3. Give Youth A Chance
AVB has shown some willingness to play the younger players in the Europa League, most notably in the lively cauldron that was the Stadio Olimpico in the group stage match against Lazio. Jake Livermore, Tom Carroll, Steven Caulker and Kyle Naughton should all expect to play some part on Thursday, and there is good reason for them all to start. Not only will it offer the likes of Moussa Dembele, Scott Parker, and Kyle Walker a much needed break, but it will also help the youngsters development and be a big show of faith from the manager. Livermore started at Anfield and has over a 100 career appearances to his name, Caulker is an England international, while Naughton and Carroll are consistently making match day squads. They are also all at an age when they should be challenging to start matches, and the match against Inter is a fantastic mix of a low pressure game, added to exciting and historic surroundings. They played against Lazio and helped the team draw nil-nil, so why cant they do it again?
2. Dont Be Afraid To Attack
As important as it is to be defensively sound, especially early on, Spurs should not be afraid to attack Inter when the chance comes. The Inter defence was pretty woeful they struggled with pace, they struggled with crosses, they struggled with marking and there is no reason to think Spurs will not cause them plenty of trouble again. If Spurs are going to learn how to play without Gareth Bale then they will need to get on the front foot from time to time. If the game is a dour goalless draw of few chances then yes, Spurs will progress, but they will be no nearer realising any attacking options that do not involve Bale somewhere down the line. It was not so long ago that Spurs were 4-0 down with ten men away at Inter. The players might have changed, but Tottenham learnt a great deal that night, namely that if you sit back you can get hurt, but if you get forward at the right moments you can do danger. A strong aggregate win will also send shivers down the spines of the other teams who make it through to the quarter final stage. No one will fancy playing Spurs if they thump Inter Milan home and away