Spurs fans have had many things to be pleased about in the last few years. Last season saw the team finish in their highest-ever Premiership position, while the current campaign has produced good runs in the UEFA and Carling Cup competitions.

In Martin Jol they have a talented manager and the squad is packed with world-class players like Ledley King, Aaron Lennon and Dimitar Berbatov.

And yet there is still one thing that grates their fans more than anything else – the team’s inability to beat local rivals Arsenal. While Spurs have only won the League Cup since their triumph in the FA Cup in 1991, Arsenal have picked up three league titles, five FA Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and have been runners-up in the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Spurs occupied the fourth and final Champions League spot for most of last season only to let it slip on the last game of the season – to Arsenal. To make things worse, Tottenham have not beaten their old enemy since 1999.

Most fans will tell you that although ending a season without silverware is disappointing, consolation of sorts can be found in beating your local rivals. But for the last eight years Spurs fans have had to deal with constant abuse at work, text messages and images of Arsenal players on open-top buses. It is not as if Arsenal have been superior to Tottenham in every game since 1999; most fans can accept being beaten by a better side, even if it is Arsenal. More often then not Spurs have dominated matches, particularly encounters at White Hart Lane, but Arsenal have come away with at least a point.

The pattern is familiar. Tottenham dominate in the first half with energetic and rapid football, going in 1-0 to the good at half-time. The second half sees Spurs slowly taking their foot off the accelerator and Arsenal begin to get hold of the game. The Gunners manage to equalise, traditionally through Robert Pires, and another wasted opportunity is consigned to the record books. Even at Highbury last season, with Spurs 1-0 up and cruising, they allowed their grasp to slip in the most crucial of games.

For 45 minutes of the Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final first leg, it seemed that Spurs had finally got it right. After a typically frenetic first half, they managed an unprecedented second goal but allowed Arsenal’s youngster to run rings round them in the second half.

So what is it that they have to learn to avoid another eight years of hurt? Despite the terrific football that Spurs usually produce in the first half, a more measured approach to games is required. They have players of supreme skill but they tend to burn out after an hour, allowing Arsenal’s intricate play to produce results. They need to calm down and play their natural game.

It also seems that Arsenal have a psychological advantage over Spurs, who do not believe that they can get a result. The longer the run goes, the more desperate the players and the fans look. Martin Jol looks to have the respect of all the players and it is up to him to convince his players that they can beat Arsenal.

Linked with this is their apparent inability to finish off the Gunners when they are dominating the game. Too often they have gone in 1-0 when it could have been two or three. Arsenal are one of the most ruthless teams in the league and regularly punish sides that open the door for them.

Spurs will beat Arsenal in the near future; their squad is simply too good to let such an unprecedented run continue. There is no doubt, however, that they need to change their philosophy in these matches as the blueprint that has been used in the past few seasons clearly is not working. Perhaps it will happen next Wednesday and with a place in a major cup final up for grabs, it would be the sweetest of moments for Tottenham’s long-suffering fans.

Is there any way Spurs can make it to the Carling Cup final? Let Sportingo have your views.