Manchester City Move Closer To Champions League

At the same stage last season, the positions of both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were almost identical as they are now.

Spurs would go on to beat Manchester City in the penultimate game of the season to secure Champions League football for the first time in their history with a 1-0 win at Eastlands, while the Abu Dhabi revolution would be halted in its tracks, with boss Roberto Mancini lamented for his tentative approach to the crucial game against their league rivals.

Now both clubs find themselves in a similar situation but on different trajectories. Mancini, who came in for some unfair criticism after his side’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool earlier this month, has seen his side respond excellently to take a commanding position in the race for European football next season.

Spurs meanwhile, have burned brightly in Europe this season, but look destined to fail to capitalise on their exposure on the continent following a string of decidedly unimpressive results. They may have won the battle, but the war has a distinctly light blue feel to it.

One win in their last ten games in all competitions has left them 9th in the form table, and is a string of results fitting of a club looking to avoid the Championship, rather than reach the Champions League.
But there is more to Tottenham’s downfall than their poor form. Injuries will always leave their mark across the vast majority of teams but cannot reasonably be used as an excuse for failure. Spurs have been found out at times to be one dimensional in their approach.

For a side known for its verve and purpose they have struggled badly in the post-Christmas period after a good run of form that put them in contention for a top three finish, let alone a scrap for fourth.
Their play has been excellent at times, and with the pace the possess on each flanks and the guile in the middle of the pitch is a match for most teams in the league, but when either Gareth Bale or Aaron Lennon fail to make a break through, Spurs look lost for a solution to break down the opposition.

Draws with Wigan, West Ham and Wolves, and a loss to Blackpool (their only win in 14 games, a run which stretches back to January) in quick succession in March and April, where Manchester City and even Chelsea could have been overhauled, could prove to be the breaking point for a season which is quickly becoming bittersweet for Redknapp. What use is lighting up the Champions League when qualification is achieved in one season but not the next?

Opportunities have come and gone too frequently without being grabbed, and too often have Spurs failed to punish Manchester City when they slipped up.

City meanwhile continue their charge for the Champions League and look to be ticking all the boxes as they finally receive some acknowledgment for their achievements. Much derided this year and last for their negative approach and lack of fight in the big occasions, an FA Cup final and a 4th placed finish would go some way to proving Mancini’s doubters wrong.

The two teams must still meet and with five games to go, Spurs could still conceivably beat man City in the race for 4th, but as Edin Dzeko’s first Premier League goal crossed the line against Blackburn on Monday, the feeling that City had finally arrived was apparent. Those who get free bets look like being rewarded if they showed faith in City at the start of the season.

Redknapp may be forced to regroup this summer and add to his squad to find a plan B before re-starting their assault on the Champions League, but the deflation felt amongst Spurs fans as West Brom equalised to secure a 2-2 draw on Saturday was palatable. It is back to square one for Tottenham Hotspur.