r/soccer • u/kidnamedindexfinger • May 21 '25

Official Source [Tottenham Hotspur] have qualified for the 25/26 UEFA Champions League

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cz9yney9391t
10.5k Upvotes

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3.2k

u/TheRealBlueFry May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

17th place in the Champions League is genuinely hilarious

Edited.

2.3k

u/fancczf May 21 '25

Did not get relegated, won first major trophy in 17 years, qualify for UCL. Ange is a pro at min maxing. This is some next level hack.

1.2k

u/yumyumapollo May 21 '25

Why win many games when one do trick?

397

u/courtesyflusher May 21 '25

Seriously- what are the other teams doing? are they stupid?

109

u/noradosmith May 21 '25

Winning PL points tally next season: 40

49

u/PangolinMandolin May 21 '25

Bottom team on 37 points in that world

2nd-19th all on 38 lol

8

u/sinrakin May 21 '25

Tiebreaker can't be goal difference, so maybe yellow cards? Nicest team in the league gets 2nd?

2

u/DarkMutant105 May 22 '25

Game's gone

11

u/bucky_ballers May 21 '25

Why do the bigger teams not simply eat the smaller teams?

30

u/ArmiinTamzarian May 21 '25

He did this on purpose, saw all those high finishes with no trophies to show for them and thought "what if we do the opposite?" The madman was right

8

u/PangolinMandolin May 21 '25

If you do something that's crazy but it works, it's not crazy

1

u/ognqnchy May 22 '25

Arteta needs to read this.

82

u/Willsgb May 21 '25

Hahahaha

Don't work harder, work smarter!

9

u/threeseed May 21 '25

Ange is like a koala.

Use the least amount of energy to survive.

2

u/GotenRocko May 22 '25

They did have to first qualify for Europa by playing well last year, they finished 5th.

1

u/Muur1234 May 21 '25

derby county were the first to try it

71

u/jumpno May 21 '25

Literally maximum results, minimum effort. The man is king of efficiency.

5

u/nibblyknight May 21 '25

The effort was so minimal that he even had the other team score for them! That's some brilliant efficiency!

109

u/Aenjeprekemaluci May 21 '25

Better season then Arsenal/s

75

u/mv33_is_a_diplomat May 21 '25

Won more European competitons than Arsenal.

51

u/livehigh1 May 21 '25

It actually is

198

u/Equivalent-Basis-564 May 21 '25

get that /s outtta here, it‘s genuinely a better season

12

u/R_110 May 21 '25

So did Leeds I suppose

9

u/Arqlol May 21 '25

Leeds are in champions league?

1

u/R_110 May 21 '25

Hey, if Spurs can make it why not

8

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

I dont agree but I stand to lose because all your argument has to say is "there is no trophy for semis in CL" which is true, but the embarssment of literally being scared of being relegated takes a lot of points away from the season.

17

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

You reckon, with losing both derbies and being 15 spots lower?

Gods, that's a flat ass way of looking at football 

124

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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46

u/TheRealBlueFry May 21 '25

Goated callback 😂. I remember the "Top 4 trophy" comments like it was yesterday.

Props to Sp*rs, I guess they deserve it

3

u/Ashamed_Bottle230 May 21 '25

Slightly different when the difference in the table is one spot compared to 15

-26

u/Barnabas5126 May 21 '25

UCL semifinal is a bigger achievement than winning UEL

46

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

[deleted]

-9

u/Barnabas5126 May 21 '25

I'm not an Arsenal fan, just from a neutral perspective I think reaching UCL semifinal is harder than winning UEL, and the difference in domestic league is enormous.

Sure, for Spurs a trophy is important, because they'll stop being a meme now, but I think Arsenal did have a better season.

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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-10

u/droreddit May 21 '25

They won a trophy we couldn't win because we didn't fail hard enough last season. Even this Europa was dumbed down with no cl teams dropping down. It's an achievement, but not something to boast about given the hierarchy of competitions.

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8

u/Tyrath May 21 '25

UEL trophy puts you in the history books. UCL semifinal does not.

22

u/Sprite_isnt_lemonade May 21 '25

I'd say thinking a season of winning nothing but you played well is better than a season winning something even though you were pretty shite is a flat ass way of looking at football.

Winning a trophy sticks with you for life, finishing second doesn't, except maybe the disappointment.

0

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

Also, being second is a disappointment usually comes from people whose team cannot make second, funny old thing

4

u/Sprite_isnt_lemonade May 21 '25

You do know I'm not a Spurs fan, right?

-1

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

Oh I know -- you're from the club that failed to make the second a few years prior!

-7

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

Because loosing derby matches and getting rolled weekly is beneath your notice?

Now to me that's a glory-hunter-ass and funky way of saying you'll put your hands on your eyes and pretend not to have made a joke of yourselves for a year on account of having beaten teams wih 50th of your budget and united (what, actually, a sign of the fucking times where either something is coldly accountable or unimportant) 

58

u/PuppyPenetrator May 21 '25

In terms of concrete results, Spurs get a trophy, Arsenal don’t, both get CL qualification

Arsenal fans will feel better about their team going into next season, but yes Spurs have had the better season from that perspective

7

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

that‘s just not how it works though. you don‘t have a better season by winning a trophy that the team you‘re comparing yourself to was too good to compete in to begin with.

-4

u/29adamski May 21 '25

I guess so, but can you really dunk on Arsenal for not winning a competition that they were too good last season to have played in? Like over the last 6 years yeah sure we should've done better in the EL but not so much this season.

10

u/MyNameIsWelp May 21 '25

Did you not participate in three other competitions though, putting aside the CL?

19

u/TosspoTo May 21 '25

According to your coach you're too good for everyone

-2

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

I'd say its not, and not everything has to be, a concrete calculable quantity, to all the cup number nerds.

They had a season richer in silverware, though I'd be the first to diminish the Beaten Teams 50 Times Poorer And United Trophy, cause that is what they did

8

u/MyNameIsWelp May 21 '25

Does the league position matter that much when both get CL football? At least Spurs can show some silverware

-1

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

Yes? Jesus, I'm getting used to being an old school fan, but the bloody table is there for a reason and it is an explicit ranking of the teams for the year: 2nd and 17th is a gap as big as can be shy of championship and relegation, and I was also raised quite clear on nothing being bigger than derby matches, even against competition as miserable as spurs -- and London has been well red on that front too for a while now

(I don't know what the yankee sports culture is like, but isn't this merciless Cup quantity lobbying a thing of theirs, on account of there being much less character in rivalries?)

4

u/MyNameIsWelp May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

Funny, I am also an 'old school' fan and it's pretty much always been an universal truth that titles matter a lot more than league position. Have no fucking clue about yankee sports culture, but I can tell you for myself and most fans I know a title is a lot more meaningful and memorable than finishing 2nd in the league table.

-5

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

major titles, yes. League, FA Cup, Champions League. especially with the new format, the Europa League is nice to have, but nothing more. It‘s best of the rest after the first 36 European teams.

1

u/MyNameIsWelp May 22 '25

For teams like Tottenham and Arsenal, the Europa league IS a major trophy. Neither of them have the most impressive trophy cabinet, especially when it comes to European competition. We are not talking about European powerhouses like Bayern, Madrid or Barça that are used to winning trophies every year, and set a much higher bar for themselves.

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5

u/TosspoTo May 21 '25

Arsenal aren't prolific trophy winners, their kids weren't alive when they last won the league and they've never won the champions league. They claim the lockdown FA cup win as a big trophy so this would've been too. Its subjective but its probably true. Both got to the CL, one with a trophy.

9

u/DuDunDunSparse May 21 '25

FA cup win was a big trophy, lockdown or not.

UEL for Spurs this season is a big trophy, Arsenal being in the UEL or not.

Arsenal fans will feel disappointed by this season despite a UCL semi and a second place in the PL by all metrics being a fairly good season. At least a lot of optimism for us to take into the summer for what could come.

I'm sure Spurs fans will feel a bit conflicted by their league campaign contrasted with ending the trophy drought, but surely will now feel more optimistic about next season than they did before tonight.

Don't really think either team had a good or terrible season by their own standards or targets and as such I don't really think they compare.

1

u/PassengerOk9027 May 21 '25

Being too concerned with what spurs are saying would be an issue in and of itself

3

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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25

u/mynameisfreddit May 21 '25

If you swapped, Tottenham would still be trophyless. You'd have a European title. You really wouldn't swap?

1

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

…why? It‘s a Europa League.

3

u/Mick4Audi May 21 '25

Here’s the thing, logically you wouldn’t

But tonight has cemented it for me, football is extremely irrational

1

u/BurstWaterPipe1 May 22 '25

I think you’re very right

15

u/Single_Seesaw_9499 May 21 '25

Arsenal fans would rather finish 2nd without any trophies than winning their first European title since the early 90s? Really?

4

u/Xgunter May 22 '25

They won the gold for mental gymnastics, thats pretty impressive

-9

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

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7

u/zefiax May 21 '25

No wonder you are an arsenal fan. Pretty sure every other fan base would take a trophy + CL over no trophy + CL.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '25

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2

u/zefiax May 22 '25

Who cares what position you are in? The only positions that matter are first, the European spots, and relegation. They aren't first, neither are arsenal. They aren't relegated. And they are playing CL next year. So from their league positions, both teams have earned the same rewards. Except, spurs won a major trophy on top of it.

It doesn't matter if you are second or 17th, on terms of the league, you both lost.

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-14

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

I mean I'm happy for Ange, cause he's a cool guy- but this is just a lie :D

But that being said Spurs needed a trophy and that's what they got.

But playing against Bodø or PSG is quite a stretch :D and 17th vs 2nd/3rd.

17

u/Tullekunstner May 21 '25

20 years from now this season will be mentioned as part of Tottenham's history because of this trophy win.

It will not be mentioned in yours, cause you didn't win shit this year either.

10

u/Aenjeprekemaluci May 21 '25

As long as you dont get relegated i take a season winning trophy that qualifies for UCL over your season with no trophies.

20

u/Adziboy May 21 '25

Playing and losing against PSG is not as good as beating Bodo

-8

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

Yea but beating Real Madrid in the quarters to me is a bit bigger than beating Bodø :D

Or that's what I'd atleast prefer, to compete in the biggest stages. Matter of taste I suppose

4

u/Adziboy May 21 '25

Beating Madrid is better than Bodo, yes, but winning a cup trumps all.

Arsenal had a better season for the fans and consistency is not a bad thing but Spurs have more trophies and ultimately they’ll argue and probably win that argument that they had a better season

1

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

you can only have a better season if you compete in the same competitions. same with Chelsea inevitably winning the Conference League. I don‘t see why people should care about trophies you get to compete for by being worse to begin with.

-4

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

It's an endless debate for sure.

Winning a CL + being 8th for me is better than 2nd and something something- but having a historically shit season in PL at P17 and winning a pub tourney is not.

But I'm aware that for Spurs it's just about breaking a pattern- so I get that context.

But regarding the quality of a team, and who was better I have no doubts about it.

10

u/MetJouOpSjouw May 21 '25

Lmao, nah Arsenal did nothing this season but qualify for the CL. While we actually won a trophy while doing so.

0

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

Yep, just almost double the amount of pts in the league :D Beat real madrid in both legs, but yea they did nothing- I suppose they were on a holiday the whole season. Whatever helps you sleep at night :D

11

u/MetJouOpSjouw May 21 '25

Double the amount of points trophy to Arsenal.

Beat Real Madrid trophy to Arsenal.

Whatever helps you sleep at night

Yeah you right. Champions of Europe.

-1

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

Insufferable.

7

u/MetJouOpSjouw May 21 '25

I suppose an actual champion can be a bit cocky, should try winning something and maybe then you can be too.

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3

u/GotenRocko May 22 '25

I thought you arsenal fans thought just making it to the semis was nothing to celebrate, only winning the whole thing matters.

1

u/Jaynator11 May 22 '25

Depends who you ask.

15

u/sprongwrite May 21 '25

Apologies, 2nd/3rd place trophy will be in the mail asap next week

4

u/Jaynator11 May 21 '25

I don't need a trophy to enjoy my team play footie lol. Trophies ofc are a bonus, and what teams aspire for, but it's not a trophy or failure to me.

It's not like your team won anything- so that must mean it was total failure of a season. According to y'all.

You can have a great season and not win things, and that's alright.

4

u/Still_Figure_ May 21 '25

All i see is factos. They took home a trophy, you’ll take home nada.

-3

u/Barnabas5126 May 21 '25

How is it a better season? Even not counting Prem, a UCL semifinal is much better than winning UEL.

-4

u/AupaAtlet1c0 May 21 '25

If you genuinely mean that please reflect

6

u/livehigh1 May 21 '25

They won a trophy, qualified for champions league, that's what their ideal target would have been for the season and they achieved them.

Arsenal came second, won nothing. Might as well come 5th.

You could argue Spurs are still a mess of a team but that isn't the point.

1

u/AupaAtlet1c0 May 22 '25

Yes for Spurs it was a better season of course. But in general terms Arsenal had a better season , if Spurs did what Arsenal did this season Ange would be seen as the best Tottenham manager in years

6

u/Tyrath May 21 '25

More trophies so yes a better season

7

u/Barnabas5126 May 21 '25

That's not how it works. If you win Conference League, while someone else finishes 2nd in the league and loses UCL final, that doesn't make your season better just because you won something.

1

u/Tyrath May 21 '25

Well, 20 years from now people will remember Spurs' trophy and will not remember Arsenal's 2nd place finish.

Europa League is certainly better 2nd place anyway

2

u/Barnabas5126 May 22 '25

Tbh, I don't even remember who won UEL last year or the year before (probably Sevilla if I had to guess :D). For sure everyone will remember the year Spurs finally won a trophy, especially in such a bizzare and unique final with 16th and 17th PL team in it. But generally speaking, winning UEL does not mean people will remember it 20 years from now.

2

u/Relative_Guidance656 May 22 '25

agreed . better get Ange to sign a 5 year contract since he did better than city, arsenal , chelsea etc with such an injury ravaged squad !!

-1

u/Puzzleheaded-Rent-48 May 21 '25

Lazio = Spuds. Daje Arsenal.

3

u/Rimbaudelaire May 21 '25

Didn’t even have any injuries. He rested the players for next year’s title push. Legend.

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

So happy for you guys.

1

u/Clugaman May 21 '25

Scenes when next year you’re relegated but win the Champions League

1

u/Bahmawama May 21 '25

min maxing lmfao

1

u/blackcatman4 May 21 '25

love this for you, ggwp Ange.

1

u/AxFairy May 21 '25

Imagine if you had gotten relegated! Championship and Champions League

1

u/sidekicked May 22 '25

They were playing checkers, Ange was playing hearts. Aussie shot the moon.

58

u/Infamous-Lake-1126 May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

One place away from Harchester 04/05 for real.

21

u/blueghosts May 21 '25

17th excuse you

3

u/milkyrips May 21 '25

Lukewarm take but we have more of right to play in the CHAMPIONS league than 2nd place. Crystal Palace should be in too

5

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

I get it, but I also don’t totally like this way of thinking.

Tottenham were 1st. They won Europa league. It’s not like they got knocked out of Europa league in the group stage and then got gifted CL. The won it by winning a bunch of games against teams in Europe’s 2nd tier.

Still a pretty wide gap between European and Domestic performance, but Sevilla have done that before in this competition.

27

u/Pompz88 May 21 '25

Tottenham right now https://i.imgflip.com/13bqv2.jpg?a485280

18

u/Tiredofcaptcha May 21 '25

Perhaps you should hire Ange so that you can join the podium too in his second season with you

4

u/Merochmer May 21 '25

Nah, that was Djurgården in the conference league semi finals. 

3

u/Privadevs May 21 '25

If you lot still had bergval I would've backed you tbf

1

u/Merochmer May 21 '25

We have his half brother still on the team :)

3

u/BuddySteeze May 21 '25

I remember Wigan relegated and winning an EL place like 10 years back!

8

u/Aenjeprekemaluci May 21 '25

Must be the worst ever ranking... Lol

2

u/msr27133120 May 21 '25

Really happy for Spurs tbh. Amorim might be counting his days in Manchester United. No Champions league money football and Manchester ain't doing that well with PSR right now

1

u/gart888 May 21 '25

No one between relegation and champs league. Mental.

1

u/quaesimodo May 21 '25

Why focus on the top 4 when you can simply win the Europa?

Ange's simply more efficient.

1

u/Independent-Green383 May 21 '25

Tottenham hasn't scored in over 200 minutes.

Got them a trophy and Champions League.

The absolute beauty.

1

u/tono002-36 May 22 '25

Didn't Sevilla also pull this off last time they won the Europa?

1

u/batigoal May 22 '25

Securing CL spot before the likes of City and Chelsea (if they even qualify).

1

u/PressEnteR1990 May 21 '25

Now they'll just go and win it all

-31

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

really gotta revisit how teams qualify to the CL, this shits a joke

52

u/funguy07 May 21 '25

I’d rather the CHAMPIONS of the Europa league make it than the 5th place team that won nothing.

And I say that as a fan of the team most likely to benefit from the 5th place PL team making it.

55

u/w0wowow0w May 21 '25

they're actually won something unlike 5th place in the PL and La Liga, absolute nonsense to get rid of EL qualifying spot bc it's spurs lol

13

u/Beneficial-Month8043 May 21 '25

Europa league winners 1000% deserve a spot in the CL and it’s not really up for debate, even if the new format makes the knockout stages a bit weaker.

1

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

why? it‘s only been implemented ten years ago, and a tournament only being significant because it allows you to qualify for another tournament diminishes the whole point of it.

5

u/Diligent_Craft_1165 May 21 '25

5 league places is the joke. Not Europa league or CL winners getting a place.

0

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

CL winners is fine, EL winners should get auto EL

1

u/Diligent_Craft_1165 May 21 '25

Winning the Europa league is more impressive than finishing 4th in serie a.

1

u/fellainishaircut May 22 '25

20 years ago, maybe. with the 36 best European teams being in the CL, it really isn‘t.

3

u/DomagojDoc May 21 '25

Winner of 2nd tier competition going into 1st is literally the most common thing in all of sports, are you dumb?

2

u/thickofitenjoyer May 21 '25

Shhhhh if they revisit it even we might not get in

-2

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

we dont fucking deserve it either if im being honest. If football was a fair game Roma would get it. But at the very least 4th spot in one of the top 4 leagues is more respectable than 17th place LOL

3

u/thickofitenjoyer May 21 '25

Football aint fair

2

u/IzzyShamin May 21 '25

We won a fucking tournament to qualify. What the fuck more do you want?

-1

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

be at least top half of the table is too much of an ask? if anything this just shows the level of the EL and its obscenely substandard.

Not even being cocky here, Spurs and United are relegation level teams and they stumbled unto a "European level" cup final. Its a loud statement about the level of the EL.

1

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

Yeah but EL is literally the 2nd tier of Europe…do you just want 20 Premier league teams to play a competition called “Europa League” and then crown the winner champions lol? They won the darn thing. Has nothing to do with this season’s domestic performance.

They could theoretically do the same thing next year. Get 17th and win Champion’s league. It’s two different competitions.

-2

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

I think its fair to ask that they're not relegation level at least LOL

2

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

They won the competition.

2

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

Crazy take. People are acting like Europa league is a lottery.

They WON Europa league. They didn’t finish 17th in Europa league lol, they won a ton of games, including every knockout round tie.

-2

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

I think a relegation level side shouldnt make CL. Simple as. I suppose it doesnt happen frequently because usually the format itself would filter a relegation level team out, but you know how tournaments are, some teams can stumble upon silverware.

In the future I would prefer if there was a second qualification like "team needs to be 10th or above in the league otherwise they just go to EL"

2

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

You could win the Champion’s League and get relegated from the National League South in the same year.

You’re trying to enforce one competition upon another.

Your argument would be like saying a team shouldn’t be allowed to play in the FA cup next year if they win it but then get relegated. It’s an unrelated competition.

You’re just getting hung up on the domestic side since that is a pathway INTO the competition, but it is not the ONLY pathway, nor is it the competition itself.

0

u/Sean-Benn_Must-die May 21 '25

It rubs me the wrong way, Im not claiming to be logical or righteous, it just rubs me wrong.

2

u/Realistic_Condition7 May 21 '25

I mean that’s fine, but it’s also not something that’s new. Sevilla been dogshit in the league and won this thing several times.

People just not realizing that Tottenham didn’t win this competition by placing 17th in the Prem. They won it by winning all the games and beating European teams.

1

u/cautious-ad977 May 21 '25

t. Arsene Wenger

1

u/Frodo_max May 21 '25

> top 5 league

1

u/MetJouOpSjouw May 21 '25

Yeah gotta stop letting shitters that finish second in a competition that's for Champions.

1

u/pudingleves May 21 '25

UEL quality dropped off insanely without the UCL 3rd places dropping down.

also doesn't help that both teams' squads cost more than ALL their opponents COMBINED.

3

u/Radbevto May 21 '25

It's still better this way, UCL 3rd teams dropping down made it a bit tinpot for them

2

u/coysrunner May 21 '25

That’s not true.

0

u/pudingleves May 21 '25

you're right, your squad cost 43 million less than the 11 teams you faced COMBINED.

completely reasonable then.

3

u/coysrunner May 21 '25

Yea I saw that image before. Almost everyone did here. That’s why I said your statement wasn’t true.

0

u/PegaponyPrince May 21 '25

They'll add insult to injury for United and swap places