It would be silly to completely rule Spurs out of earning a top four spot in the Premier League this season - but the fact is that they're going to find it very tough to do so. If that happens - and if they don't win the Europa League - they won't qualify for the Champions League for the fifth successive season. In the cases of some of the players (most, in fact) at the club, they've never experienced Champions League football with Spurs. Some of those players - Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen, for example - undoubtedly deserve to be playing at the highest level and this season could be make or break when it comes to whether or not they remain at Spurs for the foreseeable future, as they will probably seek Champions League football elsewhere if Spurs don't qualify for the elite European club competition.
