Article by e-Spurs Correspondent Daniel KirkhamFollow e-Spurs on Twitter here!
Playing in the Champions League is every player’s dream and what they aspire to achieve when starting out as a teenager. Every player looks to Raul and his record breaking career; 71 goals in 144 appearances. That is what most ambitious players want to do. Break records.
It has been three seasons since Tottenham Hotspur have appeared in the most talked about competition in European football. Fans and especially players are getting tired of their shattered fantasy occurring season after season.
Several big names have left Spurs due to this barren period of success. Luka Modric completed his £30m getaway to Real Madrid in the summer of 2012 and is enjoying every moment of playing in the Champions League with the Spanish giants. Also relishing his time as a Galactico is Gareth Bale, who broke the world record transfer fee from Tottenham last summer. The Welsh Wizard has scored 4 goals in 6 appearances in this Champions League campaign.
Still at White Hart Lane, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris have hinted at their’ desired departure if Spurs fail to qualify for the prestigious competition for the fourth season in a row.
Vertonghen, 26, who joined Spurs from Ajax for £9.6m in 2012, admits he wants to be playing Champions League football next season, with Tottenham eyeing up Valencia’s Jeremy Mathieu as his ideal replacement.
Lloris’ French teammates and North London rivals Oliver Giroud and Laurent Koscielny have been attempting to persuade him to join Arsenal, who have appeared in the Champions League for 18 consecutive seasons, which Lloris seems to envy.
The 4-0 defeat to Chelsea left manager Tim Sherwood furious with the lack of ‘guts’ from his players. Four defensive errors lead to all the goals and Sherwood said it was game over when Eden Hazard scored the second.
Sherwood said “You can’t legislate for the capitulation – you can’t have that. Lack of character, too many of them too nice to each other. You need to show a bit more guts and not want to be someone’s mate all the time. They need to drag it out of each other. It hurts me and I won’t forget about this when we hit the motorway, but some might.”
Tottenham are now cemented in fifth place, four points behind Manchester City, who have three games in hand.
Spurs have only picked up 1 point from a possible 18 against the current clubs in the top four. In the six matches they have had to date, Spurs have scored two goals whilst letting in a disappointing twenty-two.
“You won’t finish in the top four if you don’t beat top teams. You’re miles away unless you beat the top teams. There have been too many blips. The club talks about fourth. Wake up.” Sherwood said after Saturday’s annihilation to Chelsea.
Tim Sherwood and his Tottenham side now look to Thursday’s Europa League clash with Benfica. Spurs are at home and Sherwood says that his team ‘owe it to the fans.
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nope! all ends here, we will be another villa now, levy out!
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