Tottenham's Season Is Entering Its Defining Week After Draw Against West Ham

Another late, late goal for Tottenham Hotspur and another match rescued. 

Instead of the win they needed or the defeat they probably deserved against West Ham United, Spurs have one point which has left their season balanced; now the real tests begin.

Looking up the table from seventh, the Champions League places look an awful long way away.

The identity of the scorer of Spurs' stoppage-time equaliser against the Hammers was no surprise.

It could only have been Harry Kane or Christian Eriksen. If Kane or Eriksen do not provide the goals, Spurs don't look like scoring. On this occasion it was Kane, following up on his initially saved penalty attempt.

Against Fiorentina and West Ham, first one and then the other were rested. 

When it was Kane on the bench against Fiorentina, the team made myriad chances but couldn't add to Roberto Soldado's lone strike. 

When West Ham came to White Hart Lane, it was the opposite.

With Eriksen rested, Tottenham were unable to open up the tenacious visitors. Frustration compelled Spurs to push passes that weren't there, and as a result, the Hammers were given too many chances to score. Eventually they took them, and only the introduction of three substitutes, as well as more than a fair share of luck, saw Spurs snatch their point. 

Eriksen replaced the dire Mousa Dembele at half-time, and Spurs were drastically the better for it. Dembele has found some form in recent weeks, but all that deserted him as the Hammers aggressively closed down his options. 

Squawka provided some illustrative statistics from the match. 

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Mousa Dembele (first half) vs. Christian Eriksen (second half): Chances created: 1-4 Shots: 0-3 Take ons: 0-1 pic.twitter.com/7IEOUNzQmc

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 22, 2015"

Eriksen simply thinks faster than Dembele, faster than most footballers, with the ball at his feet. He is irreplaceable for Spurs at this stage. That's fine, as long as he is capable of delivering both in Florence and at Wembley in the space of four days. 

Victory in the Europa League tie will only earn greater tests, but it will require another demonstration of Spurs' remarkable tenacity. They've earned a reputation for not giving up; Harry Kane's effusive reaction to his leveller against West Ham showed the belief that this team now possess.

They'll need it when they get to Artemio Franchi Stadium, because Vincenzo Montella's side will be well prepared. 

If Spurs fall to defeat against Fiorentina, the League Cup final won't take much greater significance; how could it? But Spurs will be under even more pressure to deliver a result. 

Chelsea were spanked on New Year's Day. Spurs stunned them and stunned the Premier League. 

There will be no element of surprise at Wembley. Instead, Chelsea will be rested and ready. 

The Blues have played 40 matches this season and 11 since the 5-3 defeat at White Hart Lane. Spurs have played three more, two more since January 1 and, crucially, will add an additional number to their tally when they travel to Italy in the Europa League.

Chelsea have no midweek fixture, so Jose Mourinho's men will have a significant advantage. 

Spurs are fighting on three fronts. Europe, the looming cup final and the attritional struggle for a place in the Champions League via England's top-four league places. 

To seize fourth place, Spurs will need to get the best out of their next 12 matches. They could win as few as four matches (fewer if they can master penalty shootouts) and be crowned Europa League champions, while the League Cup has only the final to be played. 

If Tottenham are to find tangible reward for a season of great progress under a new manager, the simplest route is through Chelsea on Sunday, but either way, this week will leave an indelible mark on Tottenham Hotspur.

In the 2009-10 season, Spurs suffered great disappointment at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Portsmouth. It seemingly spurred them on to Champions League qualification that season, but if Spurs emerge from this week with nothing, it would be difficult to recover from. 

A season that promised so much only days ago could, in just a few more, be dashed against the rocks. It would not invalidate what Pochettino is building at Spurs, but it would be an awfully bitter pill for Spurs and their fans and come to define the season.  

The prospect of failure on all three fronts does not bear thinking about. If a London derby triumph at Wembley was only the entree of a three-course meal of footballing triumph, most Spurs fans would find themselves in Shangri-La.

Those are the two faces of this week. Tottenham's season could take flight or crash and burn. Life is boring for some football fans. Not Spurs, not this week.