Why for Spurs, it’s a perfect draw

This morning saw the draw for the last eight of the Champion’s League and it has thrown up a number of interesting games. The fates of the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Tottenham are slowly being written. Furthermore, it’s another grand opportunity to see pictures of John Terry crying as the rain beats down against his bewildered face, having missed a penalty at the end of the 2008 final – a final United went onto win. These pictures are being run once more after Chelsea drew United this morning. A tasty game, no doubt, but the game that really intrigues me is Tottenham v Real Madrid.

Spurs fans, no doubt, awaited the draw with some trepidation. Trepidation that may have turned briefly into despair when they discovered that stars had aligned to send them off to Spain to face the Galácticos. After having some time to consider the way things stand, I’m now filled with a degree of positivity – a senseless optimism – in fact, short of facing Shakhtar Donetsk (the kind of game that Spurs could easily mess up) I honestly believe this to be the best possible draw for the North London side.

Surely this is what Spurs fans have been awaiting: the moment that they get to rub shoulders with Europe’s elite. Having already tackled Inter Milan and AC Milan this season and come out on top, Tottenham’s next challenge has to be to take on the elite of Spain. Spurs are up there with the big boys now, for better or worse and it’s great to see them rubbing shoulders with the giants of European football. I doubt that there’s a Spurs fan out there that would want things to be any different. As pure spectacle, as an ‘event’, as a chance for Tottenham to signal their European intent, the Real Madrid tie has no rival.

Tottenham, as is the norm in European games, will go into the tie as underdogs. Once more, I’m sure Spurs fans wouldn’t have things any other way. Sometimes there’s no better motivator than having everybody tell you that you don’t have a chance. The odds may be stacked against Tottenham (as they were against AC Milan) but it’d be foolish to rule them out just yet.

But, it’s easy enough to get carried away by the anticipation of the event and deny the reality of the situation. These games will be tough. Real Madrid have worked hard to overcome their weaknesses under the leadership of Jose Mourinho. They’ve reached the Copa Del Ray final this year, remain 5 points away from Barca in La Liga (and are still to play them at home) and have made it into the quarter finals of the Champion’s League for the first time since 2003. They are a team in the process of a transformation. When they click, they really click.

With the form of players like Ozil and Benzema – not to mention Cristiano Ronaldo – Spurs have plenty to be wary of. However, I’m sure Real Madrid will look at some of Tottenham’s players and think the same thing. There’s an interesting battle to be had between Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos and Rafael van der Vaart will no doubt be keen to leave an impression on the side he left last year.

The odds may be stacked in Real Madrid’s favour, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a hugely exciting time to be a Spurs fan. Tottenham are all set for another big night out in the Champion’s League.

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