Tottenham’s wait for a major trophy stretches on for a 14th year in 2022 as the Premier League side suffered a humbling 1-0 FA Cup away defeat at Championship high flyers Middlesbrough.
Chris Wilder’s side made headlines in the Fourth Round, with a penalty shootout win away at Manchester United, and they battled through a marathon 120 minutes against Spurs.
Teenage star Joshua Coburn proved the difference maker in added time, on a night of few chances at the Riverside Stadium, as Antonio Conte’s visitors struggled to raise their game on the night.
Another cup frustration raises more questions about Conte’s future in North London as their 2008 League Cup win seems like an eternity ago for Spurs fans.
MORE: When did Spurs last win a trophy
Spurs eliminated from FA Cup: Why it happened
Tottenham’s failure to register a shot on target until the hour mark tells the story of their struggles, with the best chances of the 90 minutes falling to Eric Dier.
Conte opted for a strong starting XI, with an attacking trio of Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski, but they simply failed to have an impact on a well-drilled Boro back three.
The Italian appeared to be unsure of how to break the hosts’ resistance, but his decision to switch from a three-man defense before stoppage time backfired, as throwing on as many forward players as possible failed to overpower Wilder’s battlers.
Conte cannot be accused of selecting a weak team for the trip to the North East, but his lack of ideas late on — when a measured approach was needed — means it is one step forward and two steps back again for Tottenham.
Will Tottenham finish top four?
This defeat spells the end of Tottenham’s chances to win a trophy this season, with a League Cup semifinal exit and a disastrous Europa Conference League group collapse, already on Conte’s record.
Spurs’ focus is now on securing the highest possible Premier League finish with a European qualification push still on the cards for Conte.
Tottenham are currently seventh in the Premier League with 13 games to go, but they have crucial matches in hand over their rivals.
Fifth or sixth place would still secure a European place, and even seventh place could be enough for a Europa Conference League playoff spot depending on which team wins the FA Cup. But that would fall significantly short of Spurs’ preseason objectives.
The average points needed for a Champions League berth is 71.5, which would require Spurs to win around 10 or 11 of their remaining 13 games.
MORE: Updated Premier League table & title races
Days since Tottenham won a trophy
Conte was drafted into Spurs in Nov. 2021, with the ‘serial winner’ tag weighing heavy on his shoulders after winning the Serie A title with Inter Milan less than 12 months ago.
The FA Cup exit means Spurs’ last trophy win remains Juande Ramos’s 2008 League Cup (Carabao Cup), with defeats in the 2009, 2015 and 2021 League Cup finals and the 2019 Champions League final.
It has been 5️⃣1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ Days since Tottenham won a trophy! ❌?#TottenhamHotspur #Tottenham #Spurs #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/F6I6WbwVb0
— Sportskeeda Football (@skworldfootball) March 1, 2022
Discussion about this post