DO not blame Andre Villas-Boas if Tottenham fail to book a Champions League slot this season.
The knives will undoubtedly be out for the manager should his Spurs side finish outside the top four.
But I think it would be wrong if he carried the can.
If the Lilywhites’ season does end in disaster, fingers should be pointed at the boardroom where chairman Daniel Levy’s failure to sign a much-needed striker in January looks as though it could prove costly.
Not just to the club’s chances of mixing it with Europe’s elite but their hopes of keeping their best player, Gareth Bale, content and out of the clutches of the Continent’s big guns.
Whether Spurs can keep their world-class Welshman is the subject of much debate.
What is certain, though, is that they will find it more difficult to hold on to Bale if they are not in the Champions League next season.
That did not appear to be a problem a month or two ago as AVB’s men looked nailed-on for a top-four berth. But a poor run of results, coinciding with injuries to Bale and fellow key men Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon, means they could be SIXTH by the time they take on Manchester City at White Hart Lane tomorrow.
Just like last season they have been overtaken on the run-in by rivals Arsenal, who could be five points clear of them come tonight.
Tottenham’s main problem this season has been a lack of goals. They have scored the fewest goals at home of any of the top seven sides.
That is hardly surprising given they have gone through the season with Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor as their only recognised strikers.
Leading scorer Bale has hit 17 in the league, Defoe 10 and Adebayor just three.
The writing was on the wall before Christmas that Tottenham, despite their impressive form, might need a new striker in January. He never arrived. None of us know why.
Last season, Tottenham — under Harry Redknapp — finished fourth and missed the Champions League because Chelsea went on to be crowned Kings of Europe and took their place. That was bad luck.
This season, if Tottenham miss out, it will be because of a lack of firepower.
That is bad planning.
The top four is precious. It rarely comes cheap.
We know Levy does not like forking out on players who depreciate in value.
But, in this case, he should have made an exception.
Would we be talking about Tottenham’s lack of firepower had they splashed the cash to bring in the likes of Radamel Falcao or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar?
Or even a Loic Remy or Daniel Sturridge?
Tottenham have improved this season under AVB in so many ways.
In goal, they have Hugo Lloris, one of the world’s best,while Jan Vertonghen has been a revelation in a defence that is very strong.
Mousa Dembele has slotted in seamlessly in midfield and then, of course, you have Bale, a player who just keeps getting better and better.
The only position they are weak is in attack where it was always going to be risky to rely on Defoe and Adebayor for the whole campaign.
It could be the lack of an extra striker that ends up costing AVB and Spurs.
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