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Tottenham Striker Jermain Defoe Warns Manchester United & City About 'Tough' Europa League Schedule
The England international knows what to expect from the competition, which his side are now out, and hopes to push for a place in the first team as Spurs target title tilt
16-Dec-2011 4:50:00 PM
By Matt Scott
Getty Images
Tottenham's Jermain Defoe has warned Manchester United and Manchester City that they will face a tough test in the Europa League.
Spurs themselves have dropped out of the competition after finishing third in their group and will now be able to fully focus on their charge up the Premier League table.
But Defoe has warned Tottenham's Premier League rivals that they could be in for a shock with the scheduling of the competition, which often forces domestic games to be pushed back a day to Sunday.
Speaking to The Guardian, Defoe warned: "Those Thursday nights are tough.
"But its another competition that you can try to win, a big competition, their managers have said that.
"Obviously you are going to be disappointed dropping out of the Champions League because it is an elite tournament – I was surprised about what happened to be honest. But the Europa League is still a trophy to go for."
Defoe has found his chances limited at White Hart Lane this season and had found game time during Spurs' Europa League matches.
He will now be hoping to make an impact in the league and believes that the club are genuine title contenders after a recent run of excellent form.
He continued: "This is the best squad I've been involved in – obviously there is still a long way to go, the second half of the season will play a big part.
"Even though we've got a massive squad there are players that are injured, the likes of Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Sandro, Tom Huddlestone, so that's top players who haven't been involved and we've done so well.
"When we get those players back it'll make a big difference again. So if we just keep winning football matches then you never know what can happen – we've definitely got a chance."
Spurs themselves have dropped out of the competition after finishing third in their group and will now be able to fully focus on their charge up the Premier League table.
But Defoe has warned Tottenham's Premier League rivals that they could be in for a shock with the scheduling of the competition, which often forces domestic games to be pushed back a day to Sunday.
Speaking to The Guardian, Defoe warned: "Those Thursday nights are tough.
"But its another competition that you can try to win, a big competition, their managers have said that.
"Obviously you are going to be disappointed dropping out of the Champions League because it is an elite tournament – I was surprised about what happened to be honest. But the Europa League is still a trophy to go for."
Defoe has found his chances limited at White Hart Lane this season and had found game time during Spurs' Europa League matches.
He will now be hoping to make an impact in the league and believes that the club are genuine title contenders after a recent run of excellent form.
He continued: "This is the best squad I've been involved in – obviously there is still a long way to go, the second half of the season will play a big part.
"Even though we've got a massive squad there are players that are injured, the likes of Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Sandro, Tom Huddlestone, so that's top players who haven't been involved and we've done so well.
"When we get those players back it'll make a big difference again. So if we just keep winning football matches then you never know what can happen – we've definitely got a chance."
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