City Kept Waiting

So with one weekend of matches left the only thing still remaining for decision is the title itself. Relegation has been decided and Wednesday night sorted out fourth place.

Spurs finally edged Manchester City out at Eastlands in a deserved one nil victory, Crouch scoring in the closing stages. The result was no more than Spurs deserved after a brave attacking performance.

Surely though, with the money at their disposal, this can be no more than a bump on the road in City's quest to qualify for the Champions League. Last summers spending spree will only be built upon this year. There was already a marked improvement in their development and any new signings will surely serve to strengthen their position. After coming so close this year, another glut of signings will likely give them the boost required to get them over the finishing line next year. And you have to feel once they get in, there will be no looking back for them, as a combination of the calibre of player they will be able to purchase allied to their incredible resources may well cement their position for the foreseeable future.

For Spurs, well they now have to ensure they don't end up with egg on their faces. One can hardly criticise them for their celebrations at the final whistle on Wednesday. After all, not only did the result ensure that they secured fourth place ahead of a Big Four team (Liverpool) it also meant they edged out a team that at the start of the season most would have pinned as the favourites to gate crash the usual Big Four cartel (City). They must now make sure they actually make the group stages of the Champions League. Obviously a lot of this is simply down to luck in terms of the quality of opponent they are drawn to face. One hopes they don't encounter a similar scenario to that of Everton a number of years ago.

There is no fear that they won't spend big in an attempt to increase the quality of player already at the club. They have spent big in recent years anyway and surely the purse strings won't be tightened now. Further, their position should ensure that they retain the services of their best players, with Manchester United rumoured to have been sniffing around the likes of Luka Modric. (There is an argument that qualification for the Champions League doesn't necessarily lead to positive club development. When one looks at French, Italian, German, and to an extent even Spanish clubs that have qualified throughout the years, there seems to be an element of inconsistency in that the teams qualifying often vary hugely, suggesting that they have not been able to fully capitalise on their Champions League qualification. The caveat in that argument however may well be that these clubs had limited budgets in place anyway, and simply did not have the sums of money required to establish themselves. Clubs from these countries often do not have the same income levels as their Premier League counterparts as a result of television revenue and television deals, ticket sales, etc.)

One thing is for sure - if Spurs do not improve the quality of player this year, then the likelihood is that this will be a one off flash in the pan for them, with City rebounding for another, stronger surge next year.