By Tony Ngare
Newcastle United has surprised everyone including themselves. In January they were handed a 5-2 spanking by Fulham. Three weeks later they made another visit to London and Tottenham annihilated them 5-0. Had one talked of Champions League prospects at that stage for Newcastle, I would have personally advocated for a special kitty for that person to go to rehab.
With the English Premiership race looking more like a concluded race, the focus now shifts to the scramble for the fourth and the final Champions League slot.
Weeks back Tottenham were actually touting themselves as the ‘third’ force. If you are conversant with our local politics you must have come to realize that the so called ‘third’ forces or options are variants of groups that consider them less immoral than the incumbent and the biggest opposition.
With Man United as the incumbents and Man City cruising on petrodollars, many neutral fans sickened by watching Arsenal and Chelsea’s inability to mount a strong bid against Man United would have loved to see Tottenham succeed. But it’s no longer the case.
Actually, Tottenham’s main pre-occupation now has got to do with winning the FA Cup and retaining fourth position. But it’s not a walk in the park.
To get to the finals, Tottenham have to get past Chelsea this Sunday. You can rest assured that it will be as nervy as it can possibly get seeing that that’s one of the main trophies that either team can reasonably target without fear of ill conceived fantasy.
Same old
Tottenham fans have now lost out on the dream of watching their team lift the English Premier League for the first time since eons ago. Even that consolation prize of finishing above bitter and North London neighbours Arsenal is looking a like a mirage. One win in eight games does not lie and it is a damning indictment of the diminishing quality of a team that somehow still finds itself in fourth position.
Last season, a run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League epitomised Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp’s insistence on having a ‘real good go’ at anyone they encountered.
Europe became the priority but after exiting at the hands of Real Madrid, league form dipped to the point where even a Europa League finish was under threat. Spurs won just seven of their last 18 league games.
It is the same story in 2012. Since the draw with Wolves in January, Tottenham have won just three Premier League games. That was around the exact same time the media began touting Spurs for the title. They fell away and swiftly dropped off the pace for third. Now the unthinkable is looming.
If they do not make a good impression against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Sunday, I expect the team to implode so badly that it will surrender its fate to Newcastle and Chelsea, the other two teams ready to fight it out like African dog hunters for the coveted fourth spot.
The other top four candidate Chelsea is equally in a quagmire. It finds itself in an uncharitable situation. In the next nine days starting this Sunday, Chelsea play four matches that will make or break its season or shall I say manager Roberto Di Matteo’s young career at Stamford Bridge?
The massive countdown starts with a semi-final clash with Chelsea on Sunday, and then it has to prepare for the mother of all battles in the Semi-final stage against fancied Barcelona.
As if that is not bad enough, poor Chelsea make a short trip to bitter London rivals Arsenal in a crunch premiership tie, and even before it can take a breather after Arsenal match, they travel to Nou Camp where if they play the way they played against Fulham on Monday, can expected to be butchered by Barcelona and have their confidence and egos reduced to the size of a matchbox.
New lease
Newcastle United has surprised everyone including themselves. In January they were handed a 5-2 spanking by Fulham. Three weeks later they made another visit to London and Tottenham annihilated them 5-0. Had one talked of Champions League prospects at that stage, I would have personally advocated for a special kitty for that person to go to rehab. Tottenham must be wondering just how a team that they thought they had sent to outer space is now breathing down their necks and dreams of wrestling the fourth spot from Tottenham.
Newcastle seems to discover new lease of life at every turn. Before he left for the African Cup of Nations Demba Ba was their Messiah scoring freely at will. Since he came back from the African tourney, he has played nine matches and has just a solitary goal to show for it.
But other Messiahs have taken over. Hatem Ben Arfa and Papiss Cissé have reinvigorated Newcastle’s belief and the push for European football has now become a possibility from a lifetime achievement. Ben Arfa’s superb goal against Bolton Wanderers was indicative of a team with fire in the belly and a belief in their heads. Will this fairy tale have a happy ending?
