Evolving PSG offer Spurs a chance to restore reputation

Thomas Frank could win a trophy in his first competitive match as Tottenham face European champions in Super Cup

- RICHARD JOLLY SENIOR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT

They were European finals that could both be described as historic without accusations of exaggeration. Paris Saint-Germain qualified for this evening's Super Cup by ending their long quest to win the Champions League, becoming the first French club in more than three decades to conquer Europe and, in their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, delivering one of the great final performances. It could rank with Barcelona's evisceration of Manchester United in 2011 or AC Milan's 4-0 humiliation of Barcelona's Dream Team in 1994. It was a statement. It was unforgettable.

Whereas many outside N17 and the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase could be forgiven for trying to banish their memories of a May night in Bilbao. If the Champions League showpiece was an example of how football should be played, perhaps its Europa League counterpart was a demonstration of how it shouldn't.

Spurs are entitled not to care about the carping. A club increasingly defined by not winning anything claimed a continental trophy, a place in the Champions League and, it soon transpired, a meeting with PSG in Udine.

Those very different finals could prompt fears for Spurs. The best team in Europe face the 17th best in England, if last season's Premier League table is a guide.

No side had ever won a European trophy while registering such a low finish in their domestic league; that their opponents in Bilbao were a United team that came 15th only exacerbated the contrast between continental competitions, underachievers in England stumbling on in part because their resources dwarfed those of clubs from other countries.