In a week that saw Spurs knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United then lose ground in the league with defeat at Wolves, their Champions League exit to AC Milan had a depressingly familiar feel to it.
So is Antonio Conte likely to become the seventh permanent Spurs boss to try and fail to end their 15-year trophy drought?
A limp 0-0 second-leg draw, against a far-from-vintage Milan side, saw Spurs fans angrily voice their disapproval over the side’s perceived negative style of play under the Italian.
And with his contract up in June, Wednesday’s defeat felt like it could be the beginning of the end for the Italian, who has only reached the Champions League quarter-finals once in six attempts as a manager.
“I have a contract with Tottenham,” Conte said. “I respect the contract. At the end of the season, assessments will be made with the club in the most serene way.
“Let’s see how the season ends. Maybe they can send me away even earlier. Tottenham know very well what my thoughts are and at end of season, we will meet and make a decision.
“I can’t say anything negative about the commitment of the players. They gave everything from the start to the end. If I have to see a positive situation, it is that we had a step forward – but it is not enough and if we want to be competitive, we have to fight.
“I don’t like to lose but it can happen, especially because last season don’t forget we played [Europa] Conference League and two years ago Europa League.
“I am really sorry for the fans, but we cannot hope for a miracle one day that a trophy goes into our training ground. We have to build and have patience.”