Alan Shearer has revealed that he is still “bemused” that Mauricio Pochettino fielded a weakened team in their Champions League group stages last season.
Spurs crashed out of the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition in the last campaign as Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen progressed ahead of them.
The North London club then dropped down to the Europa League, but were eliminated by Gent in the last 32.
Spurs will get another crack at the Champions League this season and have been drawn alongside Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Apoel Nicosia.
Shearer insists that English clubs now need to start taking Europe more seriously and trying to win the Champions League.
The pundit still can’t believe that Spurs rested against Monaco last season, something which ultimately sealed their exit from the competition.
“I am still bemused as to why Mauricio Pochettino sacrificed Spurs’ chances by playing an under-strength team in the group stage in Monaco last season,” Shearer wrote in the Sun. “They had a league game against Chelsea the following weekend and he was clearly prioritising that. They went out of the Champions League and lost to Chelsea in any case.
“Watch again the reaction of those players when Didier Drogba converted the winning penalty in the shootout [for Chelsea] and tell me the bread and butter of the Premier League is what is all important. Important, yes, very, but the Champions League is another level and it is time our players recognised that. The coaches certainly do, or they should.”
English teams have suffered in the Champions League during recent years and haven’t had a representative in the final since Chelsea won the competition back in 2012.
Spurs will get another chance to make an impact in Europe this season, with the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli desperate to prove themselves at the highest level.
However, Pochettino’s side have been drawn in a very difficult group alongside current champions Madrid.
Shearer insists that teams should play their full strength teams in the Champions League and this week will present the opportunity to see where Spurs’ priorities are.
They host German outfit Dortmund on Wednesday in their opening group game in Europe, before facing Swansea just three days later in the league.
OPINION
Shearer is spot on that English teams have massively under-achieved in recent years in the Champions League and Spurs are not the only team to prioritise the Premier League. Obviously obtaining a top-four position gets you into Europe’s elite club competition and the financial gains are huge for clubs. However, surely you must go all out to compete against the very best once you get into the competition. The likes of Spurs, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs should have a close eye on Real Madrid and trying to get close to their level.