Tim Sherwood has told Optus Sport on Premier League Productions that both the Tottenham fans and Jose Mourinho will still be ‘pleased’ if they win the League Cup and do the inevitable of missing out on a top-four finish.
But the former Premier League winner claimed that Tottenham owner Joe Lewis ‘won’t be that cheerful’ if such a situation arises.
That scenario is now likely to happen – missing out on Champions League football, whilst they are 90 minutes away from winning the League Cup, but a formidable Manchester City side stands in their way.
Sherwood thinks beating Aston Villa tonight can start the road back for Tottenham to finish in the top-four after a disastrous week for the club.
“The objective from Daniel Levy to Jose Mourinho when he came to the football club would have been to finish in the Champions League, which is the minimum requirement,” said Sherwood.
“If you can achieve that by winning the Europa League then fantastic because we can win a trophy along the way. That’s gone now. Terrible result (on Thursday). Dust themselves down and concentrate on beating Aston Villa.
“I think they are capable of going on a run and still finishing in the top four. It’s not going to be easy. If they lose to Aston Villa then it’s onto April, onto the League Cup and trying to rescue something from the season.
“But the fans will be pleased. He (Mourinho) will be pleased if they win the League Cup. The owners won’t be that cheerful.”
Aston Villa will prove to be a slippery outfit for Spurs tonight and they won’t be helped if Jack Grealish is back in the starting XI.
Dean Smith’s men have produced some strong performances against those teams in Europe this season – most notably putting seven past Liverpool.
And they will be hoping to take advantage of a wounded animal in Tottenham, who also had to endure extra-time during that horror night in Croatia.
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