Will European outings give Spurs the edge over Fulham?Tottenham may be rueing their decidedly inconvenient and ultimately disappointing trip to Russia this week, but their next top-flight opponents are being even more distracted by the Europa League this season.
Indeed, when it comes to using exploits on the continent as an excuse for fatigue, Fulham certainly have more justification than Spurs.
Unlike Tottenham, the Cottagers had the luxury of being at home last night, hosting Wisla Krakow.
However, that was their 12th game in the Europa League already, and their 23rd match of a campaign which began all the way back on June 30 in the early qualifying rounds.
Meanwhile, as Tottenham’s first team were being rested yesterday with Sunday’s London derby in mind, Martin Jol was fielding a virtually full-strength side to secure an important 4-1 win, which took his side second in Group K.
Andy Johnson, Bobby Zamora and Danny Murphy were all withdrawn in the second half, but there is little doubt that Tottenham will be the fresher team this weekend.
Of course, entry into the early stages of the Europa League was Fulham’s prize for winning the Fair Play League last season – a dubious honour which was nearly bestowed on Tottenham, giving the Lilywhites all the motivation they needed to finish fifth in May and enter the tournament at a later stage.
Fulham’s new boss Jol is no stranger to Europe – indeed he memorably learned of his sacking at Spurs during a Uefa Cup clash with Getafe in October 2007.
However, the balancing act between continental commitments and domestic affairs has not been easy for him so far this season, and the Cottagers’ league form has suffered as a result.
Jol was a popular choice to replace the cautious Mark Hughes, particularly given the exciting brand of football the Dutchman was known for in his days across London at Tottenham.
However, a 6-0 home win over local rivals QPR and a fightback from 2-0 down to earn a draw with Manchester City are the main highlights of a fairly uninspiring start to the league campaign.
To their credit, Fulham remain the only side to take points off City, but they lie in 15th place, four points above the relegation zone, with just two wins from their opening 10 league matches.
The danger men are all familiar names. Johnson’s brace against Krakow last night took his tally to 11 goals in all competitions, and he hit a hat-trick in the derby victory over QPR at the Cottage.
Zamora has five goals to his name and Clint Dempsey scored his third league goal of the season in a 2-0 win at Wigan on Saturday, while the attack-minded ex-Liverpool left-back John Arne Riise joined Fulham over the summer.
However, record signing Bryan Ruiz is taking his time to find his feet in the Premier League after making a £10.6million move from FC Twente.
He has just one league goal so far, but Jol was encouraged by his delicate chip over Tim Howard in a 3-1 defeat to Everton last month.
“You could say that his goal against Everton was a sign for everybody else – I knew what he is capable of. He has an excellent quality of setting up goals and can also score goals,” said Jol.
“It can take time to settle in. There was too much pressure. He needs to know that it is not only about scoring and setting up goals.
“He is a midfielder, not a striker. In Holland, he scored more goals than any other midfield player.
“When he came here, people thought he was a striker but he can play out wide or as an offensive midfielder.
“He’s not a pacy player. It is about his vision and his ability to play the killer pass. He can fill the gap between Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson and my midfield.”
The effect of last night’s Europa League fixtures should give Spurs an advantage on Sunday, but they are likely to need it if their record in this fixture is anything to go by.
The Lilywhites have only won two of their league trips to the Cottage since Fulham joined the top flight in 2001.
And, while one of those came last season in October, that success was then eclipsed by the 4-0 defeat on the Thames in the FA Cup three months later.
That mauling will be uppermost in Tottenham’s minds as they return this weekend to face their old manager and a host of former players – Murphy, Zamora and Stephen Kelly, while Simon Davies is out of action through injury.
Harry Redknapp will miss the trip to Craven Cottage as he continues to recover from a minor heart operation, but the Spurs boss is expected to return after the international break.
The verdict: Having already won away at Wolves, Wigan and Blackburn, it could be suggested that Spurs should beat 15th-placed Fulham here - as they did last season.
However, anyone who witnessed the FA Cup tie at Craven Cottage last season will be very wary of this fixture, and so are we – 2-2
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