Tottenham Hotspur suffered a real blow to their Champions League dreams over the last week.

Defeat on the weekend for Ange Postecoglou‘s side against Newcastle United was just the start of a week to forget.

Aston Villa’s victory at the Emirates Stadium may have put a major dent in Arsenal’s title hopes, but it did also do the same to Tottenham‘s’ top four dreams.

And then came the European fixtures. With UEFA’s new coefficient ruling, a potential fifth-placed finish could have earned Spurs Champions League qualification.

However, with Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham all being knocked out of their respective competitions, this dream is over.

Although Postecoglou has remained calm over next season’s European hopes, some of his players have not been as coy.

James Maddison has spoken very openly about his desire to be playing Champions League football next season at Spurs.

The out-of-form midfielder has admitted it is a competition he feels the club has to be playing.

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Whatever happens in the next few weeks, Spurs will have had a much improved season under Postecoglou compared to what happened last time out.

The Lilywhites have brought in a number of new players like Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario who have shone under the Australian.

And these players have certainly proven big additions to the Tottenham squad over the last year.

Although Spurs look much improved, there are still areas for the team to improve both on and off the pitch.

It is already expected that Spurs will make a number of new signings this summer with some recent defeats highlight the work still needing to be done.

Season	Premier League finish
22/23	8
21/22	4
20/21	7
19/20	6
18/19	4
17/18	3
16/17	2
15/16	3
14/15	5

Statistics via Transfermarkt.

But any form of European football will be an improvement on last season with Spurs finishing in eighth spot following a dismal term under Antonio Conte.

And according to The Athletic, some within Spurs are viewing potential Europa League qualification as a great opportunity for the club.

However, there is still the desire there for the club to test themselves among the best in the Champions League.

Would Europa League or Champions League be better for Tottenham?

The short answer is Spurs should be trying to finish as high as they possibly can and realistically that would mean fourth spot.

However, there should certainly be no feeling the club have fallen short if they are to finish in fifth place and play Europa League football.

The second-string competition would certainly have a lot of benefits for Spurs as they continue their progression under Postecoglou.

With the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, AC Milan and so on all playing in this season’s competition, it is seen as a big achievement to win the trophy.

And Spurs would certainly have a better shot at winning it than the Champions League.

The crux of the argument comes in how Spurs would approach Europa League football. Cup games haven’t went well under Postecoglou so far and that is something that needs drastically improving next term.

But if Spurs were to take the competition seriously then it could absolutely be a great opportunity for the club next season.