Tottenham Hotspur are currently second in the Premier League, five points behind the league leaders Leicester City. So far, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have walked side-by-side with the giants of English football in the race for the league title.
Spurs have lost only three games this season, one less than Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester. The North Londoners also have the meanest defensive setup in the English top flight. They have conceded only 19 goals in 25 league games. They have outscored many of their rivals, having scored 45 goals so far. Thus, they have the best goal difference in the league, which might prove to be crucial in the end.
Harry Kane had a slow start to the season, but the Englishman is back in form and is firing on all cylinders for the White Hart Lane based club. Dele Alli has been a revelation and is being tipped to become one of the best players in the Premier League. Pochettino certainly doesn’t lack quality in his squad.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is also convinced that Spurs have what it takes to win the title.
“Tottenham are doing so well, and they are a good side,” Henry told Sky Sports. “I never thought in my life I’d be saying this, but they can win the league and deserve a lot of credit.
“What was missing at White Hart Lane was stability and consistency, and for once Daniel Levy showed a bit of patience with his manager. Mauricio Pochettino is the right guy.
“They have a lot of young players, and they are not just playing cameo roles, they are a factor in the team.
“They have a great goalscorer [Harry Kane] and Christian Eriksen can provide, Mousa Dembele can hold and play, and Dele Alli is a great player too. On top, they have a good goalkeeper, which is very important.
“Pochettino is a good coach and has the club believing they can win the league. And yes, I think they can win the league.”
It seems that the biggest competitors of the Argentinean coach aren’t the money-rich Manchester City or Arsenal. Spurs need to close down the gap between them and Leicester. Alike the Foxes, Spurs won’t have the added pressure of winning silverware by the end of this season. Although, it can all go wrong very quickly in this league. From being genuine title contenders to finding satisfaction with the Europa League spot can happen in two weeks time.
Former Spurs midfielder, Luka Modric, is keeping his fingers crossed as he hopes to see his former side lift the Barclays Premier League trophy at the end of this campaign.
Modric said: ‘I follow them a lot. Almost whenever I can, I watch them playing.
‘They’re playing really well, amazing, they have a good coach, and they are very close to winning the league,’ he added.
‘And I wish them all the best and cross fingers for them to win it because I think they are capable of [doing it] because they are playing really good football.’
Spurs have all the ingredients to become the champions, but their mental strength will only be tested at the end of this season.