Losing a home match to Norwich City was a real blow to Spurs’ season. How costly will it be?
Believe it or not, there was one bright spot from yesterday’s results for Tottenham yesterday.
It was provided by Clint Dempsey’s equaliser at Craven Cottage to deny Chelsea three points. Even so, an average looking Chelsea side are just two points behind them.
The unthinkable has happened at White Hart Lane in recent weeks, with the club now anxiously looking over their shoulder as they cling onto fourth.
It is now just two league wins in the last 10 games for Tottenham, who began the New Year believing even a title challenge was possible.
They must now put aside thoughts of North London bragging rights with neighbours Arsenal, and now accept they are in a fight to save their season.
It is not helped by the indecisiveness of manager Harry Redknapp, who cannot choose which formation to play, let alone whether he wants to manage Spurs or England next season.
From beating Swansea 3-1 and going level on points with Arsenal, they have bagged just one point from a possible six over Easter, and could be five points behind the Gunners by Wednesday night.
Even more concerning, their slip-ups have let in surprise package Newcastle, who sit in fifth, level on 59 points with Spurs.
When Tottenham demolished the Magpies 5-0 in February few would have envisaged such an unlikely scenario.
If you look at Newcastle’s next two fixtures- at home to Stoke and away at Wigan, you would fancy them to get six points and keep the pressure on in the race for the top four, especially based on their current form.
Spurs do not have a league game this weekend, having an FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea to concentrate on, and will likely find themselves in fifth by time they play their next league game away at QPR the following Saturday.
It will be a 5.30pm kick-off at Loftus Road, and they could even be 11 points behind Arsenal going into the game, albeit with two games in hand.
The game at QPR will be no comfortable away trip either, with the R’s beating both Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea at Loftus Road this season, and continuing to fight for their lives.
It is though very much Newcastle and Chelsea Tottenham need to focus on.
Newcastle are their biggest threat, and in some ways, if Tottenham do not finish in the top four, then ending up fifth of sixth is relatively immaterial, with Europa League football of little interest at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham’s players want to play Champions League football next year, but they have to go out and earn it.
Cup rivals Chelsea could compound their misery by ending the season strongly, if Tottenham were to finish sixth- an unlikely but very possible worst case scenario, it would be a soul-sappingly miserable end to the season.
It would emulate the way Arsenal capitulated last season from aiming at 1st to slipping to 4th- falling further than they could have imagined, leaving their star players wanting to leave in the summer.
Chelsea are unpredictable and may not catch Tottenham, but the club have shown in recent weeks that no points gap is too huge to squander.
The Blues will look at Spurs, just two points ahead of them and say ‘we fancy that.’
Spurs fans have every right to be worried- from being more excited about the future than ever- a nightmare capitulation is unfolding before their very eyes.
Do they have the willpower and mental strength to stop it and finish in the top four?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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