Mature Tottenham Breeze Through Europa League, Set Sights on Newcastle

Tottenham Hotspur completed a nearly faultless Europa League group stage campaign with a 4-1 drubbing of Monaco at White Hart Lane.

The visitors were good enough to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League last season, beating them 3-1 in London, but they are now a shadow of that impressive side.  

Significant player sales have taken their toll on Monaco and this was the performance of a side utterly lacking in self-belief. 

The contrast between victors and vanquished could not have been more stark.

Spurs were exciting, pulsating and full of confidence as they ripped the Monegasques open time and again. 

Erik Lamela's 37-minute hat-trick essentially ended the contest well before half-time.

It was the most impressive performance by Mauricio Pochettino's team in Europe this season but by no means an exceptional one.

Each of their home fixtures has ended in victory, and this triumph makes it three straight wins in this competition.  

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

So comfortable has this European campaign been that Spurs have only been booked three times in six games. 

That is a remarkable statistic, particularly when compared with their 35 yellow cards in 15 Premier League fixtures. 

The ease with which Pochettino has navigated a tricky group should be applauded. It is the mark of a maturing side. 

So, too, is the fact that Spurs have picked up two wins and three draws from their five post-Europa League domestic fixtures so far this season. 

That equates to 1.8 points per game, slightly higher than the 1.73 points per game that they've averaged across the season as a whole. 

In previous seasons, European football has exhausted Spurs' players and dragged their results down. 

Teams like Southampton and Everton have experienced similar dips after European action. 

This is now a distinct difference between Spurs and the sides below them on the table: Playing in Europe is no longer a crippling distraction but an opportunity for players like Lamela to find their best form. 

For others, it has been the final stage of their rehabilitation from injury. Both Nacer Chadli and Nabil Bentaleb made their returns in the late stages of the win over Monaco. 

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

So far, Spurs have managed to emerge more or less unscathed from the trying schedule that European participation throws up. 

The withdrawal of Eric Dier before half-time prompted whispers of concern to echo around White Hart Lane.

The England international is vital to Spurs' midfield dominance, setting the stage for the creative players to play their role. 

Happily, Dier was reportedly heard telling manager Pochettino that he was "fine."

This suggests that Dier will be available for Tottenham's next fixture, the visit of Newcastle United. 

Steve McLaren's side are 18th. They've conceded 30 goals, the joint-most with Bournemouth, and have collected just four points in seven away games this season. 

They've been a fitful side, though, scoring six goals against Norwich and beating Liverpool 2-0 in their last outing. 

This fixture is hugely significant for Spurs.

Despite maintaining that remarkable unbeaten streak, they've won just once since the beginning of November. 

The teams around them have failed to take advantage of this, and only Leicester are ahead on the form table. 

There are tricky fixtures ahead, with trips to Southampton and Watford among them. Tottenham must take the three points from Newcastle. 

The visitors will be aware and attempt to frustrate Pochettino's men with a conservative approach. 

As Monaco found to their cost, merely setting out defensively is insufficient to stop this Spurs team. 

However, West Brom demonstrated that an energetic approach in combination with a careful set-up can be successful. 

Spurs are good enough to beat any team that come to White Hart Lane.  

They've thrashed Manchester City and outplayed Chelsea in recent months and should be far too good for Newcastle. 

Now that the club's injury problems have all but abated, they will have a bench consisting of the likes of Chadli, Bentaleb, Clinton Njie and Josh Onomah. Each capable of turning a game against Newcastle in their team's favour. 

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Spurs have proved themselves to be a very strong team on numerous occasions this season. They've beaten better teams than Newcastle and handled more obstinate opposition. 

This is an eminently winnable fixture and one that could lift Spurs as high as third place. 

Champions League qualification should be the minimum target for Tottenham this season. If that aspiration is realistic, they cannot fail to beat relegation candidates like Newcastle at home.