Tottenham are in the race for Champions League football, but a recent UEFA report suggests it could be a challenge for the Lilywhites.
Tottenham‘s first campaign under new boss Ange Postecoglou has come with few expectations on where they will end up. Having lost key players and transforming into a fresh style of play, Spurs were an unknown quantity this season.
However, as the year has progressed, it is clear that the north London club have lofty ambitions for the future. Tottenham find themselves in the race for Champions League qualification and will be hopeful of achieving a quick return to Europe’s top competition.
With next season’s expanded and reworked Champions League, there is a chance that the Premier League could be handed a fifth spot instead of the usual four. That comes as a piece of extra hope and security to Postecoglou’s side, but with a slight catch.
Champions League fifth-place qualification
The fifth Champions League qualification place is available to two of Italy, Germany, England and Spain at this stage, with other nations further behind the main four. The way UEFA decides this is through coefficient ranking, based on the performances of clubs within those countries in European competitions.
According to a recent UEFA report, Germany and Italy are the current nations set to receive a fifth-place qualification place. The Serie A has 14.714 coefficient points, while the Bundesliga has 13.928 – with England just behind on 13.875.
This currently comes as bad news for Tottenham in their hopes of qualification, with more places offering them a greater chance at landing Champions League football and the riches associated with it. There is still time for that to change though.
With performance the key contributor to the rankings, it means that other Premier League clubs could help their rivals by doing well in Europe. Arsenal and Manchester City currently remain in the Champions League, while Brighton and West Ham are in the Europa League and Aston Villa compete in the Conference League.
Germany, in comparison, have Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund remaining in the Champions League, SC Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Conference League.
Tottenham’s Champions League hopes
As it stands, Tottenham’s Champions League hopes will likely hinge on the assumption that it will be a top-four rather than a top-five finish that will earn them qualification. If that is the case, there is a huge race to the finish with their rivals.
Aston Villa currently occupy fourth, two points clear of Tottenham in fifth, with Manchester United in sixth only two points behind Spurs themselves.
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