Spurs fans have made the trip to Madrid as their side test their mettle against Real tonight in arguably the biggest night in the club’s history.
Yet despite the Champions League novices continuing to surprise many with their accomplished performances, the main worry for the North Londoners is whether they can replicate their fourth placed finish last season.
Yes of course a massive night lies ahead and a chance for Spurs to take a big stride towards claiming a semi-final berth, which is not inconceivable considering Jose Mourinho’s men surrendered their unbeaten league record at the Bernebeu at the weekend with a 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon. But at the same time, their Champions League exploits is impacting upon their league form.
Harry Redknapp’s men suffered another setback in their hopes for qualifying for the Champions League next season with a drab goalless draw away at Wigan last weekend. In fact it was their second goalless draw on the bounce after failing to breach West Ham’s rearguard the weekend before that at White Hart Lane.
While Wigan seemed to be mere distraction to tonight’s game, a worrying statistic is that Spurs have only won three Premier League games after mid-week Champions League commitments- a damning statistic for a side trying to cement a place in the top four.
In failing to break down two relegation candidates, Spurs find themselves playing catch up in order to overhaul Manchester City and sit alongside Europe’s elite next season. April is a defining month as they have what look like winnable games against Stoke and West Brom and two tough matches against Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.
The onus is on Spurs to get some much-needed impetus back and reproduce the form that has seen them sweep aside some of Europe’s best teams. Firepower isn’t too much of a problem, but it is tiredness which afflicts many at this time of the season.
Not qualifying for the Champions League would be a huge disappointment as fans have already had a taste of those special European nights- I for one don’t want to be slumped in front of C5 on a Wednesday or Thursday night and watch us play some second-rate European side.
There is also the problem of trying to keep hold of our best players. According to the Daily Mail today, Redknapp has placed an £80m price tag on Gareth Bale even though he recently signed a new contract. The Champions League acts as a safety net in terms of ensuring players aren’t lured elsewhere.
These are some of the best times in the club’s history. Spurs taking their place again in the Champions League is paramount or else they risk become a ‘sleeping giant’.
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