It has been an extremely disappointing season so far for Tottenham Hotspur, with the hangover from last year’s Champions League final defeat to Liverpool appearing to be too tough to shake for some.
A managerial change, unsettled players and below-par performances have ultimately cost Spurs so far, though they still have nine games left to perhaps salvage something from their campaign – albeit the chances are slim.
A top-four finish has become the minimum expectation amongst Tottenham fans over recent seasons, having qualified for the Champions League in each of their last four seasons under Mauricio Pochettino. This season, though, things are very different and there would be huge jubilation amongst Spurs fans if they were able to finish the season strong and edge their way in at the last minute.
The bookies certainly aren’t expecting Tottenham to be able to do so, giving them an outside price of 12/1 to achieve a top four finish at the conclusion of the remaining nine games in the Premier League. In comparison, Manchester City and Leicester City are huge odds-on favourites having been priced at 1/250 and 1/6 respectively, with both teams looking cemented in second and third in the table.
As such, the two teams that Spurs need to try and chase down are Chelsea and Manchester United. They face the latter on Friday evening and have a huge opportunity to close the gap between the two teams to just a single point by winning at home to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. The result of that game is made even more significant by the fact that fifth place could earn teams a Champions League place this season if Manchester City’s European ban is upheld by UEFA this summer.
Spurs certainly won’t want to be relying entirely upon that possibility though and just surpassing United into fifth won’t yet be a guarantee that they will return to the Champions League group stages for a fourth consecutive season. Chelsea are the 4/6 odds-on favourites to finish in the top four, while United are at 6/4. One thing that is certain is the price is set to change significantly for both Spurs and United once Friday’s meeting is over.
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In the grand scheme of things, a top-four finish may not yet be the end for Champions League football if UEFA uphold their original decision, but Mourinho won’t settle for that until it is confirmed that fifth will be enough. As previously mentioned, a win on Friday would bring them to within a point of fifth and then this season could well be back on again.
Now having Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko back from injury, Spurs could well be in a much stronger position to make a late Champions League charge than they were this time three months ago. Crucial games against United, Arsenal and Leicester could well be the deciding factor for Spurs in the closing weeks.
