Why Spurs' New Stadium Can Give Them the Kick They Need to End the Season on a High

It was truly symbolic that Tottenham's most dominant player, Harry Kane, was the one that scored their final goal at their last home fixture at White Hart Lane in a 2-1 victory against Manchester United in May 2017. 

It was a fitting farewell from one of the most talented heroes the club's academy produced in the last 30 years, and an opportunity for the club to seal another chapter at the stadium that has served them well for 118 years.

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Mixed feelings were among the Spurs fans at the stands that Sunday afternoon, a combination of tears and joy; the older generation suggested that the decision to expand the stadium would benefit the profit the club ideally would like to achieve, however voiced their opinion that their 'old school' proper ground would potentially lose that magical feeling that made 'The Lane' such a remarkable ground in the capital. 

The younger end of the fans acknowledged that a new stadium will be paramount for the club's future goals, allowing their team a genuine upgrade and a chance to establish themselves beyond the domestic English view, as they take a step forward towards the ranks of the European giants.

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Throughout the 2017/18 season, Wembley Stadium was used for Tottenham's home fixtures, a relatively sensible decision due to the its location in north-west London. Wembley is a magnificent ground, one of the most iconic and impressive stadiums in the world, and despite its over-sized capacity for any London club, the Spurs supporters have agreed it's a good solution as a temporary venue. 

When Spurs announced September 2018 as the likely date to open their new stadium in a massive clash against Liverpool, the vast majority of the their annual ticket holders couldn't be more pessimistic. It was a well known fact that the £1b ground was miles away from being completed and the PR department at Spurs had to deal with both unhappy supporters and vocal Premier League clubs who weren't pleased with the ongoing delays. 

During the season Tottenham experienced a full Wembley Stadium capacity only a few times, highlighting the huge barrier that got wider and wider between the club and the fans. Spurs supporters' reputation throughout the years demonstrated a true and unique commitment to their team even through the tough times, while the team didn't really have the ability or the ambition to progress to the top quality of English football, let alone dream of success in Europe's finest competition. 

Alongside the stadium catastrophe, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino had to make do with another PR nightmare as for the first time in Premier League history the club made no signings at all for the 2018/19 season. 

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However Pochettino could count on his terrific squad, with a long list of Spurs players experiencing a brilliant World Cup last summer and progressing to the latter stages of the tournament with their national teams. 

Pochettino's achievement of leading the club to within reach of the title race and qualifying to the quarter finals of the Champions League this season has been made all the more impressive when you take into account he's had no new players come in this season, his long list of injured stars and the stadium uncertainty.

After spending nearly two years playing football 'home away from home', Pochettino's team will be back to a buzzing 62,062-capacity loud and upgraded White Hart Lane as they will welcome their rivals from the southern side of the River Thames, Crystal Palace, for a feisty London Derby. 

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Spurs' momentum has been consistent throughout most of the season and Pochettino was able to maximise the massive offensive potential his squad had to offer even when key players like Kane and Dele Alli suffered from injuries. It takes a world class managerial character to overcome the giant barriers Tottenham dealt with whilst producing decent results both in the league and in Europe. 

Some other big clubs would, in theory, fail at the present and focus on establishing themselves for the future, allowing issues off the pitch to affect their ability directly. That wasn't the case with the 2018/19 Spurs version, demonstrating mainly resilience against their rivals. 

Recent results have undermined Tottenham's top-four ambitions with Arsenal leap-frogging them into third on Monday night and Manchester United breathing heavily at their back. For the club and their supporters there couldn't be better a better time to return home and fulfil the true value White Hart Lane has provided the team throughout the years. 

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Returning back to their home ground in the most competitive time of the year will allow everyone involved in the north London club a real opportunity for the future, with their new home the missing piece of the puzzle Spurs needed to complete. 

Current Premier League champions Manchester City will be the first opponents Tottenham will host in an official European competition on April 9th in the quarter final stage of the Champions League. With a full and healthy squad alongside the support of their loyal and vibrant fans, Spurs finally have got the faith that there is a real positive opportunity after a long and challenging season, on and off the pitch in north London.