Source: Daily_Mail
Tottenham's season in freefall
Eleven weeks ago Tottenham won in the San Siro, one of the finest results in the recent history of the club. Since then, very little has gone according to plan.[LNB]Spurs have followed a 1-0 victory against AC Milan by winning just one of 11 and, after digesting Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea, Harry Redknapp conceded the chances of a swift return to the Champions League were disappearing fast.[LNB]'It's getting hard, we've got to keep going,' said Redknapp. 'It's still possible.' But he knows it is not only the points gap to Manchester City which is the problem. It is Tottenham's disappearing form.[LNB] Calamity keeper: Heurelho Gomes keeps Frank Lampard's shot out but the goal was given[LNB]Since Milan, they have drawn six and lost four, leaking 21 goals. The two they let in at Stamford Bridge were unfortunate to say the least. One did not appear to cross the line, although it would never has been an issue if Heurelho Gomes had simply caught a routine shot from Frank Lampard.[LNB]The other, a late winner by Salomon Kalou, was marginally offside. Redknapp was magnanimous about the ill fortune, perhaps conscious of how Tottenham sneaked a 2-1 win against Stoke in August thanks to the failure of the referee and his linesmen to notice a Jon Walters header had crossed the line.[LNB]During the slump, Spurs have failed to beat any of the Barclays Premier League's bottom four teams: Blackpool, Wolverhampton, Wigan and West Ham. The solitary win came against Stoke.[LNB]Redknapp's strikers have found goals hard to come by, Gareth Bale's fitness has faltered and, with it, his exhilarating form, and Gomes has regressed to the error-prone goalkeeper he was when he was when he first arrived from PSV Eindhoven.[LNB] Stumble: Gareth Bale (left) has struggled to maintain his impressive form[LNB]Not only has ground been lost on City but Liverpool have crept up. After an exciting Champions League adventure, it is possible there will be no European football at White Hart Lane next season.[LNB]The Europa League may be more trouble than it's worth - Redknapp attributes Tottenham's top four finish last year to the absence of any European campaign - but it can prove an important prestige factor when trying to attract players, or keep them.[LNB]This is something of a moot point with the manager. 'I hate it when people say if we don't make the Champions League we're going to sell Gareth Bale or Luka Modric,' said Redknapp. 'That's not the way forward. The way forward is to find one or two top drawer players and get back in the Champions League again.[LNB]'We weren't in the Champions League when they came here so I don't see a problem. They know we're a good side. We've come a long way in the last couple of years. We can play against anybody. I really believe there's nothing in it between the top five or six teams.[LNB] That was then: Tottenham's form has dipped since their win over AC Milan[LNB]'We've got a squad here now who can compete for a Champions League place every year but you need to keep improving. It's a backwards step if you don't improve because Man City have gone out and improved on last year when we finished above them.[LNB]'Chelsea looked like they might drop out of the top four around January, so they went out and spent ?75m on two players because they wanted to stay in there. I'm not saying we should spend ?75m but we need to keep positive and moving forward.'[LNB]There is surgery to perform on the Tottenham squad this summer and potential transfer targets will need convincing that the club has the ambition to keep competing at the top of the Premier League.Wrapped up in this is the question of whether Redknapp, the leading candidate to succeed England manager Fabio Capello next year, will stay at White Hart Lane in the long term.[LNB]Until then, Spurs must seek a stylish finish to the season. With trips to City and Liverpool ahead, there is plenty to play for. They must get out of the rut.[LNB]Spurs since Milan[LNB]Blackpool (a) PL lost 1-3[LNB]Wolves (a) PL drew 3-3[LNB]AC Milan (h) CL drew 0-0[LNB]West Ham (h) PL drew 0-0[LNB]Wigan (a) PL drew 0-0[LNB]Real Madrid (a) CL lost 0-4 [LNB]Stoke (h) PL won 3-2[LNB]Real Madrid (h) CL lost 0-1[LNB]Arsenal (h) PL drew 3-3[LNB]West Bromwich (h) PL drew 2-2[LNB]Chelsea (a) PL lost 1-2[LNB] Graham Poll: Goal-line technology MUST happen after this latest farceI'll quit! Redknapp promises to resign as boss if Spurs sell his starsRedknapp targets Osvaldo as Spurs manager seeks more firepowerAll the latest Tottenham news, features and opinion [LNB] Explore more:People: Fabio Capello, Harry Redknapp, Luka Modric, Frank Lampard, Gareth Bale Places: Milan, Liverpool, United Kingdom
