into their Europa League final with hopes of silverware, but also a
00:08growing injury list that threatens to overshadow preparations for the biggest night of their
00:13season and recent history.
00:16What began as a promising campaign under Ange Postacoglu has been repeatedly disrupted
00:22by fitness setbacks and those issues haven't eased ahead of the final. A number of key
00:27absentees have left the squad stretch, forcing Spurs to dig deep in recent weeks to reach
00:33this stage. Despite the adversity, there's still a sense of opportunity. Lifting the trophy
00:38would not only mark a major achievement under Postacoglu, but also offer a fitting reward
00:44for a squad that has shown to resilience and adaptability in the face of mounting challenges.
00:51We spoke to James Trembath of London World to get the latest from inside the camp. The
00:55mood remains focused and determined, but there's no denying that Spurs will need to overcome
01:01more than just their opponents if they're to finish the season with a trophy.
01:06So James, a massive game for Spurs in terms of their recent history, in terms of saving
01:13their season. Obviously, we mentioned going into it, the run to get to the Europa League
01:18final. They do face Manchester United, who do have a fairly decent record in finals and
01:24getting over the line in big games throughout their history. So it is a challenge. And then
01:28obviously, mounted more of that challenge is the injury situation as well, which we'll get
01:33into. But just in terms of this game alone, obviously, it's been a dismal season for Spurs,
01:39but it's certainly an occasion that, you know, you may as well let your hair down and get excited
01:43for as a Spurs fan.
01:44Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't quite go as far as to say redemption for Spurs, but certainly,
01:49you know, we joked at the start of the season that, you know, would you take finishing 17th
01:53and winning the trophy? And here we are, we're 17th, likely to finish 17th, I think as well.
01:58And we've got the possibility of making history and winning a European trophy. So it's exciting,
02:04it's probably terrifying in equal measure. Two Premier League strugglers, you know, 16th
02:09v. 17th, and we've wrapped up 39 Premier League defeats between us. So it's kind of the ultimate
02:14pillow fight, I guess, isn't it? I think one pundit described it as the other day. Winner
02:18takes all. I mean, I think if you look at the sort of both, the stance from both clubs,
02:23Spurs are desperate for the trophy. And obviously, Champions League is the kind of icing on the cake.
02:28I think if you were to ask my United fans, who obviously have had the luxury of winning
02:32several titles and trophies in the past couple of decades, they probably just won the Champions
02:37League, I think, in terms of their direction of travel. So you could argue there's probably
02:42more on it for Spurs in terms of that trophy, you know, ending that 17-year wait for a trophy
02:48since we last won a cup in 2008 when we lifted the League Cup. It feels such a long time since
02:53Ledley King lifted that one. I was just a teenager when that happened.
02:57So, yeah, it's going to be a heck of a game. Two Premier League strugglers, but obviously
03:03the European form has been much, much better. I think the thing with Spurs is we've been
03:08very, very cavalier, you know, wide open in the Premier League. We've spoken about it
03:11time and again, haven't we, in terms of that ball over the top, that aggressive high line.
03:15Very, very exposed, conceding lots of silly goals in the Premier League. But certainly
03:20in Europe, we've been much more robust, a lot more pragmatic. You know, you don't see
03:23Porro and Udogi bombing over the halfway line and inverting as much as they do in the Premier League.
03:28We play with that sort of double pivot with Bissouma and Benton Kerr. So we're a lot more
03:32solid, we're a lot more robust. You could argue we're not quite as dangerous going forward,
03:37perhaps. And Man Utd have been the same, aren't they? They've had some tremendous European
03:41results and, you know, really made light work at Bilbao in what looked like a really, really tough
03:47semi-final on paper. So it's going to be tight. I just hope that Spurs obviously come out on the
03:53right side. Playing Sarb, Benton Kerr, Bissouma really does leave us void of any creativity.
03:58So, you know, does he try something different? Do we go with a Son in the 10 maybe and we bring
04:04Teller Odeber on to the left side? Or does he go Son in the 10 and bring Richarlison in? You know,
04:08Richarlison, big game player. He's obviously won trophies for Brazil and he's maybe got that
04:14little bit of bite and that little bit of aggression that you maybe need in a final.
04:18So really, really interesting to see which way Ange goes in terms of that team selection
04:23and indeed formation. I mean, you know, you could even argue that Solanke could withdraw as the 10
04:27and Richarlison up top on his own, but can't really see that happening because obviously
04:33Solanke leads the press so well. So I think he'll go Solanke up front and then
04:38you know, we wait to see what he does with that final midfield slot, but I think the rest
04:43of the team probably picks itself.
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