Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has stated that he is proud of his youthful team after they drew 0-0 with PAOK in Greece, and felt his side could have been awarded a penalty.
With the Premier League tie with Liverpool in the back of his mind, Redknapp opted to leave a number of senior players back in England, and fielded inexperienced players such as Jake Livermore, Harry Kane, Tom Carroll and Yago Falque at the Toumba Stadium on Thursday night in the Europa League.
Despite their lack of first team experience, Redknapp felt his side coped well in a daunting environment.
“I was pleased with performance, particularly in the first half. We kept the ball well. That was an intimidating atmosphere out there tonight. It was fantastic. You don’t get that in many places in the world,” he told Sky Sports after the game.
“The fans were incredible and they get behind their team. The young players have never seen that before and it must have been a difficult experience for them, but I thought they coped very well.”
The Spurs boss singled out winger Carroll for particular praise, on only his second appearance for the London club.
“I thought young Tom Carroll did well in midfield. He’s only a slight little boy but he’s a lovely footballer – he works hard and has a great attitude. But they all did well.”
A 0-0 draw sets the English side up to win points at home and look for qualification, but things could have been better had a penalty been awarded to the visitors in the first half.
PAOK defender Pablo Contreras appeared to bring down Spurs striker Kane, and Redknapp felt it was a penalty.
“I thought it was a penalty. I’ve seen a replay. It was a foul. He wouldn’t go down – it was very harsh to book him. It was a penalty,” he concluded.
Spurs will now bring back their first team stars for the clash with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but have injury worries, particularly in defence.
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