Three weeks or so ago Spurs were flying high in the league and looked nailed on for a top three finish with the possibility of finishing even higher. But three weeks is a long time in football and three or four games can change the script completely.
The reality now is that we will not finish higher than third and we have a battle on our hands to finish above fifth. It is a battle we can win but it will go down to the wire to do it.
Then we have the Champions league! A quarter final tie with City is probably not the most desired opposition for most supporters at this stage of the competition. As with all big games, it will all come down to what happens on the day. The truth is that Spurs could play very well but still not go through to the semis. City, at the moment, are that good! Then again, on our day …. But we’ll probably need two ‘on our days’ to progress from this one!
We are now at the business end of the season and the possible outcomes will now change virtually on a weekly basis. Almost every result from now on will affect how the season could end.
At the start of this season all Spurs supporters had their own expectations and thoughts on what would make it a successful one. I said I would be happy with a top four finish and a good run in one or two of the Cups …. maybe even winning one of them! But the main thing I wanted was for Spurs to be a competitive force in the league and cups and to provide some entertaining and exciting football.
So, according to my early season expectations, we are still on track to achieve my minimum hopes, but little else. Of course, reaching the semi-final or final of the CL would change that dramatically.
The immediate focus has to be on remaining injury-free during the International break and achieving Champions League football for next season. I think most supporters would agree that we have not seen the standard of football this season that we enjoyed last season and the one before that. The possible reasons for this have been the subject of much discussion over the last few months. But we are still in the mix and there are still exciting times ahead.