Talk of a power shift in North London has been greatly exaggerated too. Redknapp has often talked about Spurs closing the gap on their neighbours, particularly in the wake of Spurs’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal at The Emirates back in November. However, last season Spurs finished just 5 points behind their Arsenal in the league whereas this season they’re already 12 points behind them with tricky away fixtures against Man City and Liverpool still to come.
Yes, the games against Inter Milan, AC Milan, FC Twente and Werder Bremen were great. Yes, the Champions League has been enlivened and enriched by their presence in this year‘s competition; their youthful naivety to has been like a breath of fresh air at times and they are most certainly detached from the boring, predictable, humdrum affairs we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the group stages. But much like Gareth Bale’s farcical victory in the PFA Player of the Year Award (surely awarded more for his performances in Europe than in the league – why oh why do they bother voting as early as February every year), Spurs have been characterised by their exploits and performances in Europe rather than their excellence across the board.
Spurs are undoubtedly a great side to watch. They have also coped admirably with a considerable number of injuries at the back for much of the campaign, yet the feeling lingers that without that crucial 4th place in the league to validate their progress, this season on a whole will have to go down as a missed opportunity.
Europe has saved Redknapp’s season this year, for without it, there has been little else to shout about on a consistent basis – there have been dropped points against lesser teams, a chronic lack of goals up front and a squad that doesn’t quite boast the strength in depth that it appeared to have at the start of the season. They are inconsistent beyond belief domestically and are a constant source of frustration for their supporters.
The crux of the matter is that Champions League qualification should not be seen as a bonus, rather an achievable goal to aim for each year; Redknapp raised the bar last season, but this term Spurs have fallen short this term of what’s required of them and that’s why ultimately, despite their entertaining exploits in Europe, this campaign will ultimately go down as a failure.
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Couldn’t agree more about the season being a failure (although not yet mathematically). However, although exclusion from CL next season is likely to leave an emptiness usually only associated with a berievement, I don’t see it as the big derailment to our progress / development that many do. I believe the key players will stay, except maybe for VDV. We will continue to challenge and if Redknapp can find that striker and CB we need, the sky remains the limit.