When your car tire picks up a small, slow leak, it's not a dire situation. You can continue to drive on it for a while, perhaps with the help of a make-shift plug. But you're not going anywhere fast, or in style. There's the dreaded sense of the inevitable, knowing that sooner or later your joy ride is going to come to a forgettable end.
Tottenham Hotspur is that tire. It started the 2010-11 season pumped up, playing Champions League football and remaining competitive among the Premier League's elite clubs. But the new year hasn't treated Harry Redknapp's team too kindly, and coming into Tuesday's game against Manchester City, Spurs had just one win in their past nine Premier League games (one win in 12 in all competitions).
So, simply put, the clash at Eastlands was a must-win for Tottenham -- not just to keep its faint hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League alive, but also to help keep a resurgent Liverpool at bay so the Reds don't claim a spot in the Europa League at Tottenham's expense.
Unfortunately for Redknapp, Tottenham's campaign finally ran out of air as it lost 1-0 to City. It was a cruel twist of fate. In the corresponding fixture last season, it was Peter Crouch's goal that sealed Spurs' qualification for the Champions League. On Tuesday, it was Crouch's own goal in the 30th minute that guaranteed Tottenham won't be returning to the elite competition.
In fairness, there was little Crouch could do. Adam Johnson took a short corner to James Milner. No one shut him down, and with time on the ball Milner blasted a cross hard and low across the face of the goal. All Crouch could do was react, knocking the ball into the back of the net.
It was a goal Tottenham could ill afford to give up against a team that has the league's stingiest defense at home, conceding just 12 times in 17 games. Yet Redknapp's players were unable to recover. They played energetic football, it should be noted, completing a high percentage of passes (at one point in the first half, close to 88 percent) and charging forward. Still, scoring goals continues to be a major problem. In the league this season among the team's strikers, Crouch and Jermain Defoe have four each, and Roman Pavlyuchenko has a paltry eight. So it was no surprise that Spurs laid a goose egg, and forced City keeper Joe Hart into only one tough save, though it was memorable, with England's No. 1 leaning toward his right before diving to his left to stop a Steven Pienaar header with his left hand in the 47th minute.
Tottenham supporters will be pleased that Redknapp started Aaron Lennon on the right and Rafael van der Vaart in the hole, unlike this past Saturday when the manager had Lennon on the bench in the first half and put Van der Vaart out wide in the midfield, a position that doesn't bring out the Dutchman's best. And if not for the injured Gareth Bale (who was chopped down by Charlie Adam on Saturday) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Redknapp would have had more options on the pitch.
The win is, of course, massive for Manchester City. Getting to the FA Cup final, which it'll contest with Stoke next weekend, is nice -- kind of like the way it's nice to get a bonus at work. But if you ask City fans what they'd rather have, a cup in the team's trophy cabinet or a spot in the Champions League, most of them, I reckon, would gladly hand the Potters the trophy, spit-shined and all.
In the rebuilding project that is Manchester City, gaining entry into Europe's premier competition is the final piece of the puzzle. There's been an influx of cash and players. Now City can attract the creme de la creme not only with super-sized contracts but also the prestige of being among the best in Europe.
Manchester City has now secured a top-four finish in the English top-flight for the first time since 1977-78. The team's haters -- and there are plenty of them -- will cynically scoff that City "bought" fourth place, as though other so-called big four teams have never attempted to outspend their rivals. Well, any so-called big four not named Arsenal, anyway.
City's finish has been well earned. Manager Roberto Mancini saw out Tuesday's game in much the way he's done all season -- grind out a close, one-goal lead. That's been a source of criticism against Mancini, as many have wondered why he goes about his job in such a negative way sometimes when he has so much firepower at his disposal. At times, you get the sense that City is trying to win the title of Most Boring Football Club in EPL. But when he brought on Patrick Vieira for the less disciplined Johnson in the 67th minute, you could hardly blame him. Mancini was locking down the midfield to try to see out the narrow lead on such an historic day.
Predictably, nervous tension gripped the City of Manchester Stadium in the last 20 minutes. At one point, the crowd was pogoing with their backs to the field, giddy at the thought of seeing top-flight European football next season, then it was anxiously imploring referee Mike Dean to blow his whistle in the five minutes of stoppage time.
Relief finally came, of course, after a tremendous defensive performance by City, and especially Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott. David Silva did his usual bit, too, like a blue-clad genie popping up wherever City needed him most.
Tottenham, on the other hand, was left only with regret. Last weekend, City gifted Spurs three points when Mancini's men lost to Everton, but Spurs ended up blowing that chance when keeeper Gomes had 60 seconds of madness, stopping a penalty and then gifting one seconds later. The team's poor run of form has also come at a time during which Redknapp has bemoaned the difficulties of playing in the Europa League. The problem, according to old 'Arry, is the Thursday match days, which bump closer to Premier League action than the Champions League's Tuesday/Wednesday schedule.
Thing is, Spurs are now two points behind Liverpool for that Europa League spot, and the teams face off Sunday. If they lose that match, well, Redknapp won't have to worry about balancing a European campaign with a domestic campaign.