Champions League!! Wembley!! The elite of Europe!! A new dawn!!

No. Our own form of hell is a cold night somewhere east of the former Iron Curtain. Europa League is our true level, and that’s where we’re headed for the remainder of this year and next, I’m afraid.

A truly awful and uninspiring evening at a hollow and all-too-quiet Wembley presents Mauricio Pochettino with his first true crisis of confidence in the two and a half years of his tenure. An equally poor performance on Sunday will make obvious that this particular Spurs side—or at least the one missing arguably its three most valuable outfield players from a year ago—has no business in the upper echelon of the Premiership. In fact, if Mourinho can get his act together and Everton keep blossoming, maybe we won’t even make the Europa carousel.

We all saw it—shambolic play from Walker and Dier to allow what should have been Goals One and Two—and each were at least a bit culpable on the actual opener for Leverkusen. Son was his former self, not the brief shining dawn we though we witnessed last month, no spark, no strength, bullied off the ball time and time again. Eriksen does what Eriksen does—creates in our half with long balls but fails in theirs with short ones—and Poch saw enough and brought on Winks. Dembele’s not healthy, Alli is an island of effort and spirit among a sea of mediocrity. Sissoko alternated between horrific giveaways and inspired runs that led to… nothing.

They’re a mediocre football club just one month removed from the game we thought had established them as so much more. We go to the Emirates at the worst possible time, with Arsenal skying at the top of the League and on the wings of a three goal comeback victory at Ludogrets. Does anyone expect anything but another desultory loss?

Poch to Real Madrid? Man United? Off of what I have seen recently, Sunderland would be more appropriate. Did all the hard work, and intense practice hit the proverbial wall? Have they stopped listening? Do they think deep down they can’t beat Liverpool, or Arsenal, or Chelsea? That the City was a dream against Pep before he gets it right?

“C’mon lads. It’s Tottenham”. Fergie said it. We have to live with it.

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