Despite ultimately outplaying Liverpool in the Champions League Final and creating far more decent chances than Jurgen Klopp’s side managed, Tottenham Hotspur ended up on the losing side.
Amongst the fans the camps are wide and varied, some delighted we got their to begin with after an injury hit campaign that clearly caught up with us, for others, it was another typical ‘Spursy’ defeat and we undoubtedly would’ve won had we not failed ourselves with poor performances on the night.
I’m in the former camp and getting to the Final is a reflection on the steps we’ve made forward, but Liverpool were the favourites for a reason and they had last year’s experience behind them.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ comments after the game as quoted by Goal certainly caused a bit of a stir.
“I don’t think Tottenham is the type of club to challenge for the Champions League every season, we have to be honest. But one thing is sure: we are ambitious, and we try to reduce the gap to the best teams in Europe, step by step. I think in three years we showed a lot of improvement, a lot of development in the right direction, probably with the new stadium it will bring fresh air and confidence towards the team, towards the club, towards the fans, and there is a lot of things to learn from this defeat. Now it’s up to us to get back into work and come back stronger next season. It’s difficult to have the right judgement. The only thing is to stay positive and we can only be proud of what we have done this season. To bring the club into the Champions League final is already a big step.”
In fairness I don’t see a lot wrong with his summation there really. We are continuing to take steps forward and reaching the Final, given how dead and buried we seemed in the Group stage, has to be considered a massive step forward and achievement, and Lloris is right, few, if anyone, expected our journey to last that long.
Former midfielder Danny Murphy addressed the stir on Talksport earlier in the week (3/6 – 10.25am) and he had the right outlook for me.
“He was actually remarkably honest because they are not really expected to be in the semi-finals or final of the Champions League or pushing for the title season in season out. They are not there yet.”
We’re not, our Premier League finishes and CL background show that, but it’s a step forward in the right direction and it’s why everyone is hoping for a change in approach this summer given everything manager Mauricio Pochettino has said recently.
We are ‘not there yet’ the coming months could make that difference.
Alan Sugar Reflects On Defeat – Liverpool Time Wasted, Spurs Failed To Turn Up