Gallas: Tottenham are capable of achieving European double

William Gallas, Tottenham Hotspur

By Ben Pearce, Tottenham correspondent Thursday, February 14, 2013
7:00 AM

William Gallas believes that Spurs can win the Europa League while also maintaining their bid to qualify for the Champions League.

And, although the Frenchman believes that tonight’s opponents Lyon are not as strong as they have been in the past, he is warning his Tottenham team-mates not to take the visitors lightly.

“Tottenham want to win the competition, the Europa League, because it’s very important for us to achieve something at the end of the season,” he said.

“We are trying so hard to get it. In the championship it’s very important for us to finish in the top four because we want to play in the Champions League next season. Everybody knows it is maybe the best competition in the world.

“We are a big club and the big clubs try to play in many competitions. We are only in the championship and the Europa League, and we have a good squad so I think we can get both.

“When I played for Marseille, Lyon was a big team. They have changed a lot in the last five to seven years. They had a very big squad, now it’s a little bit different. They’ve got only young players, they don’t have too many experienced players.

“When you look at that side seven or eight years ago they had the likes of Malouda and Essien – some top players who are difficult to replace.

“I would say that they’re a club in transition, a club which is in the middle of a rebuilding process, so as a result you have players who have got less experience than those guys - but that doesn’t mean we can take this game lightly. We have to be very much on our guard and go all out to win.

“Their strength is that they play as a team, as a block, and they pass the ball well. They’ve got a threat up front as well with the likes of Lisandro Lopez and Gomis. They can break through at any time and cause problems for the defence, so we can’t give an inch or any room for these players to take advantage.”

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