Tottenham’s UEFA Europa Conference League campaign got off to the worst possible start in Portugal yesterday evening.
It’s not the European competition that Spurs would have liked to be playing in this season, but at least they managed to qualify for European football of some design. Arch-rivals Arsenal didn’t.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men headed to Portugal to take on Paços de Ferreira in the first of a two-legged tie that’d see the winner head into the group stages of the competition.
Nuno fielded a considerably weakened side in expectation of winning the match at a canter, but Spurs were STUNNED by the team that finished fifth in Portugal last year.
Full-time in Portugal. pic.twitter.com/Netrm406LO
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 19, 2021
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BenchWarmers’ view
Rival fans will have enjoyed last night’s result and will use it as an opportunity to mock Spurs, but the chances are they’ll turn it around in the second leg in North London.
Nuno’s tenure at the club is still in its early stages, with last night’s game giving him an opportunity to see players he isn’t clued up on in a competitive match environment.
Of course, the result is hardly ideal from anyone’s perspective, but it’ll go some way to showing the Tottenham manager who’s worthy of minutes on the field and who isn’t.