Spurs earned themselves an unwanted bonus fixture but they only have themselves to blame for it. By failing to despatch Burnley last time out, the club are shoe-horning in this week’s replay ahead of a busy schedule of league, Europa League and Capital One Cup action.
Speaking after the Crystal Palace defeat, Jan Vertonghen gave his assessment of that loss while looking ahead to the replay.
“They dropped off and I think they made the first mistake, but then we made mistakes at the end,” Jan said.
“We have been very stupid to drop these points. Once again we have failed to jump up to fourth place.
“We have to go for fourth place, but we are still playing in three other competitions. Maybe fourth place and a trophy?”
“The important thing is to go through. It’s just a shame we couldn’t do it this time as we now have another game,” the defender said previously when asked about the Burnley draw.
“At the moment, I’m struggling to count the number of games I’ve played recently. But when you’re in the flow, you’re happy to have them. We have a big squad, with players resting, so I think we can cope with anything.”
There’s no threat of a replay this time but weary legs will not want extra time and maybe more. Can Spurs do it at the second time of asking?
