Champions League: Tottenham In Quarter Finals Despite Pochettino’s Concerns

On the eve of the second leg against Borussia Dortmund in the Westfalenstadion, Spur’s Argentinian manager fumed over their opponent’s unfair advantage.

Still, a goal from Tottenham’s all-time European topscorer Harry Kane confirmed a comfortable 4-0 aggregate win and a place in the quarter finals.

Whether is is indeed Sky who is to blame, or the FA, Pochettino had a point when he complained about Tottenham’s limited recuperation time before facing Borussia Dortmund. Spurs had a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal on Saturday, while Dortmund was given an extra day to get over their 2-1 loss at Augsburg on Friday night in the Bundesliga.

Pochettino’s remark that in Europe the people are more sensitive to helping their clubs prepare for the Champions League may be correct, but success comes at a price. The Premier League is worldwide by far the most popular football competition, and the television rights bring in many hundreds of millions every year. Money that allows English clubs to compete at a European level.

It is also this money that makes the Premier League so exciting and competitive, with even the smaller clubs being able to spend big on the transfer market and pay their stars top salaries.

With only eight match days to go, there are still two serious contenders for the title, and six teams in the race for a Champions League ticket. Leicester’s shock title win in 2016 shows how unpredictable the Premier League still can be, in spite of the financial dominance of the big clubs. This year’s table may be less surprising, but Premier League fans can still expect a lot of excitement as this analysis of the Premier League run-in shows.