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Last week I wrote about how this could be a season-defining two weeks for Tottenham Hotspur, and I think it’s fair to say that, so far, they’ve buckled under the pressure.
Out of the Europa League, with a draw and defeat over two legs to Fiorentina, and a last-gasp point after coughing up two goals to bitter rivals West Ham, their first three matches could have gone infinitely better.
But now they face their biggest challenge of all, the Capital One Cup Final on Sunday.
It is the biggest match of their season. Win this and the disappointment of the last fortnight will be forgotten. They’ll have bagged their first trophy since 2008, beating the same opposition for the same piece of silverware, Mauricio Pochettino will go down as a legend and the belief that they can achieve a top four finish will reach fever-pitch.
Lose and it’ll be hard to see how they can recover. They still have Manchester United, City and Southampton to play, as well as a host of teams who’ll be in the midst of a relegation dog-fight. It’s clear that as good as Harry Kane has been, they don’t have any other goal-scoring options. The agonising first-half miss by Roberto Soldado in Florence showed how low on confidence he, and the rest of their attack is.
What’s more, they’ll be facing a Chelsea side with a real chip on their shoulder. Jose Mourinho is under the impression the world is against him and Chelsea Football Club. The ban for Nemanja Matic, who’ll miss Sunday’s final; the multitude of referring decisions that haven’t gone his side’s way; and not forgetting a thirst for revenge, especially after Spurs knocked five goals past his team at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day. Chelsea will need no more motivation to go into this game with all guns blazing, and we can’t forget the extra week of rest that will have helped their cause (Spurs fans certainly won’t).
In my most humble opinion, I can only see one result this Sunday. Chelsea are arguably the in-form team, the draw against Burnley would have frustrated them, yes, but if anything it will only motivate them more ahead of game that they also have more experience in dealing with. The Blues have a proven track record of winning silverware and, coming back to the original question, handling the pressure.
Although I wouldn’t mind seeing an upset, just to see the look on the Special One’s face as he adds another point to his conspiracy theory, I can’t see it happening. Two weeks that could have been so fruitful and exciting for Tottenham, look as if they might just end in tears.
