Harry wary of CL hangovers

Harry Redknapp admits he is concerned that Tottenham Hotspur's UEFA Champions League quest could hurt their Premier League form. Spurs are mixing it with the cream of the continent after holding off the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool to claim fourth spot in England's top flight last season. But Redknapp is all too aware of the pitfalls of midweek European clashes coupled with a domestic game at the weekend and the need to have sufficient depth in his squad.The White Hart Lane club have had mixed results following their Champions League endeavours, claiming a 3-1 win over Wolves after drawing at Werder Bremen but they also suffered their first league defeat of the campaign following their 4-0 victory over Young Boys when Wigan came to town.And Redknapp, whose men face FC Twente on Wednesday in their first home Champions League tie, said in The Sunday Mirror: "It's going to be much harder to maintain our form in the league playing in the Champions League."That is why I have so much admiration for teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who have been successful for years."It's not easy, it's a juggling act particularly when you have players like Ledley King who can't play back-to-back games in the league and Champions League."Suddenly you have to prioritise and that isn't easy when you are under pressure to be successful on two fronts."Success always increases expectations so you are not going to get much sympathy either."

Out of jail

Redknapp accepts opponents will look to profit from Tottenham's involvement in Europe's top club competition and added: "If I'm honest, I can't blame them."I wanted all the English teams to stay in Europe because you know they are going to get knocked about and have to change things round and rest key players ahead of important games in Europe."I used to look at the fixture list and think, 'That's handy we play Manchester United or Chelsea in between a big game in Europe' and you knew damn well they were likely to play a weakened side. ! "I wasn' t the only manager to get out of jail either in the past playing top sides who were criticised for fielding a weakened team ahead of a key fixture in Europe."You have to rotate your squad or you have some players running on empty. That is the importance of having real depth."I haven't sat here prioritising over the league or Champions League. We want to be successful in both but to do that we are going to have to rotate the squad."Playing in the Champions League is a massive achievement and everyone gets a buzz out of being in it. But I can't deny it brings headaches."We have a strong and competitive squad but unlike last season when you would try to play your best 11 in every league game, we have to change things around."So if we can finish in the top four this season it will be a greater achievement than last time." Tottenham Stage of Elimination Stage Of Elimination: Group Stage 11/10


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