Trouble for Premier League Tottenham

It's gone from bad to worse for Tottenham Hotspurs lately. They were aiming to qualify for the Champions League and win the Europe League at the same time, but that plan appears to be falling apart. After being dominated by rivals Chelsea they welcomed Benfica for their last-16 tie at White Hart Lane, but yet again they failed to reach the heights their opponents reached as they fell to a 3-1 first-leg deficit.

Tottenham will need to overturn a two-goal margin in Portugal, or their European run will come to a stop. Benfica have one of the greatest histories in soccer, but it seems they're desperate to add to that this year, with Europa League glory. Spurs will be disappointed as they started in full control, but the tough defense, who's conceded only one goal in 16 matches, proved too much for them to handle.

Benfica are one of the clear favourites to lift the trophy, so it should not come as too much of a shock to Tottenham, but Tim Sherwood appears to of lost control of his team, despite his excellent start as their coach. It seems clear that they will part ways by the summer, with Tottenham looking for a proven, elite manager to lead them to the next stage, so they can chase the glory their franchise seeks.

It may take a while to repair the damage done by Gareth Bale's departure, and their erratic spending that followed after. Several of their new players have failed to perform, let alone live up to their expensive price tags. Tottenham have a lot of work to do, starting with a tough tie in Benfica. Can they progress?