It was all going rather well for Tottenham Hotspur just a few weeks ago.
Right in the mix for a top-four finish, through to the knockout stages of Europa League, and preparing for a Wembley cup final. Not to mention two fantastic league victories over Chelsea and Arsenal with England’s brightest youngster Harry Kane at the forefront. Fans dared to believe this could be their year after a number of near misses. But we have been here before.
In typical Tottenham fashion, their season is on the verge of unravelling into another campaign that yet again looks to be ending in further disappointment. Last weekend’s dismal display at Old Trafford highlighted everything that we have come to expect from Spurs in recent years; they build themselves up into a great position only to fall at the final hurdle when it really matters.
They were outclassed, out battled and ultimately outplayed by a resurgent Manchester United side in what was a vital game in the race for Champions League qualification. Spurs had the opportunity to draw level on points with United and pile the pressure on a side who had struggled for performances for much of the season.
The ease in which the home side were able to take all three points was alarmingly worrying for Spurs fans. The game was over before half-time, and in truth, they never even put up a fight.
A poor performance was summed up by some costly defensive errors, and their lack of spark and leadership looked a real worry. Phil Jones came closest to troubling David de Gea in the United goal, which tells you all you need to know about how bad they were on the day.
Sunday’s defeat leaves them down in seventh place, and despite a gap of just six points to the top four, it’s hard to see Spurs having enough to turn it around, even with nine games remaining. Their defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup final was a disappointment, and although they played fairly well, they never looked like repeating their impressive 5-3 victory over Jose Mourinho’s side on New Year’s Day.
[ad_pod id=’football-friends’ align=’center’]
But their exit at the hands of Fiorentina in the Europa League was even more frustrating. Spurs had emerged as genuine contenders to lift the trophy and it looked to offer the best opportunity of qualifying for the Champions League. But after Roberto Soldado had spurned a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring in the return leg with the tie level at 1-1, Spurs were sent crashing out after two dreadful errors from their centre-half pairing ended up costing them dearly.
It appears their exploits in Europe may now be catching up with the players as we approach the final stages of the league season, with the number of games Spurs have had a contributing factor to the sides dip in form. A fair point, but considering the number of talented players at their disposal, a squad the size and quality of the one at Tottenham should be able to compete in numerous competitions for as long as necessary without tiring.
Despite the negativity surrounding their performance last weekend, there is still much to be positive about for Spurs fans. A relatively young side looks set for a bright future providing they can hold onto their star players, and they will only improve with each game.
But the manager has a big job on his hands over the next few weeks to ensure his side don’t see their season fizzle out in the latter stages once again. They’ve got themselves into a bad habit over recent seasons and in order to make it to the next level; this habit needs to be broken.
[ad_pod id=’ffc-video’ align=’center’]
