The race for a Champions League place

[iluvsteffenfreund]

Adrian will be out for the FA Cup, won't he?

Yep. Will it be just a one game ban for handball ? Just watching the Chelsea game surely Ivanovic gets done for the headbut

 

[Matrix]

I think all of us going for top four will drop points. UTD and the Goons look more like dropping points than anyone else. Its not over by a long shot.

 

[cliff jones]

Oddly, I don't really care too much about CL this season. As far as I'm concerned, the last month, even that defeat last night, showed that we've got a team again who we can get behind. If you'd offered me, at the start of the season, what we have now (including beating Chelsea and Arsenal, not getting dicked by the teams in the 4/5), a cup final and our current position in the El, not to mention the amazing evolution of Harry Kane, I'd have bitten your hand off. Not only that - I'd have thought anyone that predicted our current situation as a bit soft in the head.

Even if we fall short, I'll go intot next season full of hope and confidence. That's really the biggest compliment I can give Poch and the team - I give a shit again, dare to hope and I don't expect us to lose games anymore. I think we can beat anyone, anywhere. Got my Spurs back and I couldn't ask for much more from the current season.

like it, and totally agree- as things stand. Even losing the final, going out to the Italians and coming 7th in the league I'd still feel the same. Sliding further down the table, especially below the Jellied Eels, with the kids going off the boil, would still see me disappointed and less optimistic. If HK gets injured, Can't Score and Won't Score don't score, I'd be livid at Levy for not having the foresight to invest in cover. Here's hoping- and it's great we CAN hope again.

 

[tototoner]

We conceed far too many goals to get fourth as well. Defensively we are pretty appalling.

Forget looking at knocking Rodriguez or schniederlin off of Southampton. One player we should get from them is Wanyama.

If we are still looking for a Schneiderlin type player I think we should look at Granit Xhaka

 

[GMI]

No chance at top 4. Especially after yesterday. Better chance to make CL by winning EL, and even thats a minimal shot.

Wouldn't it be so very spursy to make the EL final but have to play Liverpool in it where we'll lose and they'll win to make CL while we finish higher in the table? Crap, I just made myself even more depressed.

I hate everything

I think our chances of finshing 4th are a lot higher that our chaces of winning the Europa League. Just my onion.

I think our chances in the League cup final are very good.

 

[GMI]

This might be a tad controversial but I don't think we should be worrying ourselves too much about a top 4 finish.

Let me phrase that a little better. Naturally we ALL want to finish in top 4 but if we don't I REALLY don't think it matters - this season anyway. The fact that we are even in the hunt for it is a major surprise to me, a pleasant one for sure but still, a surprise.

The job Poch has done is nothing short of miraculous when you consider the mess we were in. I'm not particularly worried about losing any of our players in the summer if we dont get CL football next season. Lloris and Vertonghen would be the main concerns and the suggestion is that Hugo loves it at Spurs and in London and has no intention of leaving. Verts hasn't signed a new deal yet so I'm wondering whether he might stay but as good as he has been this year, he's not irreplaceable. Dier has proved his quality and Fazio will be better again next season.

As I say, I really do want us to get into the top 4 but I'm trying not to screw about it. If it happens then that's awesome and I'll be delighted. If it doesn't then so be it, the season has been a really good one with emergence of our young players and the summer is something we can be really excited about.

I do agree but I usually plough is furrow to make the pain of losing out less pronounced. So when we miss out on goal difference I can look back and remind myself that I wasn't really bothered this season. A bit like when you don't get the job you were after bit 'you didn't really want anyway'. That said I think the next few years will be joyous even if we miss out on CL this year.

 

[dougie]

like it, and totally agree- as things stand. Even losing the final, going out to the Italians and coming 7th in the league I'd still feel the same. Sliding further down the table, especially below the Jellied Eels, with the kids going off the boil, would still see me disappointed and less optimistic. If HK gets injured, Can't Score and Won't Score don't score, I'd be livid at Levy for not having the foresight to invest in cover. Here's hoping- and it's great we CAN hope again.

I don't think it's that easy though.

If we got a genuinely decent striker in, they'd want game time now. Pay top dollar and then there's pressure to play them and stunt Kane's influence. On the flipside, if we were just buying cover, then we're just getting a lower standard of player for the sake of it.

 

[spurs mental]

I think our chances of finshing 4th are a lot higher that our chaces of winning the Europa League. Just my onion.

I think our chances in the League cup final are very good.

I agree with this. We've got a good chance at top 4. There is very little to do with luck over the course of the season in terms of finishing top 4. You make your own luck. Whereas with the Europa League, we need good draws which is all down to luck. Not only that, but we have to beat teams over two legs to progress and then hope for another lucky draw. At least in the league we can look after ourselves.

 

[millsey]

I think the only issue would arise if we won the Europa and Arsenal won the CL but finished outside the Top 4. I think its limited to a max of 5 now instead of 4

And we all know what would happen if the above scenario played out

We get shafted again that's what happens!

 

[cliff jones]

I don't think it's that easy though.

If we got a genuinely decent striker in, they'd want game time now. Pay top dollar and then there's pressure to play them and stunt Kane's influence. On the flipside, if we were just buying cover, then we're just getting a lower standard of player for the sake of it.

Perhaps the analysis, now led by this Mitchell fella, came down against Kramaric, Ings or even Elia (the Soton loan signing)? I don't think we were ever in the market for more expensive media mentions like Bony, Benteke and Berahino. Anyway Levy didn't want to pay regardless, according to all and sundry, which was where I was coming from.

Don't buy the idea that competition is anything other than a good thing, across the pitch. One way or another HK has none at all at the mo. He stays fit and keeps scoring then lucky us.

 

[Mr Pink]

Decent read this:

http://www.teamtalk.com/features/16129/9717990/-?

 

[dagraham]

Arsenal rarely slip against the poorer teams. I just can't see any way they won't be top four.

We have to keep Kane and Eriksen fit and get a win from either Southampton or Utd away imo. It's going to be a tall order.

 

[Mr Pink]

Arsenal rarely slip against the poorer teams. I just can't see any way they won't be top four.

We have to keep Kane and Eriksen fit and get a win from either Southampton or Utd away imo. It's going to be a tall order.

If we keep playing the way we are I think we'll win at least one of those games.

 

[dagraham]

If we keep playing the way we are I think we'll win at least one of those games.

It's certainly possible. I just worry that despite our improved fitness, injuries and fatigue will become a factor. And the fact we rarely keep a clean sheet too.

 

[BK007]

The reason why I didn't want to lose to Liverpool, no matter our current form otherwise, is that then we would be second best in terms of form and it is much easier to derail a Spurs train, as we all know.

The more wins Liverpool get, the more they simply roll on. Perhaps, not in the past, but after what they went through last season, the majority of the squad remains and has the mental fortitude to get into one of those runs, kind of like how Arsenal always do.

At Spurs, there is no such mentality. We had to win the Liverpool game. Our season is not over yet, but our resolve remains unproven. Liverpool's only lost in a long run of games has been to Chelsea and narrowly. Yeah, we lost to them narrowly too, but we were a far cry away from Arsenal and let's not even bring up our performances against Sheffield, Leicester, Palace.

Yes, we are an unfinished article, but we look like a chump team that "lucks" out a great result (Chelsea, Arsenal) only to combust against the next side (Palace, Liverpool). That's the makings of a yoyo club not a real challenger for anything.

We need to bounce back, both in results and performances and no more cheap lucky performances. Liverpool may have narrowly beat Palace, but they were splitting them apart, eviscerating them at times. We don't and that needs to change.

It is stacked against us with two money baggers and three clubs who have historically been able to ride through hard times, but that's something that the entire establishment needs to overcome. This mental hump of it being okay for us to simply be also rans. Let's face it. There's no such thing as also rans. We all know that as close as we would get, it's never actually close due to the actual performances on the pitch and the mentality of all involved. That needs to change.

I'm already looking forward to crushing Fiorentina and West Ham so let's make sure we do it and not fuck about like we are prone to do.

 

[Mr Pink]

The reason why I didn't want to lose to Liverpool, no matter our current form otherwise, is that then we would be second best in terms of form and it is much easier to derail a Spurs train, as we all know.

The more wins Liverpool get, the more they simply roll on. Perhaps, not in the past, but after what they went through last season, the majority of the squad remains and has the mental fortitude to get into one of those runs, kind of like how Arsenal always do.

At Spurs, there is no such mentality. We had to win the Liverpool game. Our season is not over yet, but our resolve remains unproven. Liverpool's only lost in a long run of games has been to Chelsea and narrowly. Yeah, we lost to them narrowly too, but we were a far cry away from Arsenal and let's not even bring up our performances against Sheffield, Leicester, Palace.

Yes, we are an unfinished article, but we look like a chump team that "lucks" out a great result (Chelsea, Arsenal) only to combust against the next side (Palace, Liverpool). That's the makings of a yoyo club not a real challenger for anything.

We need to bounce back, both in results and performances and no more cheap lucky performances. Liverpool may have narrowly beat Palace, but they were splitting them apart, eviscerating them at times. We don't and that needs to change.

It is stacked against us with two money baggers and three clubs who have historically been able to ride through hard times, but that's something that the entire establishment needs to overcome. This mental hump of it being okay for us to simply be also rans. Let's face it. There's no such thing as also rans. We all know that as close as we would get, it's never actually close due to the actual performances on the pitch and the mentality of all involved. That needs to change.

I'm already looking forward to crushing Fiorentina and West Ham so let's make sure we do it and not fuck about like we are prone to do.

No we didn't.

 

[Spurger King]

At Spurs, there is no such mentality. We had to win the Liverpool game. Our season is not over yet, but our resolve remains unproven. Liverpool's only lost in a long run of games has been to Chelsea and narrowly. Yeah, we lost to them narrowly too, but we were a far cry away from Arsenal and let's not even bring up our performances against Sheffield, Leicester, Palace.

Not sure if you're American or otherwise non-English, but just for clarity there are three well-known teams in Sheffield; Sheffield United (who we beat in the semi-finals), Sheffield Wednesday, and Sheffield FC (the oldest football club in the world).

 

[chinaman]

Not sure if you're American or otherwise non-English, but just for clarity there are three well-known teams in Sheffield; Sheffield United (who we beat in the semi-finals), Sheffield Wednesday, and Sheffield FC (the oldest football club in the world).

You said there are. Is the 3rd one, namely Sheffield FC still in existence, and if so, in what league are they?

 

[Spurger King]

You said there are. Is the 3rd one, namely Sheffield FC still in existence, and if so, in what league are they?

Sheffield FC are in the Northern Premier League.

 

[StartingPrice]

Decent read this:

http://www.teamtalk.com/features/16129/9717990/-?

It is - was just about to post it myself.

As the article says, the big issue for our chances would seem to be how well we cope with Europa. We are improving and even some of the excluded players are starting to look like they want to play for Poch - it's easier to do that when you can see the methods starting to work!

On the other hand, the clamour for Liverpool being real contenders (and possibly even favourites) has always looked a bit overblown to me. In terms of points on board, squad depth and difficulty of run-in it really is a tough ask for them. And the analysis here only intensifies the initial impression concerning the difficulty of run-in. On top of which, they, too, have Europa and they are also in the FA Cup. They won a game against us after we had physically and mentally exhausted ourselves, and looked jaded, and even then we really pushed them and their winning goal was a bit suspect.