Tottenham looked well short of Champions league standard in their north London derby defeat to Arsenal, but they have proved the doubters wrong before.
Antonio Conte got a tune out of his Spurs side this time last year to guide them into the top four, although it’s looking like it will be a lot tougher to repeat that trick this time around.
Still, never count Conte out, and Tottenham are still very much involved in the fight to qualify for the 2023/24 Champions League.
Tottenham currently sit fifth in the Premier League, which probably sounds a lot more positive than it currently is.
They are five points short of Newcastle and Manchester United, who currently occupy the final two Champions League spots in the Premier League table.
To make matters worse, Man Utd have a game in hand over Spurs too.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will have an advantage too in that they are not also juggling a current European campaign. While Man Utd and Tottenham have upcoming Europa League and Champions League games respectively, Newcastle are free to focus on domestic football.
The other clubs Tottenham will need to worry about are Liverpool and Chelsea. The Reds are having a dreadful season by their usual standards, but few will be willing to write them off just yet.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently down in ninth position, five points adrift of Spurs and ten short of Man Utd and Newcastle, so they will have to produce something special. That, though, as we know, is not beyond them.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are in tenth on the same points as Liverpool but having played a game more.
So, it seems clear that Spurs will have to upset the odds a little to qualify for the Champions League next season, but it’s far from a lost cause.
Of course, the other way Spurs could qualify for next season’s Champions League would be to win this year’s competition.
