Sure, it tires plenty of players out before vital Premier League clashes. It's hard to deny that aspect of the tournament can be a small nightmare.
However, similar to a long-distance League Cup , it is really an excellent chance to blood youngsters in a very competitive, first-team environment. With Harry Kane , Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason all appearing regularly inside the competition in the last few years, Tottenham know a lot better than most it can easily really give young players the confidence they should progress.
Still, it's difficult for youth players to realize confidence if their senior teammates absolutely humiliate them before big matches. That's what's just happened to 18-year-old midfielder Josh Onomah in front of Spurs' European complement with Monaco - he's been very publicly schooled by Jan Vertonghen , much to his everlasting embarrassment.
Training ahead of the game, Jan pulls off a beautiful bit of skill to go out of his young colleague red-faced - he looks seriously embarrassed with this cheekiest of nutmegs.
