As Nathan Aké toe-poked the ball past Guglielmo Vicario on Friday night to knock Spurs out of the FA Cup, it appeared that Tottenham’s hopes for a trophy in 2024 had disappeared in a flash. It would make it 16 years since Spurs won a trophy. That is, of course, if Spurs fail to win the Premier League trophy this season.
When quizzed about his ambitions before the Manchester United game two weeks ago, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said his side are “hanging in” the Premier League title race.
“By definition, we are, aren’t we? So, yes we are,” Postecoglou said.
After a draw away at Old Trafford, which is always a tough place to go to regardless of the quality of the current Manchester United side, Postecoglou’s opinions would not have changed so it is only right to assess, are Tottenham really in the title race or are they just competing for a Champions League spot?
When Spurs’ season started, it seemed that this would certainly be a transitional season. This was a team that finished 8th last year, whose greatest striker ever (who scored 30 Premier League goals last year) had just left for Bayern Munich and they had appointed a manager who had never managed in England. Expectations were certainly low. Yet they’ve exceeded all expectations.
Some shrewd business in the transfer market meant that Spurs started the season with a bang. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was signed from Empoli to replace Hugo Lloris. Relatively unknown, fans were unsure what to expect. And yet he’s been a revelation. Destiny Udogie, fresh off a loan to Udinese, has been one of the best left-backs in the Premier League this season. Micky van de Ven looks like a seasoned veteran in the league alongside his centre-back partner Cristian Romero. Manor Solomon has been bright when fit. Brennan Johnson, signed from Nottingham Forest, has shown glimpses of his immense potential. The major coup was James Maddison. Spurs’ last number 10, Harry Kane, was arguably the greatest player to ever play for Spurs. Maddison had big pressure on him to follow suit and he is performing excellently so far. One of the players of the season, until he got injured, no player had created more chances than the Englishman.
All in all, it’s a new look side. In October, when Spurs beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, they moved five points clear at the top of the table. At that stage, Tottenham were the 13th side in Premier League history to take 26 points or more from their first 10 games of a season. Of the previous 12 sides, 11 of them finished in the top three, and half of them went on to win the title. It was all boding so well for Spurs. The mood around the club was electric. Support for Ange was, and is, through the roof. After a poor season the year before, Heung-min Son was firing again and he bagged his eighth goal in just his tenth game.
It was all going so well for Spurs, too well even. Something was inevitably going to go wrong. And go wrong it did. On the 6th of November, an underperforming Chelsea came to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Within six minutes, Spurs were one goal to the good and the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately, Cristian Romero did what Cristian Romero does and he got a straight red card for a poorly timed tackle on Enzo Fernandez inside the box. Cole Palmer slotted away the penalty. Things went from bad to worse when key players Maddison and Van de Ven came off before half-time with injuries which would keep them out for months. Just after the half, Udogie received his marching orders leaving Spurs with just nine men on the pitch. They held on for a short while before capitulating and losing 4-1.
The games that followed saw Spurs relinquish their footing at the top of the table and lose to Wolves, Aston Villa and West Ham as well as picking up a point against Manchester City.
This bad run of form was short-lived and the tenacious, relentless, attacking Spurs that we have come to know under Postecoglou returned to the fray. Four wins from the next six have seen Spurs sit in 5th place, three points short of Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. Liverpool sit top of the table with 48 points whilst Spurs have 40.
James Maddison appeared to be the key that unlocked defences. When he got injured, Spurs struggled. Now, the silky Englishman is back. He made his first appearance of the season from the bench against Manchester City in the FA Cup. Now, he’s ready to start in the Premier League. With him, Tottenham will once again look like an entirely serious contender. The way that he connects with Son and Kulusevski is exceptional.
Spurs play a brand of football which is attractive and exciting. It garners results as well. The Lilywhites now have a favourable run of fixtures which sees them face Brentford, Everton, Brighton, Wolves and then Crystal Palace. Should Spurs win all of those games, there is no reason why we couldn’t consider Spurs to be in the title race.
It must be added that the real challenge will come when they consecutively face Newcastle, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool through the month of April. I don’t expect that Spurs will come through the month on top of the Premier League table, but stranger things have happened. We can’t rule them out yet though. Football works in strange ways. Ways so strange that in Harry Kane’s first season at Bayern Munich, it’s possible that the Bavarian side don’t win the league for the first time since 2012 and that Spurs could potentially win the league for the first time since 1961…
Either way, if Spurs fall short, they deserve credit for transforming their stagnant side into a livewire, an attraction and, most likely, a European side in 2024/25. They’re on track for at least 74 points which would represent their highest points tally since 2017/18, when Mauricio Pochettino had already had four years to gel his side together. 74 points would represent an excellent season for Spurs and over each of the previous five seasons, that tally would guarantee Champions League football the following season.
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By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyH3lfgott on Twitter (X)
