Before Southampton. Let’s get over it already

Preview of the last game of the season

Europa League pain

I am lucky not to have any Spurs fans across family, friends or neighbours, so my exposure to them is limited to the social networks and I'm mostly spared the painful gloating. Can only imagine the smugness levels dialled up to eleven after their rather infrequent taste of silverware. However, this “final” was never going to end well.

Despite Spurs being our fiercest rivals, my venom for Man United runs deeper. I can't stomach the thought of ever cheering them on. They caused us so much pain over the years - the corrupted finish of our invincible run, 8-2, the Champions League semi-final heartbreak, the list goes on. And it was not only the results against us, it was the disgusting way they behaved on and off the pitch.

So, either one lifting the trophy would have been a sour grape. For Man United it meant returning to Champions League, which brings them a serious possibility for rebuilding under a new coach. Despite their abysmal results under a new coach this season, Amorim has shown that he can close down any opponent. In the second half of the season, they drew with Liverpool, drew twice with us including eliminating us from the FA cup and even bested City. If he is given enough time and needed players to support his attacking views, it could become a force we can’t discard anymore. Spurs under Ange, though? Not convinced in the slightest. We have played with them two seasons and they often crumble against a strong opponent. If he sticks around (and that trophy probably makes it more likely), I'm not losing any sleep.

Spurs winning would have meant two unpleasantries. First, they would point fingers at us with regards to European trophies (as if our 1994 Cup Winners' Cup doesn't count!). Second, Ange would become the smuggest person on Earth after claiming in October that he always wins trophies in the second season. It’s undoubtedly a great achievement to win a trophy in Europe. However, we shouldn’t forget that the main reason why Spurs won Europa League is because it was the first season when Champions League teams that couldn’t get into the last 16 did not join the Europa League. Specifically, that rule was bringing in proper knockout rounds from the quarters. If it would be the case this year, then it would bring the likes of Man City, Juventus, Atalanta, Monaco and Milan into the mix. How would Spurs' chances shape up then? Instead, they were facing Bodo Glimt in the semi-finals. Truth be told, the current Europa League doesn't hold a candle to the FA Cup in terms of quality opposition. Spurs didn't face a single team with genuinely world-class players.

Did Spurs deserve a trophy and should they celebrate it? Absolutely. Are they better positioned than us going forward? No way. Did they have a better season? I don’t think so. When we played in the Europa League semifinals, when we were winning the FA cup under Wenger, I dreamt of being in the later stages of the Champions League, taking scalps of European heavyweights. So I don’t see any good reason to be disappointed. I take the positives in the fact that Man United is completely outside of Europe for next season and they'll have to seriously rethink their transfer strategy now.

Berta running the show

In the last few weeks media has signalled about a couple of changed directions in our summer strategy after Berta’s arrival at the club.

First and most known is pushing for Gyokeres. After watching an interesting Youtube analysis of his profile I'm increasingly of the opinion that he's not the answer for us right now. There’s a very good thought in the very beginning of the video - scoring a lot of goals has never been a large problem in the Portuguese league, so the potential buyers need to look beyond that. And when we look beyond, there’s not enough evidence he has the qualities that we need. In the Premier League, strikers are given the least possible time and space. So the main trait of an incoming striker should be the ability to quickly pull off a powerful shot, while Gyokeres is mostly known for his runs with the ball leading for a shot. 

The other problem I see with Gyokeres is that we know his goal output is going to decrease, he will never be able to sustain his current scoring level. The big question is how significant that drop will be. Could it be so drastic that it knocks his confidence and leaves our supporters thoroughly frustrated?

The other pieces of gossip involve contract extensions for Partey and Trossard. While I'm fully on board with keeping Partey, my feelings on Trossard are the complete opposite. Word on the street is he's being offered a better deal. Let's be brutally honest here - no team is buying 30-year old Trossard after the salary increase. Which means he will be part of our squad for the next season at the least. 

My take is that we need three fresh faces through the door this summer – a proper number nine, a new option on the left wing and a new option at #10. It would be down right stupid to go with Odegaard as the only CAM option into September after the disastrous season he had. We ABSOLUTELY need an alternative player that can start for stretches of games in his position. 

Now, if Trossard stays it means that we are either not bringing three new players or Martinelli goes. And I'm not keen on either scenario. I believe Martinelli brings that crucial work rate and never-stopping running to the team. He's incredibly useful when we need to sit deep and hit teams on the break. What would be a smart thing to do - is to complement him with a more explosive attacking-minded player (like Rodrygo, for example). But Trossard doesn't offer anything particularly unique that we don't already have in the squad. I am not convinced when he plays false 9, I am not convinced when he plays #10 and we can’t afford to have three left wingers. 

Given Arteta's reluctance to rotate the squad extensively, keeping Trossard would effectively eat up one of those crucial new player slots. This week Guardiola has exploded with demands to reduce his squad. I am not sure what the real message is there - desire to leave or something else, but I am not trusting a single Guardiola claim ever again after his famous cry “we can’t replace him” on Aguero’s farewell weeks before signing Erling Haaland. This time, he's supposedly heartbroken about having to leave players out of the match day squad and I am not buying it for a second.

This has sparked some discussion about Arteta relying on a smaller squad as well. First of all, Arteta is not there, because all the complaints about “heart break” can be considered only if you constantly use all your subs. But when you rarely use the full ability and half of your subs came after the 80th minute, “broken hearts” are definitely not at the top of the mind.

That said, the limit of just 20 matchday players is a real one. If we add two more attacking players in the team and see the return of Havertz, Gabriel, Timber and Jesus, we might find out that there could be a familiar face that doesn’t fit on the bench. And that face is none other than Ethan Nwaneri. That's why it felt so daft and short-sighted not to give him more minutes in those Premier League games in May. The one positive to take from injuries is that they can provide opportunities for youngsters who might otherwise not get a sniff. That’s how Myles claimed the left back position and became one of the first names on the teamsheet. Would he do it if Calafiori stayed fit for the whole season? I very much doubt that. I very much doubt that Ethan would have the same number of opportunities next season. Recently he was often either first or second real attacking option on the bench and I can’t get over the fact that this opportunity wasn’t used.

Farewell to the Saints

Fortunately, our remaining game this season against Southampton carries no significance regarding tournament qualification. City in their current shape will not ship 6 or more goals to Fulham, so we will stay in second place. So what would I want to see there?

• I would want to see Odegaard benched and us trying another option there - whether Bukayo or Ethan.

• I would want to see Ethan start and play at least 70 minutes.

• I would want to see Myles playing number six.

• I would like to see the Calafiori-Kiwior CB partnership again.

• I would want to see Zinchenko starting, as it might be his last game for us.

• I would like to see more shots from outside of the box.

• I would want to see players taking more responsibility when finishing the chances.

• I would like to see us attempt to reach the opponent’s box in 3-4 passes.

And I definitely don’t want to see the same line-up and same tactics all over again. My line-up would be Raya, White, Kiwior, Calafiori, Tierney, MLS, Zinchenko, Martinelli, Havertz, Nwaneri.

The rest of the top teams would be fighting, however, for the remaining three Champions League spots. I always like to see someone new in the competition, so my preference would be Forest, Villa and Newcastle. They will definitely struggle with playing two times per week, whereas the likes of Chelsea and Man City will struggle with attracting good players without offering them the Champions League anthem drug. I understand that it is extremely unlikely that City will lose against Fulham, but one can dream for a bit, right? At least the Forest - Chelsea clash is promising to be a great watch.

And Arsenal? We just need to be done with this unlucky season.