Last week Spurs lost a midweek game to Liverpool. I didn’t give a damn. Nobody gave a damn. Probably some of the players did but the manager didn’t. He played a second string team, gave some youngsters a run-a-bout and the match was hardly mentioned. Because it was in the EFL Cup. What? Who? Where? The EFL Cup. One-time merely The League Cup and a ‘vessel to prize’, a ‘path to European glory’ and prestige all on its own. Now; its nothing. A distraction. A chance to get players injured or exhausted before ‘important’ matches coming up.

I blame Arsene Wenger, myself. But I blame him for the war in Syria, for the American election debacle and the fact that my 4 Spades contract went down by 1 at bridge last night. He is my scapegoat of choice. Yet in the League Cup issues, he may be to blame. For being the first manager to have the foresight, about 10 years ago, that nobody will give a shit about the League fucking Cup in 5 years time, so its not worth doing anything other than making token gestures. And thus he started the trend of ‘playing the kids’ for League Cup matches.

Its a shame because that cup used to have kudos and everyone wanted to win it. But money changes all and when the Premier League came about and the Champions League arrived in its current format, everything changed. Finishing in the top 4 of the league became EVERYTHING. Because it gained entry to the Champions League. Winning the League Cup, if you could be bothered, only got you as far as the UEFA Cup, another much diminished trophy.

Again, this is a horrendously elitist viewpoint from the very top of the top league. I’m sure Watford would give their naming rights for the chance to win the League Cup or play in the UEFA. But (and I hate this term) ‘Big Clubs’ have big aspirations. And want the Champions League or nothing. Nothing being what most get. Most of the time.

Well Spurs got into the Champions League last year. We just did enough before the inevitable collapse to ensure entry. Yet still keep one eye, a very big, Cyclopean type eye, (maybe we can borrow one from Mezut Ozil), on league position. Which once again, is not as healthy as we’d like.

Tonight we play Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley to pretty much decide whether we will continue on past the group stages into the knockout phase. More to worry about there, but we’ll do so later. And then on Sunday we go to the Arsenal. Who are currently so full of goals and confidence and amazingness that if I didn’t hate them already, I’d start right now.

A big week. A very big week.

Worrysome Wednesday

A xxxx