Redknapp rests key players for UEFA Europa League clash

Posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Blogroll.

Harry Redknapp has made the difficult decision to place Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League relegation battle ahead of the club’s UEFA Europa League campaign.

Redknapp will rest Ledley King, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vedran Corluka and Jamie O’Hara for tonight’s UEFA Europa League match against Dinamo Zagreb. Jermaine Jenas is expected to sit out the game with an injury.

The Tottenham Hotspur manager’s decision to place the UEFA Europa League on the back-burner is the product of an increasingly fierce battle between clubs in the Premier League’s relegation zone to climb to safety on the league table.

“I would love to get to a cup final again, but getting Tottenham up the league to a respectable position is key as well,” Redknapp told the Associated Press. “We’ve got a lot on our plate. It’s so tight, there are 14 teams in a position where they will be looking over their shoulder worried at what is coming.”

“I’ve never seen a tighter league and it may take more points than normal to stay up.”

While established Spurs players will be rested for tonight’s match, fans can look forward to seeing one of England’s brightest young prospects, John Bostock, have an opportunity to make an impression on the European stage.