Tottenham have made an impressive start to their Premier League campaign, with early talks of a potential title pushe
Tottenham are amongst the title picture
It’s early days in the Premier League and there’s one question hanging over Tottenham and the title race… they couldn’t win it, could they? It’s an inquisitive question that mirrors a similar discussion surrounding fierce rivals Arsenal last season and whether they could sustain a push at the very top.
They did so, but fortunately for those of a Spurs persuasion, the Gunners were unable to bring the title back to the Emirates Stadium, missing out to Manchester City. It was a successful season for them nonetheless, meanwhile the Lilywhites could not have been in a much different position.
A mid-table finish, no European football, no manager and their star striker looked set to leave in the summer which all painted a bleak picture.
Then came Ange Postecoglou, a managerial appointment that may not have brought about the same excitement as past announcements, but one that brought about plenty of change.
A summer littered with transfer change, both in and out brought some hope that the side may be able to play some attractive football and show signs of improvement. Rallying cries from Postecoglou spoke of the standards, expectations and instilled small seeds of hope.
Those would soon bloom as a much-changed Tottenham team took to the turf over the first few games, not only impressing with performances but earning results too.
Suddenly, in the span of a few months, the situation went from desperate to revitalised and culminated in a top of the table perch for the October international break.
Postecoglou didn’t wish to dampen the mood for fans and let them enjoy the moments that would follow, such should they shortly fall away in weeks to come.
That’s because, amongst all the noise of a title race, there’s an acknowledgment that some factors could prohibit a proper push compared to Arsenal and Manchester City.
Injuries remain a very prominent threat to any title bid, with Tottenham’s particularly thin squad when it comes to quality coming as an issue. There’s the possibility of results naturally turning, with some luck needed along the way in a title push to prevent dropping points at any turn.
However, that will not be something holding back Postecoglou, who will have no European football to contend with, while their next domestic trophy opportunity will not come until January – compared to their rivals who have to compete across almost all front still. So the question remains, when will Tottenham be in the title hunt?
Well former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke believes that getting to the new year will be when Spurs are amongst the title discussions.
He told Stocklytics: “We’ve seen the odd exception in the Premier League with the likes of Blackburn and Leicester, so I won’t write Spurs off, and I’ll give them more credit.
You never know in football, and that’s what makes it fascinating. We’ll know what the league is really like after December, and it’s then we’ll realize who’s really amongst it.”