Tuesday's Champions League semifinal between Spurs and Ajax promises several reunions. The English side have long looked to their Dutch opponents for talent but have their work cut out against a team running out of time.
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Somewhat confusingly, the first of this week's Champions League semis offers evidence of how deeply entrenched football's food chain is and, simultaneously, how much it's been disrupted at the top table this season.
That Tottenham Hotspur — who haven't signed a player in 2018-19 and are at a significant financial disadvantage to at least five other English clubs, let alone Europeans — have made the last four is a significant upsetting of the apple cart in a competition increasingly dominated by a cabal of wealthy European superclubs. That they will face Ajax suggests the cart has been overturned completely, if only temporarily.
The Eredivisie leaders are European grandees but have become a club largely concerned with developing, nurturing and selling talent in recent years. Few clubs have been greater beneficiaries of that model than Spurs, for whom ex-Ajax players Christian Eriksen (pictured above), Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld are key men. All but Alderweireld arrived in North London directly from Amsterdam.
While Vertonghen has enjoyed an excellent European campaign highlighted by a rampaging performance against Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 and Alderweireld has played the most minutes for Mauricio Pochettino's team this season, it's Eriksen – the man second on the list of minutes played – who often makes Spurs tick.
Eriksen the maestro, but for how long?
The 27-year-old joined the club in 2013 in a splurge following Gareth Bale's decision to follow Luka Modric in swapping White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu, and, with just a year left on his contract, there's been recent speculation that the Dane may be the next man to move up that football food chain.
"The timing for him or for the club to be agreeing something are maybe different to another player," said Pochettino, after Eriksen scored the only goal in a late 1-0 win over Brighton last week. "I hope and I wish Christian can be with us in the future but I think Christian and us, we are so open to talking and we will see what happens."
That game came immediately before a 1-0 home loss to London rivals West Ham on Saturday, a contest in which Spurs' thin squad and lengthy injury list appeared to catch up with them.
"The stress and the fatigue arrived, (and) we are competing with circumstances that are not the best," admitted Pochettino.
But left back Danny Rose doesn't think the Premier League club can afford to rest their chief creator.
"When Christian does not play, people do question whether we look the same. He links everything up for us and it is a pleasure to play with him," Rose said.
With Son Heung-min suspended for Tuesday's first leg in London, Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Erik Lamela out injured and Moussa Sissoko a major doubt, tiredness and conditioning are major concerns for Spurs, particularly with their place in the Premier League's top four not yet secured.
Dutch league pauses for preparation
Contrastingly, Ajax have no such issues. Their players will be well rested after all fixtures in the Dutch top flight were canceled this weekend in an effort to help the team stay fresh.
Eric ten Hag's sides' run to the semifinals, and elimination of Real Madrid and Juventus, has captured the imagination at home and abroad but, as with Monaco two seasons ago, there's also the lingering sense that an exciting young side will soon be carved up by the established powerhouses.
Elegant midfielder Frenkie de Jong has started the exodus, having already agreed to join Barcelona at the end of the current campaign. Center back Matthijs de Ligt seems sure to be one of a number of other players to follow him out the door, with sporting director Marc Overmars admitting "it will be impossible to keep this team together in the summer".
Whether any of the current Ajax crop will end up at Spurs remains to be seen. Either way, they'll be keen to make a strong first impression at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Bundesliga roundup: Matchday 31
Schalke dealt Borussia Dortmund's title hopes a severe blow with victory in a dramatic Revierderby. Elsewhere, RB Leipzig sealed their return to the Champions League while Stuttgart and Hannover nicked big wins.
Image: Imago Images/Sportfoto Rudel/R. Rudel
Nuremberg 1-1 Bayern Munich
Kingsley Coman missed a glorious last gasp chance to move Bayern five points clear of Dortmund in the title race. But the Frenchman wasn't alone, with Nuremberg's Tim Leibold missing an injury time penalty just moments before in a breathless game. The hosts took the lead just after the break through Matheus Pereira before substitute Serge Gnabry's fortunate strike earnt Bayern a point.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/S. Widmann
Borussia Dortmund 2-4 Schalke
Schalke's 4-2 victory at Signal Iduna Park may just have destroyed Dortmund's title hopes. After Mario Götze gave Dortmund an early lead, Schalke gained the upper hand in an increasingly testy match. A controversial penalty and a rare Salif Sane goal turned the game on its head. When Dortmund lost Marco Reus and Michael Wolf to straight red cards with 30 minutes to play, the contest was over.
Image: Imago/M. Müller
RB Leipzig 2-1 SC Freiburg
RB Leipzig secured a spot in the Champions League with a narrow win over Freiburg. Timo Werner opened the scoring in the 19th minute, but the match remained even, with Freiburg creating chances of their own. The visitors equalized with a quickly-taken free-kick, but Emil Forsberg converted a penalty to seal the deal for RB.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
Hannover 1-0 Mainz
Hannover kept their slim hopes of survival alive with a unspectacular 1-0 win over Mainz. Robin Quaison's early strike for the visitors was ruled out for a foul before a calamitous goalkeeping error by Mainz keeper Florian Müller allowed Hendrik Weyandt to tap in from close range. It stayed 1-0 but Hannover’s hopes of Bundesliga survival remain in the balance.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Pförtner
Stuttgart 1 - 0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Anastasios Donis' second half strike in Saturday's late game gave Stuttgart crucial breathing space over the automatic relegation spots and kept Schalke looking over their shoulders despite their derby win. Their opponents failed to make any real impact in a scrappy game and their dreadful second half of the season leaves them in danger of missing out on European football again.
Image: Imago Images/Sportfoto Rudel/R. Rudel
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0 Hertha Berlin
Frankfurt were looking to solidify their Champions League credentials, but it was Hertha who were the more adventurous team in this clash. The Berliners had two huge chances before half time to snatch the lead, yet Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp stood tall to keep the score level. Frankfurt, with one eye on their their Europa League semi-final against Chelsea, had to settle for the draw.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Frey
Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-1 Werder Bremen
Düsseldorf added more misery to Werder Bremen's week with a convincing home win. After an early goal, Kenan Karaman doubled Düsseldorf’s lead with a superb solo goal. Max Kruse’s pulled Werder back into the game from the spot but Düsseldorf never lost belief and scored two more. After a disappointing DFB Pokal exit against Bayern Munich, the result only compounded a bad week for Bremen.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand/Wundrig
Augsburg 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen
The hosts opened the scoring on Friday from a corner, notching their 19th of the season from a set piece. But Leverkusen soon took control of the game. Without VAR interventions, the Werkself might have scored six. There's no doubt which goal was the pick of the bunch: an outrageous first-time lob from close range by teen sensation Kai Havertz.
Image: Imago Images/Eibner
Hoffenheim 1-4 Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg kept their European hopes alive with an impressive 4-1 win away in Sinsheim. Adam Szalai gave the hosts the lead after just nine minutes but the Wolves hit back through William before half-time. After the break, two near-post errors from Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann allowed Wout Weghorst and Max Arnold to put Wolfsburg 3-1 up before Weghorst made it four late on.