Spurs to Wembley - Is this a good move for anyone?

Tottenham today confirmed that they will play their home games during the 2017/2018 season at the home of English football while White Hart Lane is being worked on. Wembley stadium is one of the biggest and most iconic football grounds on the planet and is viewed as a coliseum for the biggest teams to compete for the biggest prizes. The English national side are the only team who have ever called Wembley home, until today. The opportunity for Spurs to play their home games at Wembley is huge for both the club and their fans however, for the newest tenants of Wembley stadium and English football as a whole, is this a wise move?

The North London club are no strangers to Wembley stadium, after playing their European home games their during the current campaign as well as reaching a number of finals and semi finals over the past several years. What is interesting about this is how poor of a record Spurs have had at their adopted home. Since the new Wembley stadium opened in 2007 Spurs have won just two out of a possible ten games played at the national stadium, with just one win there this season during their European run. When you compare that to Tottenham's home record this season, you can see why this may be a huge issue which has been overlooked by the men making the decision. Spurs are currently battling for the title, and they have done this by turning White Hart Lane into a fortress, not losing a single game there in all competitions this season, their only home defeats coming when playing at Wembley. This home record has been paramount in Spurs putting up a serious challenge for the title this season, and it goes back even further then that. After losing at home on the opening game of the 2015/2016 season Mauricio Pochettino's side went undefeated at home throughout the remainder of the campaign, and much like this season their home form helped build towards a very impressive run. With the majority of points won by Spurs over the last two seasons coming from home games, and with next season shaping up to be potentially massive for the club, is it smart to move into a stadium which has seen such poor performances from Spurs during the last decade?

Now this point has less to do with Spurs and more to do with the sides that will have to visit Wembley throughout the season to face them. With Wembley still set to be used to host the EFL Cup final, as well as the FA Cup final and Semi-Finals, is it fair for Tottenham to be playing these massive games at home, should they reach them? Wembley is supposed to be a massive day out for both the club and the fans, and playing in front of 90,000 people instead of the smaller grounds around the country is a test in itself. Which poses the question, is it entirely fair for Spurs to have an entire season's experience playing in front of that crowd in potential preparation for a huge cup tie towards the end of the season? As well is it being unfair to opposing sides, you have to ask yourself, is it right for any side other then England to call Wembley home? As previously mentioned playing at the national stadium is effectively a reward for a very successful cup run, and playing on neutral ground ensures no advantages going to either side during the 90 minutes. For players, the chance to play in the iconic ground is a career highlight, either with their club or after being called up to the national team. With Spurs however becoming an official tenant of the stadium for the next year, will it lose a bit of that sense of occasion a trip to the home of English football has, as every Premier League side is guaranteed to visit Wembley in the next twelve months, regardless of performance of success on the field.

West Ham United. Coming out of the 2015/2016 Premier League season the Hammers were incredibly optimistic about the upcoming campaign, after a very impressive 2014/2015 season and an upcoming move to the Olympic Stadium, renamed simply the London Stadium. On paper this seemed like a brilliant move for all parties, the board and owners got a great deal for the stadium, there are more seats and therefore more fans can see their side play week after week, and the players get the chance to play in a truly incredible stadium, one which, if the previous season was any indication, could be home to some big moments in the coming years. However this couldn't be further from reality. This season West ham have won just 6 games at home in the league, and the performances at home as a whole have been incredibly poor when compared to when they played their home games at Upton Park. Not only have the players struggled to perform at the new ground, the fans have also found the move tough. With a huge running track separating the fans from the action, the drop in atmosphere from last season has been huge, and you wouldn't be surprised if that was a major factor in the poor performances of the players. Despite the incredible facilities and opportunities West Ham now have at their disposal, the majority of true fans and I'm sure even a number of players would have, in hindsight, preferred to have remained at Upton park. The could be a problem Spurs will have to face next season, Wembley might be incredible, but it isn't Tottenham's home. Will the fans be able to provide the same atmosphere in a vastly bigger venue? Will the players settle in and feel at home? Or will they, like West Ham have this season, struggle to turn their new home into the fortress their previous ground had become.

You have to wonder if, when making the decision on their immediate home, the board of the North London club took any of the factors I have just mentioned into consideration. If recent history has anything to tell, it's that moving into a shiny new stadium may be great on paper, but when the whistle blows it is a very different animal. As well as this, was the FA's decision to even make this a possibility ever second guessed, and if not why? Surely I can not be the only one who feels the home of English football, of the oldest federation in WORLD football should be treated as something special and not just the home ground for a local club. We'll see over the next twelve months if Spurs handle the move well, and it might even be a great thing for English football, giving many more people the chance to visit Wembley! And then they can do it the year after as well... and the next two after that... When Chelsea move in for three years starting at the end of Tottenham's tenure. Great.

Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund - What Just happened?

European nights at Anfield are some of the greatest moment in the history of Liverpool Football Club. The late Steven Gerrard strike against Olympiacos which kept the reds on the way to Istanbul, Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' against Chelsea in the Semi - Finals of the same competition, Emile Heskey's bullet header against Roma in 2002 to secure the 2-0 needed to see his side through to the next round. Steven Gerrard keeping his cool to slot in a late penalty against Arsenal in the 2008 Champions League Quarter Finals, followed by a late Ryan Babel goal to seal the game, rolling over the most successful side in the elite European competition, Real Madrid, 4-0 in 2009. You can go as far back as 1977, where a win against Saint Etienne kept Liverpool on the road to their first European Cup, but last night another famous European night was written into the record books. 

In recent years the UEFA Europa league has been seen as a competition to avoid, it simply doesn't have the same attraction of its older brother, the UEFA Champions League. However, this season the Europa League has undergone a resurrection! With sides such as Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Seville and of course Liverpool in the knock out stages, the draw of the competition for the fans was par with the Champions league. The first competitive European meeting between two of footballs biggest clubs, in rivals Liverpool and Manchester United the tournament was creating history! A 3-1 aggregate win for the Merseyside club saw Liverpool progress, and another dream game was thrown up for the Quarter Finals with German side Borussia Dortmund, who had easily dispatched of Spurs in the round of 16, being drawn to face Liverpool. Not only was it a meeting of two of Europe's biggest sides, but the newest Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was set to take on the club he managed to consecutive Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final! 

Dortmund where seen as the favorites to win the competition, so inevitably they came into the first leg at the famous Signal Iduna Park as favorites. So when Belgian striker Divock Origi scored the opener, the under dogs had a unexpected advantage. Mats Hummels bullet header in the second half tied the first leg up and thats how it finished, 1-1, Liverpool would take an away goal advantage back to Anfield, but that is where things got... unbelievable! 

In Germany, Liverpool's center back pairing of Mamadou Sahko and Dejan Lovren had managed to keep Dortmund's attack under wraps, but within 10 minutes of last nights game they showed their class, with a fifth minute goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan silencing the Kop, and a ninth minute goal from Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang wipping out all of the good work done in the first leg by Klopp's side. Liverpool tried to fight back but the attacking power of the German's was just too much, and Marco Reus was running rampant, nearly creating a third goal just past the half hour. As the half time whistle went, Dortmund looked like they could have gone on to score more in the second half, Jurgen Klopp had the task of his career to motivate his side at half time And he did just that. The German manager has confirmed he used perhaps the greatest night in Liverpool's history to motivate his team, reminding them about Istanbul and that Liverpool never give up! 

It appeared to have worked, when it took just two minutes of the second half for Divock Origi to continue his current vain of form and get Liverpool back into the game. But it appeared to all be in vain when Marco Reus again showed his class, scoring the away sides third goal just before the hour mark, seemingly ending the tie with Liverpool needing three goals in thirty minutes. But who do Liverpool turn to in times of need, well it was Steven Gerrard, but now its the new fans favorite, the 'little magician' as he has been dubbed by the fans, Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian hit a majestic curling effort which beat the keeper and flew into the bottom corner. There's one.

Dortmund still looked capable of scoring any time, but Liverpool looked revitalized and they started to pile on the pressure. Frustration grew around Anfield when two corners where wasted within a few minutes of each other and when another was won in the 77th minute the fans weren't happy when Coutinho's corner didn't beat the near post. But this time it didn't matter! Daniel Sturridge charged towards the ball, and despite failing to make contact the ball traveled into the middle of the box where French center back Mamadou Sahko was waiting to knock the ball in, 3-3 on the night, Dortmund where still going through on away goals, but Liverpool only needed one more! 

With 10 minutes plus added time left Liverpool where throwing everything they had into Dortmund's box, but the Germans managed to deal with it well. As the clock ticked on Liverpool became more desperate and passes where wasted. As the clock reached 90 minutes and 4 minutes added time where announced, Liverpool won a free kick just inside Dortmund's half. Liverpool unexpectedly played the ball to the edge of the box, where Sturridge collected the ball, he managed to hold it up and play a brilliant pass through the defenders legs to the overlapping James Milner who had continued his run from the free kick. Milner then went on to lift the ball to the back post, as the clock ticked on, this was the best chance the reds would have to score the decisive goal. And thats when, the man whos missed penalty saw Liverpool fall out of the Europa League last season, Dejan Lovren climed highest and with a bullet header, scored Liverpool's fourth and for the first time on the night, gave Liverpool the lead! 5-4 on aggregate, 3 minutes to go, Liverpool had done it! 

A late free kick flashed just past Liverpool's post and then the final whistle went, Liverpool had came back from the dead to pull off another European miracle, they where going through! 

With Dortmund out Liverpool are now the bookies favorites to win the competition and they have been drawn against Spanish side Villarreal for the semi finals, with the second leg once again being under the lights at Anfield. Once again this tournament has created history as these sides will meet in a competitive fixture for the first time in history. With the new rule being implemented recently stating that the Eurpoa League winners earning qualification to the Champions League for next season, we could see the five time European Cup winners in Europe's elite competition next season for only the second time in five years. Under Jurgen Klopp, could we be seeing the rebirth of a sleeping European giant!