Opinion: Why Spurs should prioritise Europa League over top four this season
Tottenham Hotspur will be competing on four fronts this season — the Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Europa League — but there is one competition they should strive to win more than anything else.
A trophy is needed at Tottenham
The last time Spurs won a trophy, Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King were at the heart of the defence, the dream duo of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov were leading the line, and Mikey Moore had only just been born.
16 years later, and that League Cup win is a distant memory for most Spurs fans. It’s also a running joke for rival clubs, who revel in the fact that the Lilywhites have endured such a long trophy drought.
That drought simply has to end. And in Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have the right manager to deliver some silverware at long last.
But, let’s be honest, it’s highly unlikely Tottenham will win the Premier League this year. A top-four finish, though, is more than doable, but then what? Finishing fourth doesn’t come with a trophy, and are Spurs going to go on and win the Champions League next season? Again, unlikely, sadly.
Postecoglou has even spoken about the problem of putting too much emphasis on qualifying for the Champions League, and how it can often lead to a more difficult campaign overall for any club taking part.
Europa League has prestige
So, the focus should be on the Europa League. It may be the continent’s second-tier tournament, but it still carries huge prestige.
While the FA Cup is a competition steeped in history and value for English clubs, it has to be said the Europa League carries more weight when it comes to truly meaningful silverware. As for the Carabao Cup, well, the two just do not compare.
Most importantly, Tottenham genuinely do stand a great chance of going all the way in the Europa League. On paper, at least, it’s hard to argue against the Lilywhites being the best team in the competition; now, they just need to prove it.
Plus, let’s not forget that winning the Europa League leads to automatic qualification for the Champions League anyway. So, not only would Spurs end their trophy drought in style by going all out for the Europa League, they would also get that coveted promotion to the top table of continental football, too.
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