Sport
Why resilient Tottenham can win the Premier League
Why resilient Tottenham can win the Premier League. After years of flirting with the top four, Tottenham are on the cusp of something much greater. Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Spurs from an average, Europa League side into flourishing title contenders – and he deserves plenty of plaudits. The Argentine did a good job at Southampton but has exceeded all expectations during his brief Spurs career.
Spurs are a great team and the White Hart Lane faithful know it. In fact, it’s hard to single out a player in Tottenham’s squad who doesn’t deserve their place in the side. Who’d have thought young Dele Alli would be pushing for a spot in the England squad twelve months ago? Spurs’ sudden improvement has been more than impressive and Pochettino’s influence is a key reason for their rise to power.
After this weekend’s victory over Crystal Palace, Tottenham now have a safety net above fifth-placed Manchester United. The Red Devils are five points adrift and Spurs will fancy their chances of securing a top four finish at the very least. In fact, they should be aiming much higher than that. On current form, there’s absolutely no reason why Tottenham cannot win the title this season – that’s how good they are.
Pochettino’s men are purring in attack. Spurs have scored 41 goals this season – the third highest total in the top flight. Many expected Tottenham to struggle without a capable backup to Harry Kane in the squad but Spurs have defied the odds and Kane has been the main beneficiary. The England man has scored 13 league goals so far, with only Jamie Vardy, Romelu Lukaku and Odion Ighalo netting more goals this season.
They’re not bad defensively either. In fact, Tottenham’s defensive record is nothing short of outstanding. Spurs have gone five games without a clean sheet but still possess the best record in the Premier League, with just 19 goals conceded in 23 matches. The Jan Vertonghen/Toby Alderweireld partnership has been a key reason for their success and Tottenham fans will hope that the former, who picked up an injury at Selhurst Park on Saturday, won’t be sidelined for an extended period of time.
Central midfield is perhaps the only area of the squad that could do with an upgrade and even then, that’s probably being a little harsh on Mousa Dembele and Ryan Mason. To be fair, Mason has struggled with injury issues throughout the campaign but that’s even more of a reason to look elsewhere for a replacement. Dembele is a competent, useful midfielder but doesn’t have the ‘wow factor’ of a big-name player.
In a way, that’s the beauty of Pochettino’s Tottenham. They haven’t had to invest hundreds of millions of pounds to build the squad, it’s been more about the Argentine’s influence on playing style. Spurs are a joy to watch right now and you’d be hard pressed to find a more entertaining team in English football. Although this can backfire, it certainly creates an exciting atmosphere for Tottenham’s supporters – which may be why Pochettino has been linked with a move to Old Trafford if Louis van Gaal is sacked.
Only time will tell but all of the signs are promising for Spurs. Being truthful, a top four finish this season would be a real success yet they still look like genuine title contenders. Tottenham are a capable side and given time, they could mature into regular challengers – especially with Pochettino at the helm. When they get knocked down, they usually get up again and THAT is the key difference between Pochettino’s Spurs and previous Tottenham sides.
