Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League suffered a fatal blow on Wednesday night when both Arsenal and Manchester City were eliminated from Europe.
England’s UEFA coefficient took a big hit, meaning the Premier League will unlikely be awarded an additional place for next season’s Champions League.
Currently languishing in fifth place in the Premier League table, Spurs were already facing an uphill battle to secure a coveted Champions League spot for the 2024/25 season.
The new format set to be implemented net season offered a potential route into the tournament for England’s fifth-placed team, but that hinged considerably on the coefficient ranking.
Recent developments have thwarted those hopes, and Spurs’ best chance for Champions League football now rests solely on usurping Aston Villa for fourth place.
Tottenham had a firm grip on the top-four race, but the landscape shifted following a nightmare return to St James’ Park that saw them succumb to a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United.
The ghosts of last season’s shellacking returned to haunt them, shattering their momentum and significantly damaging their goal-difference advantage over Villa.
The manner of the Newcastle defeat has raised a very slim chance of the Magpies or Manchester United gatecrashing the top five. But Spurs are still firmly in control of their own fate with six games remaining.
Mathematically, the race is not over. Ange Postecoglou’s side are still within three points of their top-four rivals and boast a game in hand, but the odds are firmly stacked against them.
Tottenham’s upcoming fixtures paint a daunting picture, who face all three Premier League title contenders in their next five games.
By contrast, Villa play Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Brighton & Hove Albion over their next three fixtures and will fancy their chances of racking up points before squaring off with Liverpool in Birmingham.
The upcoming derby showdown against Arsenal will offer a closer glimpse of Tottenham’s chances of clinching a place in the top four.
A win would be a massive confidence booster, and if they’re to be title contenders next season, they must prove their mettle against the best in the league.
Tottenham’s next five fixtures
- Arsenal (H) – April 28
- Chelsea (A) – May 2
- Liverpool (A) – May 5
- Burnley (H) – May 11
- Manchester City (H) – May 14
