5 reasons why Tottenham Hotspur are not a big team yet
It takes something special to hold on to your roots, particularly at this point of time when football has entered the so-called "modern" era, bringing along with it drastic changes- most notably in the transfer market.
Player prices have inflated over the past couple of years and the curious thing is that clubs have not refrained from paying exorbitant amounts to acquire fresh talent.
Tottenham Hotspur is a prime example of a club that has resisted getting dragged into this whirlpool of big-money signings to a great extent. They have also promoted many players from their own academy who currently play for their first-team.
While it is something that needs to be given immense credit for, it is also inadvertently affecting them in their quest to become one of the top European clubs.
While Spurs have enough quality within their squad to achieve great things, here are 5 reasons why they are some distance away from being categorised as a "big club".
#5 Disappointment in Europe
You look at clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and even a couple of English clubs, these are teams that are earmarked as favourites to win the Champions League year after year.
It is Europe's biggest club trophy and you need to be in serious contention for it every year. Spurs have been a disappointment in Europe, to say the least.
Their last triumph in Europe was in 1984 when they beat Anderlecht in penalties to win the UEFA Cup. It has been a downward spiral since, and since the turn of the century, Spurs have reached only as far as the Quarter-Finals in Europe and that too, only thrice.
Despite beating Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the group stages of the Champions League this term, they were beaten by Juventus, regardless of having an advantage after the first leg, in the first knockout round.
Spurs really need to step up their game in Europe and progress to the latter stages in the coming years to give them a facelift.