Andros Townsend, the Tottenham Hotspur winger, recently stated that their eliminations from all cups have left them in a prime position to snatch the fourth Champions League spot.

So as they reach six years without a trophy, would they now take Champions League football over a trophy? And if that's the case, are Tottenham happy to become the new Arsenal?

Throughout the 1990s and the early part of this century, Spurs had quite rightly garnered the reputation as ‘cup specialists’, perennial underachievers over the course of a league season but dangerous in the knockout competitions.

Arsenal, their fiercest rivals, became the butt of jokes through their nine-year trophy drought. Wenger in particular was a constant source of ridicule from rival fans and frustration to his own, at his insistence, that finishing fourth was like ‘winning a trophy’.

In this respect he has consistently achieved, since 97-98 he has guided his troops to the elite European competition every year. In the same time Tottenham have achieved this feat on one solitary occasion.

As the domestic cup competitions continue to lose their value in the modern game, teams are now focusing even more on their league position, sacrificing the potential to add to their trophy cabinets.

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So as Tottenham now face the closing months of the season with no chance, bar a modern day miracle, of winning a competition; is this a sign of things to come?

This article is not implying that Spurs do not value the cups; their recent run in the Capital One Cup highlights how much they do, but more how their current trophy drought is beginning to mirror one they mocked so freely.

Wenger has established a culture of consistency in his reign at The Gunners, consistently doing just enough. With only one trophy in near enough a decade at The Emirates, his league finishes have arguably kept him in his job.  Fans of Arsenal are, in the main, happy to accept this fictional trophy - are Spurs prepared for the same?

As Pochettino begins to stamp his authority on Tottenham, he can only dream of the kind of longevity and consistency enjoyed by his north London neighbours. Are Tottenham fans, now both clubs’ ambitions are similar, looking over the fence enviously?

Spurs’ defeat to Chelsea was difficult to take for many reasons. Seeing another one of their rivals lift the trophy instead of them would have hurt, a rival who win things regularly. All of the teams around them have picked up trophies in recent years but the Spurs drought goes on.

In an era where money dominates all, the Premier League holds all the cards. The simple fact is that a higher position is more beneficial than the glory of lifting silverware, so to continue to be a force for years to come, Tottenham may have to sacrifice their ‘cup culture’ and as much as it may pain their fans to admit, Arsenal are the team they should aspire to be.

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