How Far Can Tottenham Get in the Champions League?

The 2019 Champions League was won by Liverpool, giving them their 6th title as consolation for coming second in a painfully close domestic season. Liverpool beat fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur in the final with a score of 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid in front of a crowd of over 63,000 people.

Respectable Performance

On their way to the final, Tottenham finished second in Group B, with 8 points, 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses. This qualified them for the knockout phase of the competition where they beat Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, Manchester City in the quarter-finals, and Ajax in the semi-finals. Finishing runners up is the highest Tottenham has ever gone in the Champions League.

2019-20 Season

So far Tottenham has put in another respectable performance in the Champions League, sitting second in the group stages with two matches to go. Despite this they have had a poor season overall, losing 9 of their first 13 games across all competitions.

In late November, replaced manager Mauricio Pochettino with former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, due to these poor results. Mourinho is one of just three football managers to have won the Champions League twice, with two different clubs, leading him to state “he has never lost a Champions League final”.

Eyes on the Prize

Since his appointment, Mourinho has stated he believes that Tottenham can target the Premier League next season. However, they are still in contention for the Champions League this year, and their performance has improved significantly in recent weeks.

Tottenham may also be helped by the fact that competition from European sides this season is mixed. For example, Real Madrid, the team that has won the Champions League more than any other side has had a mediocre start to the competition, and domestically is evenly matched with its local rival Atletico. Domestic rivals, Liverpool are focused on winning the Premier League. Meanwhile, Manchester City, although desperate for a Champions League win, are not yet standing out as clear favourites.

Overall, it is too early to say whether Tottenham can make it to the final again like last season. However, the change in performance from the beginning of the group stages until now is promising for the team, who will likely make it to the knockout phases. From here, it’s possible they could make it further, perhaps even all the way.