Opinion: Is Tottenham failing or not - Is the loss at Inter a further symptom of malaise?

FAILURE OR NOT?

It's probably not a failure.

Yes, things are not good at the moment.

But:

• They're very strong holistically
• No Tottenham team has finished consistently in the top end since the mid-1980s
• Pochettino despite not winning anything as a manager, is a lauded coach
• The new ground, once done, will be world-class
• Their revenues will match those of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool very soon

So it's not all bad.

However, there are issues that are holding the club back. It's wrong to say Poch should get sacked - who else can or will come in with the current financial restraints? Conte is free, and is a PL champion of course with Chelsea. But I doubt he'd flourish in this environment. Wenger is free - but we know him being Spurs manager won't fly - for self-evident reasons...

It could improve, but possibly being melodramatic is apparent here.

Spurs need to:

• get their stadium built as readily as possible
• sustain top four
• get top players to compete
• withstand the competition from a potentially resurgent Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man United
• do their best to handle Liverpool and Man City

These are all the key points they can do to sustain their position.

If anything, getting the stadium ready is the critical point, and from there, things can follow.