Tottenham: Scoreless Draw with Chelsea Proves Spurs Aren't EPL Elite

Well, Spurs fans, what you see is what you get.

What started out as the feel-good story of the season has quickly descended into a harsh, and familiar reality for many in North London.

Tottenham still isn't in the first-tier of English soccer. Meaning, you cannot include them in the same conversation as Manchester United, Manchester City or even Arsenal, because when push comes to shove, they cling to draws instead of scratching out wins.

In a stretch of games that goes back to February 12, Harry Redknapp & Co. haven't won a single league game. They've drawn with the likes of Stoke City, and lost to such "formidable" opponents as Everton.

During February, Tottenham was closing in on the league title.

Now, mere weeks later, their path to next year's Champions League includes hoping that Arsenal trips up in the last month of the season—and the club's most recent scoreless draw with Chelsea is just the most recent example of what's off at White Hart Lane.

No one side of the ball can ever be consistently up to the mark.

If it's not goalkeeper Brad Friedel letting in five goals against Arsenal, it's Scott Parker earning a suspension against Manchester United. If it's not a sorry display of offense against Everton, it's an ineffective midfield against Chelsea.

Last week, Manchester City was hosting Chelsea—a formidable match was made only more difficult when visiting Chelsea went up 1-0 at Etihad Stadium in the 60th minute.

Manchester City was stopped time and time again, and with a little more than 10 minutes to go, Roberto Mancini's men still hadn't netted a goal. But then City earned a penalty kick and converted it, making the score 1-1. 

Did City get complacent?

Did they say to themselves, "You know, getting a draw out of this is pretty good"?

Not a chance. City continued to mount pressure on the chink in Chelsea's armor—their centre-backs—and found Gary Cahill and Frank Lampard, both out of position. 

The score ended 2-1, and Manchester City earned three points instead of settling for one.

They believed, even down a goal, that they were the better team, and that they'd come out with a win at the end of the day.

Does Tottenham have that kind of confidence? Does Tottenham have that killer instinct? Can Spurs' defense, midfield and forwards play as seamlessly as City displayed? 

Or what about an Arsenal team who was down two goals by the 40th minute? The Gunners have struggled all year, yet they came back with a vengeance—netting goals like they were on the training pitch and ending the game with a 5-2 scoreline.

When's the last time Tottenham was down and ended up winning?

Only once so far this season—November 26th against West Bromwich Albion.

Tottenham isn't a place of soccer despair. The club is strong, with a steady stream of revenue, an increasing number of supporters and a roster built with the future in mind, not the present.

There's nothing wrong at White Hart Lane.

The future's just not here yet.