Tottenham Do Not Have Much Time to Get the Season Straight

After a start to the season that had fans dreaming  big and set expectations high, maybe too high, things have come crashing down to earth for Tottenham Hotspur. Since defeating Arsenal 2-0 in December things have unexpectedly gone South. Tottenham had seven wins, 3 tough luck draws, and a loss with a plus 14 goal difference after blanking the Gunners and topping the table.

Since then Spurs actually have a negative one goal difference as team over the last nine games while dropping four matches in the process. Now with two league losses on the bounce, the question is if Tottenham can pick themselves up and fix what is broken and salvage the season or do they continue to go down the tubes? While the goal difference is not much different now at +13 than it was back then, the team is no where near the same.

The confidence from early in the season as the team was finding ways to win has long disappeared as the team seems to be finding ways to lose. As the fanbase begins to boil, the schedule gets no easier in February for Tottenham and either they are going to get things figured out and quick or this season could go really bad really fast – Carabao Cup final in hand or not.

The next two weeks are critical to the season for Tottenham

Over the next two weeks Tottenham play four games across two competitions and will have a real sense of where things are going before the team even steps foot on Austrian soil February 18 to face Wolfsberger AC in the Europa league Round of 32. The Chelsea game on Thursday is the first opportunity to stop the bleeding from a two match skid and Spurs need that game.

As rough as Tottenham’s season has been so too has the season been for Chelsea who have already sacked Frank Lampard. Tottenham cannot afford to let Chelsea get things back on track and beating the Blues and Thomas Tuchel would go a long way toward fixing some of the broken Tottenham confidence. Losing one of the best strikers on the planet was always going to have a negative mental impact, Spurs need to get over that and find a way to win on Thursday against a team that is equally up and down as Tottenham.

While one would think West Brom on Sunday would be just what Spurs need, after big Sam Allardyce brought in a bunch of new talent the Baggies will be looking for a bounce. We know Same has never been relegated, but he has his hands full with this one and Spurs need to do him no favors.

So in the next week Tottenham play one team who has a new coach and another who has five new players. The only thing new for Tottenham needs to be the attitude as Spurs have to find a way to win both matches or at least get four points from the two, with a couple big rematches on the horizon.

The FA Cup is Still Vitally Important

Sure the Carabao Cup final in the bag is nice, but Spurs will be playing what looks like the best team on the planet, so I would not go scheduling a victory parade yet. Further, of all the competitions Tottenham are a part of, the Carabao Cup is the bottom of the ladder. Sure a trophy after so long without one will be nice, but after the start to the season Tottenham had, just one trophy does not really feel like it will be enough.

With the FA Cup, there is another chance to win some silverware and get things right. Everton have already beaten Tottenham once this season and like Tottenham have had great moments and no so great moments this season. Everton has seemingly bounced back from their hiccup and have added in the transfer window, so Spurs should expect a team ready to prove opening day was no fluke. An FA Cup win to advance to the quarterfinals would do the lads a ton of good.

Manchester City is Waiting for Tottenham

Regardless of what happens in those three matches, Manchester City is in two weekends and this date has been marked on the City calendar for some time. Since Tottenham beat Manchester City, the Sky Blues have been playing like a team with something to prove, with 11 straight in league without a loss.

There were two draws in the middle of this run, but right now City has won seven straight. Even more impressive, City have only conceded two goals since the two they conceded to Spurs on November 21, with nine shutouts in those 11 matches. Yes Liverpool is the match before Spurs and Arsenal is the match after for City, but this match is likely circled in blood for Pep Guardiola the Cityzens.

How Big Wolfsberger is Depends on the Next Two Weeks

If Tottenham struggle over the next two weeks and fall out of contention for the top four – they can already concede the title – and are knocked out of the FA Cup, it makes Europa League everything for Tottenham. Spurs fans should remember well a Chelsea team in 2012 that finished sixth in the table, two spots and five points behind Tottenham, yet stole our Champions League place, by winning the Champions League.

Essentially, that 2012 Chelsea team is what Spurs become if the next two weeks do not pan out. Sure the Carabao Cup would be meaningful, but the only thing that can salvage the season if Spurs cannot make top four is winning Europa League. Given the current fiscal climate, the contracts already on the books, and an enormous loan for a stadium that barely gets used, it truly is Champions League next season or bust for Tottenham.

If the next two weeks do not go well, then the dream of winning Europa League will be all we have left, as a late April trophy will be of little solace to a fanbase that just a couple months ago had permission to dream and dream big.