Why Tottenham Are One Of The Favourites To Win The League Despite A Slow Start
Tottenham Hotspur remained second fiddle to Arsenal in North London for years. But their resurgence under young Argentine boss Mauricio Pochettino has been immense and Spurs have emerged as strong title contenders in recent past. They finished runners-up last season, much ahead of the Gunners’ 5th placed league finish and pushed Chelsea till the very end in the league title race, in what looked like a cakewalk for the Blues at some stage.
Spurs are playing their home games at Wembley this term due to the undergoing renovation work at White Hart Lane. They had a slow start this season, as their Wembley blues continued with a 2-1 defeat against reigning Premier League champions Chelsea and their fixture against Burnley ended all square. The 0-0 draw against Swansea was frustrating too.
However, the season is a long one we’re only 5 games into the league season. Given the quality core team that Tottenham have and now that they know what it takes to mount a title challenge, here are reasons why Pochettino’s men must not be written off completely.
Harry Kane – Completion of ‘August curse’ and Back Among Goals
English hitman Harry Kane has been a revolution in Tottenham’s attack, who has been scoring loads of goals persistently for past few years. He, however, had a goal drought in August just like previous occasions but is now back in business with back to back braces against Everton and Borussia Dortmund and helped the North Londoners to get back to winning ways, before he fired blank in the 0-0 stalemate against Swansea.
Kane, who won Premier League Golden Boot for the past two campaigns is now aiming big with Spurs, who are closing the gap with title winners and he seems as determined as always to conquer the silverware this time around.
Squad Size and Bench Strength
Tottenham’s biggest advantage lies in their squad depth who have been playing together for seasons under Pochettino. They have successfully retained their key players and only Kyle Walker left this season, who now has proper replacements in the form of Kieran Trippier and new recruit Serge Aurier.
Vincent Janssen has been a flop as Harry Kane’s deputy, and the Argentine gaffer thus opted to go for Fernando Llorente, an experienced resource who had an impressive Premier League season with Swansea City last time out. Spurs have four major tournaments to concentrate and they have enough quality bench players who can serve them efficiently whenever needed.
A Strong Backline
Attack wins you games but defence wins you titles. Can this be more right? Pochettino is known for his high pressing and attacking style of football like Liverpool, but unlike Klopp, he has also concentrated on his defensive unit and was rewarded for it as well. Tottenham have now had the best defensive record in the league for the last two seasons in terms of goals conceded.
Despite having the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier as central defensive options, the former Southampton boss recruited highly-rated Colombian centre-back Davinson Sanchez to add more options as well as quality to his back-line. Spurs have a perfectly balanced defence, midfield and attack, and so they might prove to be a strong contender for the prestigious league title.