Follow the yellow brick wall
This season is turning out to be a bit of alright. We've got Borussia Dortmund in the last sixteen of the Europa League. The glamour tie. The battle of the hipsters. Oh yeah, and Manchester United play Liverpool if you prefer a starter instead of the main course.
Dortmund then. Their supporters are looking forward to it whilst we salivate in anticipation. I envisage a bromance. No kissing but plenty of manly kicks and smacks. They are good. Very good. It won't be easy. But then it shouldn't be easy for them either. Two sides flying in their respective leagues. Buckle up, they think we're a fantastic opponent.
We have no concept (and neither do the footballing Gods) of Spurs doing things the easy way so why not face the Germans now as we'll have to face them at some point if we plan to keep on fancying our chances in this competition. The second leg at home is a lovely little bonus if we get a result in the Westfalenstadion, yellow wall and all.
There's a lovely slot for our visit just after we play West Ham at Upton Park (for the last time in history) and then Arsenal in what might be the biggest North London Derby for decades. Aston Villa are sandwiched in-between (the Dortmund games) and Bournemouth cameo at the conclusion of the month. As far as Euro hang-overs go, that ain't too shabby, especially with the shift from Saturday to Sunday.
If we're going to prolong this adventure we can hardly be selective about our opponents. We can't be that selective with our line-ups either. Full strength will be a requirement. Will momentum claim glory against the strain of a congested calender and the intensity that accompanies ambition? Every game is a cup final now. You want Tottenham to be an all conquering side? To compete with the best? Then this is the life we have to accept.
Sink or swim. Or walk on water.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think March is going to be pretty decent. Remember when November was meant to be defining? Looks like by the time April rolls in we'll pretty much know what type of end of season party we might be looking to book. We've even bagged three consecutive Monday night kick-offs on the trot thanks to our progression. That's three successive games where our competitors will have already played the weekend before. What a test of pressure and mindset. Hedonistic.
And to think some of us were ready to sacrifice this cup. Could so easily have been Reading away.
