The good old magic of the FA Cup.
A chance for the teams in the lower divisions to become David in the Goliath battles.
The magic of the cup was in the air last night as Tranmere took on Spurs, well, for about 40 minutes it was anyway…
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Spurs served League Two Tranmere a second half spanking, scoring six in the final 45 minutes to add to the Serge Aurier screamer in the first half.
Red hot Son Heung-Min scored once, Fernando Llorente grabbed a hat-trick while Aurier scored again in the second half to complete a brace.
This left Tranmere 6-0 down and thoroughly beaten with 15 minutes left.
Not satisfied with six, Mauricio Pochettino made a decision which raised a few eyebrows.
Tranmere’s back-line will have been begging for mercy by the 75th minute.
What they got from the Spurs boss was the exact opposite.
Pochettino threw on his talisman and the Golden Boot winner from the World Cup in Russia, Harry Kane.
Spurs played three games in six days towards the end of December, including a 3-1 loss to Wolves, a game in which the north London side looked leggy.
Why was it then that Pochettino felt he should sub on his best player into a game which was already won on a rough cold surface?
Especially as his captain was in need of a good rest.
The Argentine claimed it was out of respect to the Tranmere players and the club in general.
Pochettino had this to say post-match, “Kane is an icon in English football. It is difficult in that division to see it. It was important to see him in action”
As true and commendable as that sounds, you can’t help but feel it would have been the last thing the Tranmere defenders and goalkeeper would have wanted to see.
Sure enough, the striker got his goal to complete a 7-0 thrashing – hardly a game the Tranmere players will remember fondly.
Had the score been 2-0, you could forgive Pochettino for giving Kane a run-out and entertaining the Rovers fans.
But when you are nearing a cricket score, it might be time to pump the brakes if you are looking to respect the opposition.
Was the substitution a show of respect to the FA Cup and a mark of consideration to the Tranmere fans?
Or was this in fact an act of showboating and sh*thousery from the Spurs boss?
What do you think?
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