With a 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur finally managed to secure Champions League qualification for the first time in their history.
But it is hardly the remarkable achievement many will make it out to be.
This is a side that has consistently been in the top four of spending in the Premier League for the last decade. Only their opponents last night have a bigger net spend over the last few seasons, yet it is only now that they have succeeded in getting that 4th spot. And that statistic alone probably says far more about their failure over the last decade or more than it does about their campaign this season.
And now with their goal of top class European football achieved, and a feeling of jubilation surrounding the lillywhite half of North London, I would not be at all surprised to see them fall at the first hurdle next year, as with Everton when they managed to break into the top four in 2005 before failing to get past the qualifying round.
Spurs have always acted in the belief that they can compete with the world’s elite, with manager after manager being sacked for failing to live up to their fans’ unrealistic expectations and now that they have finally managed to strike gold with Harry Redknapp I wonder how long they will manage to keep faith in hm. If they fail to reach the group stages next season and start slowly, it will be interesting how much pressure he will come under.
They lack what the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City already have – truly world class players – and this will almost certainly tell in Europe when they come up against a different style of players in a different style of football. They don’t have a Tevez, a Torres or a Gerrard and despite the windfall of £20m that last night’s game was reportedly worth, you struggle to see them managing to bring in a player of the calibre needed to take them to the next level.
To sign a player like those you need to have two things – massive reserves of money and a great pedigree and history of success. Unfortunately for them, Spurs don’t quite make the cut in one department and are sorely lacking in the other.
Of course, there could still be more joy for Spurs fans, long before next season begins. Just two points behind Arsenal and the Gunners limping towards the finishing line, many will have at least one eye on pipping them to third place on the final day of the season. If they do that, then it will be the first time in 15 years that they have finished above their biggest rivals, although with the Emirates playing host to Fulham, it is likely to be a dream that doesn’t
A repeat of this season is what Spurs should be aiming for and if they do just that, without overstretching themselves financially and without impatience, Arsenal fans should, for the first time since Arsene Wenger took over, be doubting their superiority over their bitter rivals. But with their history of spurning opportunities, no Gunners fan should be trembling just yet.
