Tottenham Hotspur has many great players including one of the best strikers in the world, Harry Kane, and has had many top managers over the years including Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte. However, nobody seems to be able to change the fact that Tottenham is always the laughingstock, in the end. Spurs have the uncanny knack to raise hopes every campaign, but somehow always wind up throwing it all away at the final hurdle.
Spurs’ struggles this season
Spurs have struggled in the Premier League this season and their tie against Manchester City at the Etihad was an epitome of how the club has performed in recent history. Tottenham often takes an initial advantage but cannot get themselves over the line. Conte’s side led by two goals at halftime at the Etihad, but it was not a great shock when City came back to win 4-2. Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four are now slim, in the betting odds on the English Premier League, they are offered at a price of +500 to finish in a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot. The North London side’s latest shortcoming has cost them greatly in terms of their league fortunes, but what has been the club’s most significant moments in recent history in which they narrowly fell short of achieving greatness?
Did you know Harry Kane holds the record for scoring the most Premier League goals (198) without having won the title. pic.twitter.com/oReAfrJFnT
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) January 15, 2023
When Tottenham nearly become champions of Europe
In the UCL semi-final of 2019, Spurs truly flipped the scales on Ajax, as it was the Dutch side who blew a big lead to allow the English side to progress to the final in Madrid. Perhaps the Spurs team had learned from the countless times they had blown large leads, how to inflict a devastating comeback on another team.
The final was of the all-English variety with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as the opposition who had also mounted an incredible comeback in their semi-final against FC Barcelona. The game began in an unfortunate fashion for Pochettino’s side: in the opening minutes, Liverpool was awarded a penalty when Sadio Mane’s delivery was bet the outstretched arm of Moussa Sissoko. Spurs had chances in the remainder of the game before Divock Origi’s strike put the result beyond doubt. Ultimately the Spurs team put up a performance that suggested they did not truly believe they could become champions.
Finishing third in a two-horse race
The 2015/16 season was a rare opportunity for Tottenham to have a genuine charge toward the Premier League title. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United were in the process of rebuilding and few teams were as strong as Spurs that year. Remarkably, Leicester City provided Tottenham’s strongest opposition in the title race. Spurs slip-ups began in March of that season when they squandered a late one-goal lead to 10-man Arsenal in the North London Derby, the chance to cut Leicester’s then three-point lead was missed and the Foxes never looked back.
Spurs’ other fierce rival Chelsea ended their hopes late in the season when Eden Hazard struck a late equalizer that delivered the title to Jamie Vardy’s Leicester. But most bizarrely, Spurs suffered a shock loss to already relegated Newcastle United on the final day and somehow Arsenal leapfrogged them after they battled with Leicester all season long.
Leicester’s famous 2015/16 season by numbers:
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 4, 2021
◎ 81 points
◎ 68 goals
◎ 36 conceded
◎ 23 wins
◎ 12 draws
◎ 3 defeats
◎ 1 Premier League title
Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ZjRvpcXpqU
The North London outfit is renowned for its failure to deal with pressure and holds into leads in big fixtures, and this has been the case regardless of the personnel involved. It is almost as if the club is destined to not win the sport’s greatest prizes but nevertheless they provide excellent entertainment in their pursuits to almost achieve success.
