Tottenham Hotspur Must Not Let Historic Opportunity Slip After Good Start

As January draws to a close, Tottenham Hotspur are poised for a potentially historic season, one way or the other. 

The minimum expectation at this point would be a trip to Wembley. With a second leg of the League Cup semi-final against Sheffield United to negotiate, Spurs fans should not yet be lining up for tickets to the final, but they will be fairly confident of progress. 

Beyond the League Cup, Spurs face a winnable FA Cup fourth-round tie against Leicester City and remain right in the hunt for fourth place in the Premier League. That remains the most tantalising goal, but the Europa League, with its alternative route to the Champions League, also demands attention. 

Mauricio Pochettino, in his first season at Spurs, has already overseen 36 matches in all competitions. That is only eight fewer than he managed in the whole of last season at Southampton. Even if Spurs fail to progress in any competition, he is guaranteed 56 games in his debut season.

Such a collapse would rival Michael Ballack's infamous 2001-02 season when Bayer Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga and runners-up in the DFB-Pokal and Champions League. However, he capped off a nauseating season with defeat in the World Cup final with Germany, so that season probably remains the gold standard for heartbreak. 

If Pochettino does the seemingly impossible and takes Tottenham to three finals, they would reach the staggering number of 68 games. 

The likelihood of Spurs surviving so long in each competition is utterly remote, but it provokes an interesting question for Pochettino: What is his priority? 

When, in the 2009-10 season, Spurs reached the FA Cup semi-final while in the midst of the pursuit of fourth place, a similar conundrum emerged. Many Tottenham fans played the mental game with themselves: Which of the two would they trade for the other? Was it Wembley glory or a return to Europe's top competition after 50 years away? 

Regardless, the crucial point is that although Spurs were vanquished at Wembley by Portsmouth, they kicked on and seized the final Champions League place. 

Two years later, Spurs won their way back to Wembley, facing Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. Once again they were beaten, but there was no reaction in the Premier League. Spurs finished fourth but Chelsea, once again Tottenham's bete noire, snatched the Champions League place by virtue of winning the competition. A season that had promised so much ended so painfully as to rival 2005-06 when Arsenal pipped Spurs to fourth on the final day. 

This season was not supposed to promise so much. Expectations had been at their lowest in a decade after the demise of Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood and the faintly ludicrous return on £100 million of investment in the playing staff. 

Gareth Bale, it seemed, had taken the last vestiges of Harry Redknapp's successful era with him to Madrid. 

Now, though, Spurs have a new talisman in Harry Kane. In fact, they have two. Christian Eriksen, in a quieter but no less effective fashion, has emerged as a bona fide match-winner. 

With Hugo Lloris in goal, Spurs have an advantage over virtually every other club on the planet and can set their sights very high indeed. They have already gone beyond realistic expectations. 

A single trophy would make this a remarkable season. The League Cup is the nearest and most realistic, but would triumph in that competition weaken Tottenham's drive? So many teams have seen their seasons slip away after claiming the season's first silverware.

The Independent's Sam Rice argued light-heartedly that that particular trophy is cursed. 

Spurs are part of that story, winning the trophy in 2008 and sleepwalking their way to the end of the season. By November of that year, Juande Ramos, after breaking a nine-year trophy drought, was sacked. 

A trophy, any trophy, would bring joy to Tottenham's fans. 

Pochettino's apparent reticence to alter his squad in January may prove decisive. His teams rely so heavily on chemistry and understanding that new signings might break the team's momentum. At the same time, if fatigue bites and Spurs fall away, this window may be seen as a missed opportunity. 

Opportunity defines this season. 

Kane has emerged as Tottenham's main attacking weapon because the vacuum left by the apparent alternatives thrust him into the spotlight.

Spurs have been equally pushed forward by chance as much as design. Fortunate draws in the cup competitions and a lack of consistency among top-four rivals means Spurs' season could be their best in 50 years. 

The cup competitions, as well as the league, are survival contests. Spurs have outlasted most of their competitors in each competition. 

Their resilience, so clear in the repeated late winners and comeback victories that have punctuated this season, leaves them better positioned than most to continue to fight on. 

Pochettino has, in his first season, a better chance than Andre Villas-Boas or Tim Sherwood ever had to write his name in Tottenham's history. Harry Redknapp is Spurs' most important manager since Terry Venables, but Pochettino could eclipse them both in his first season. 

Spurs are on the cusp of history. Whether this season ends in glory or with a remarkable collapse remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, it is rare for them to be in such a good position so deep into winter; who knows when they will be here again. 

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