Why Tottenham Hotspur Need a FA Cup Run this Season

We know Tottenham already have one final in the pocket. We also know that they are facing Manchester City in that final, so we may not want to get the polish out for the trophy just yet. Regardless of what happens in that Carabao Cup final in April, there is another Cup that Tottenham should be focused on and frankly need to win, the FA Cup.

Been Too Long for Tottenham in the FA Cup

I think we all know as Tottenham fans, it has simply been too long seen Spurs last won the FA Cup last hoisting the trophy in 1991. However, outside of that triumph, do you remember the last time Tottenham were in the finals? It was actually before that in 1986-87. That 1991 win was actually the fourth finals appearance and third FA Cup title for Tottenham between 1980 and 1991. However, since then the cupboard has gone bare.

In the decades that followed that 1991 victory, Spurs have slowly gotten further and further away from lifting the Cup. In the decade immediately following the victory, Spurs got to four semi-finals, but have only been to the semi-finals eight times total since 1991. Thus Tottenham went from four finals appearances in 11 years (3 wins), to 4 semi-final appearances in 11 years, to 4 semi-final appearances this century.

Mauricio Pochettino did get Spurs close going to the semi-finals for the first time in nearly a decade in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17 and again in 2017-18. Spurs lost to Chelsea in 16-17 and Manchester United in 17-18. In the three seasons since Tottenham have failed to advance past the fifth round.

Money and Europe Tottenham Need Both

Besides the idea of winning a trophy that is long overdue for Tottenham, there is the prize money and then a ticket to Europe that also come with the FA Cup. The money itself is not a huge sum with Spurs likely to pocket about £3.4 million if they were to win or £2.4 million if they were to simply reach the finals according to Goal.com.

Maybe more important than the money as it is not a huge amount considering what the Premier League or European competition can pay is the ticket to Europa League. Of course as a Spurs fan I want to see the team in the Champions League next season, but the path is not exactly easy. While winning the FA Cup is not going to be easy either and likely means beating four Premier League clubs – including Everton – it may be Spurs most direct path to Europa.

If we think about this past season Spurs snuck in as the final qualifier based on League finish, but had to go through qualifying rounds to even reach the tournament proper. A big reason for that was Arsenal winning the FA Cup. This does not mean Spurs cannot finish top five or four and automatically qualify for Europe, but having some other kind of guarantee would sure be nice.

If the money, European qualification, and breaking the trophy duck are not enough reasons to go on a run and win this thing, we may be waiting another 30 years for that big moment.