Tottenham Hotspur travels to Arnhem with a pretty flawed selection for the Conference League match with Vitesse, which is scheduled for Thursday evening. The ten field players who played against Newcastle United last Sunday will not be in GelreDome. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo reveals at the press conference the day before the game that Steven Bergwijn will kick off against Vitesse.
Harry Kane, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Eric Dier, Heung-Min Son, Tanguy N’Dombele, Oliver Skipp, Cristian Romero, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal did not travel with Tottenham to the Netherlands. “Another game against West Ham United awaits on Sunday. We try to respect all competitions and matches, but we think it’s better now to leave some players behind so they can recover well and get back into the game on Sunday.” the Gelderlander up from Nuno’s mouth. “We do take the Conference League seriously. I’m not talking about a B-choice either.”
The Tottenham manager reveals that Bergwijn will have a basic place against Vitesse. The attacker was out of circulation for a month with an ankle injury, but was back on the reserve bench for the first time last weekend against Newcastle. “When I played in the Netherlands, Vitesse was always difficult. They play good football, but we are Tottenham and we also have a lot of quality,” said Bergwijn during the press conference in the run-up to the match between Vitesse and Tottenham. “I know what I can do and it is now time to show myself again. know that I have more to offer. You will soon see the best of me.”
“I can confirm that all players who have played against NEC are part of the match selection,” jokes Vitesse coach Thomas Letsch when asked about his selection. His team has three points after two Conference League games, while Tottenham collected four points from duels with Stade Rennes and Mura. “Tottenham has 25 players with great qualities. If Kane and others don’t join in, there’s still a good team. An eager team too, I am convinced of that. Our job doesn’t get any easier when others play. Because they want to prove themselves and will do anything to win. This is just going to be a really tough job.”