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…in the European Power Rankings, that is. Rebounding nicely from the loss to Spurs, we actually climbed above them as we rose three spots from #17 to #14 while Spurs fell from #16 to #17. For what it’s worth, we also helped Bayern drop a spot from #3 to #4.  Of course, we’re still far behind the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid, but there’s no surprise there. If only these rankings meant something, we’d be 4th in the Prem already.

While these standings don’t mean a lot for us now, because they do take into account a club’s history over the past eight years, they do point out the difference between form and class. At the risk of infuriating any Spurs fans who’ve stumbled across this humble l’il blog, the rankings do remind us who’s who in London. Sure, Spurs’ recent run of form sees them rise above us on the table, but this is temporary, and time should see class win out. Even for as much as Spurs have been talked up this year, especially in the new year, and for as much as we’ve been criticized and derided, the gap in form is barely enough to keep them ahead of us. After all, we’re  four points behind with a game in hand and a favorable schedule, and the ghost of last season’s collapse, who hit the snooze button a while back, is checking his stubble as waits for the coffee to brew.

In other words, the gap in class remains because it stretches further back into the past and will continue to run into the future. Should Spurs finish above us on the table, sure, it will be significant, and, yes, we’ll lose out on some cash (a fair amount, it must be said) and have to endure some obituarial writings. Should this happen, thought, it would be down to form, not class. We’d still sign a few key players, make mincemeat of the Europa, and set our sights a little higher than hoping for a top-four finish in 2014. This is Plan B. Plan A is to set the universe right by finishing where we belong, somewhere in the top four and above our dear friends to the north.