Tottenham hold on to small Europe League chances

If a team is to progress in European competition it usually has to win its home leg, but Tottenham were dominated throughout last week against Benfica. Spurs are now looking to overturn their 3-1 first leg deficit in Portugal. Benfica are one of the favourites to win the entire competition, and Spurs will have to be at their fluent best if they're to win, let alone progress.

Tim Sherwood had a good start to his spell as manager of Tottenham, but recently his team has seemed an almighty mess. They're struggling to concede, they're struggling to score and they most certainly failed in their attempt to replace Gareth Bale, who they sold to Real Madrid last summer. Spurs have been heavily reliant on the inconsistent Emmanuel Adebayor, who although capable, is not the kind of player a successful team should depend on.

It looks like Tottenham have a huge rebuilding job to begin this summer, with many top European managers being linked with the job of fixing Spurs and their problems. Will Tottenham pay the price for letting super-substitute Jermain Defoe depart for the MLS.

If Tottenham were to find a way to progress then it would certainly provide them with a spark to bring their season back to life. Spurs would also be a top contender to win the UEFA Europa League. They have it all to do, but as seen time and time again, anything can happen in European soccer.