A couple of weeks ago, Tottenham Hotspur’s season looked lost.
Decimated by piling injury woes, Spurs couldn’t catch a break this term, perhaps best illustrated by under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou’s recent statement.
He claimed that every time it looked like there was some ‘light at the end of the tunnel,’ it turned out to be from ‘an oncoming train.’
But this metaphor wasn’t far from the truth, with injuries to elite first-team stars dominating Tottenham news since the beginning of Postecoglou’s second season at the helm.
Brutal period
Spurs have endured a relentless injury crisis over the past month.
Just as one player recovered, another seemed to go down, trapping them in a frustrating cycle.
Losing Radu Dragusin to a season-ending knee injury against Elfsborg in the Europa League on the same day they welcomed Micky van de Ven back from a hamstring problem epitomised the situation.
However, things are starting to improve.
Historic Sunday
Spurs returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 home triumph against fellow bottom-half underachievers Manchester United on Sunday.
Fan favourite James Maddison scored on his return from a four-week stint on the sidelines with a calf strain to inspire his team to their first home league win since early November.
Maddison’s tap-in halted Tottenham’s dreadful seven-game winless Premier League run on home turf and proved a goal worthy of the history books.
Indeed, Spurs completed their first league double over the Red Devils in the Premier League era, last achieving this feat in 1989/90.
Furthermore, they became the first team to win three consecutive games against Man Utd in a single season since Chelsea in 2012/13.
Long-awaited recoveries
Brennan Johnson came off the bench after a month-long spell on the treatment table with a calf injury, while Destiny Udogie made the matchday squad for the first time since December.
Wilson Odobert, ruled out since October with a hamstring issue that required surgery, made a late cameo appearance, replacing Son Hueng-min.
However, Guglielmo Vicario’s return from a long-term ankle injury was arguably the most significant fitness boost Postecoglou had received in a long time.
The Italian goalkeeper was back between the sticks for the first time since November after missing 21 games across all competitions with a fractured ankle.
And he was outstanding, pulling off six saves to deny Man Utd before urging his teammates to ‘keep this momentum’ via the club’s official website.
New dawn?
A historic success against United, although flattering, doesn’t ease fan concerns over a false dawn.
Consistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s high ambitions this season.
For perspective, Sunday’s win marked Spurs’ first set of back-to-back Premier League victories since September.
On top of that, after beating Brentford 2-0 on their last league travel, they had kept successive clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since October 2023.
However, former Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown still harbours doubts over Postecoglou’s capacity to turn his team’s fortunes around.
“Spurs doing the double over Manchester United would be great news, but you can only play what’s in front of you,” he told BBC Sport.
“I’m still cautious. Ange has come out fighting.
“The squad is a lot healthier, they’ve had a few days off, a bit of rest. But, United are so poor that we can only say it’s a good result and don’t get carried away.”
Reality
Postecoglou hopes his rough spell is beginning to ease.
However, his charges are miles away from achieving their pre-season goal of qualifying for next year’s Champions League.
With 13 games left, fourth-placed Manchester City boast an unassailable 14-point lead, leaving Tottenham with a mountain to climb for what’s left of the season.
Lifting the Europa League title would offer Spurs an alternate route into Europe’s top table.
As Vicario admitted, it’s up to him and his teammates to remain focused and try salvage this unenviable season.