A couple of weeks ago, Tottenham Hotspur confidently dispatched of Everton at White Hart Lane to draw level on points with Manchester United and left them only trailing by three points to leaders, Manchester City. The classy way in which the 2-0 result was brought about left many pundits seriously contemplating the possibility of Spurs winning the title with 20 games already played in the season.
There can be certain times in a season when a result can mark a turning point and with Tottenham facing Wolves at home and then Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium following the Everton game, excitement was building at the prospect of a fresh challenge to the Premier League status quo. For the first time in Premier League history, there seemed to be a genuine belief from fans and neutral commentators alike that Spurs were on course to go the distance in the 38-game marathon.
The win over Everton signalled a side in form having lost only once in their previous 18 outings and such was the buzz around the club that even Harry Redknapp, normally prone to downplaying Tottenham’s chances, claimed that the pressure was now on Mancini’s team to deliver and confirmed that he believed Spurs could win the league, in the aftermath of such a positive display.
Redknapp’s bullish attitude represented a shift in aspirations for the North Londoners and was the first time he had given such recognition of the maximum potential of his talented squad. At the present time, we are now 22 games into the season and the optimism that was reverberating around White Hart Lane has been dented somewhat.
While only two games have passed since the praise for Spurs reached its peak, the significance of the results has knocked the confidence out of Redknapp’s sails and given Tottenham an uphill task if they are to seriously worry their more illustrious rivals from Manchester once more. By no means should they be ruled out of the title race but the return of one point from six, just when they looked set to mount a serious challenge, calls into question the pedigree and know-how of an outfit lacking in experience of winning the highest honours within the game.
Contrasted to that of Manchester United and City’s squads, in which Champions League medals, Premier League wins and even the odd taste of World Cup success, abound, and it is possible to see the disparity of experience at the game’s pinnacle between Tottenham and their Lancashire counterparts.
Therefore, their position after the Everton match presented a golden opportunity to ruffle Manchester feathers and add some momentum towards their tilt for the title. Wolverhampton Wanderers at home provided Spurs’ first obstacle to overcome and the hype surrounding Tottenham was put into perspective when they earned a point against the relegation strugglers in a jittery performance that belied the confidence the manager had conveyed in the lead up to the game.
Redknapp backtracked from his earlier ambitious position in the post-match interview by claiming he would be content to secure a Champions League berth and you could feel the mood go flat in the Spurs camp.
This setback was followed by a fortuitous defeat at the Etihad Stadium which saw City move eight points clear of their opponents, and saw Manchester United capitalise later in the day to leave Spurs 6 points off second place. It’s quite possible that these two games will have been crucial in defining Tottenham’s season and followers of the North London club might end up ruing the opportunity afforded to them to have overtaken Manchester City.
But then again, Redknapp never said Spurs should be setting their sights on winning the division and it’s a rare thing to suddenly find yourself at the summit of the league. The two Manchester clubs set their stall out at the start of the season and haven’t wavered in their aspirations for the season. You start to wonder if Redknapp should have strived for more but, as it stands, I strongly suspect that the media attention given to Tottenham’s title challenge will not reach the same levels of support as the mauling of the Toffees heralded, for a while yet.
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RE: Wolves at Home –
Wolves played bloody well at WHL.They are a good disciplined side and (sticking my neck out) will not go down!
Sometimes the ball just doesnt go in!
The defecit is by no means too high to rule Spurs out of winning the title. Will we? – I have to say No.
But it’s more a question of being there before, as you outline well, the difference in honours between red n blue’s squad and ours.
This difference is not to be underestimated as it breeds confidence through similar expereience/s.
As we all know, ‘Arry has given em beleif.
Something big Jol did with our/his squad at the time very well too!
But! – We have been developing a good squad for the last 6/7 years, people can give Ramos/Camolli all the crap they want but they signed a lot of good players for us!
Whatever the intangible quality is that Redknapp,.. and Jol both have to inspire confidence is as far as I can see, the only difference in this team to Ramos’..
The boys at the time, and the sulk Berbatov, ruined our development by 2 years cos they just didnt want to play for Ramos. (Jol in Berba’s case, we all know he just wanted the move)
Never mind, on the up now! COYS.
The author makes the mistake that he criticises other for – Making a Judgement on ONE game. Everton or City-no difference! Put others down for doing it and then wrapped in self annointed smugness do the same.Either a slap dash article posted without thought or an inability to recognise irony. Pot and kettle???
The assertion was made on the basis of TWO games – versus Wolves and Man City. Two wasted opportunities. Tons of twists and turns to come. The article simply represents my reaction to the current results and what they may or may not signify in relation to Tottenham’s title bid. They face a huge challenge to make up for the 5 points lost that Man City and United capitalised on. Would be good if we were talking about 3 teams having a decent chance to win the league come the end of the season.
‘fortuitous defeat,’ you are an idiot, a fortuitous victory, maybe. Spurs are where they are, deservedly. There are three teams in with a shout, we are one of those. Of the three we are the least likely to win; so what are you saying because of that we shouldn’t try? I guess you’re either a Gooner, a Blue Manc, or a Red Manc. Either way, you’re scare and a idiot.
‘Fortuitous victory’ for Manchester City would have been the best way to describe that game admittedly. For me, Spurs have been the most exciting team to watch when on form (only City could rival their performances) and personally, I hope Tottenham win the league. I support neither of the 3 teams you suggest I do. Of course you should try, but I’m not sure that you can plan your pre-season with the aim of gaining CL football and then re-adjust these aspirations when Spurs have deservedly found themselves in the Top 3, and expect to win the league. Ever since the end of last season, Ferguson and Mancini will have implemented plans to secure the title and this is what gives those teams the advantage over Spurs. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.
What a silly no point article. I only hope the author did not get revenue from it. Since the opening two games Spurs have lost only two others , Stoke and Man City, and both can be placed at the feet of sub-standard officiating. So they draw with Wolves, despite almost one-way traffic, and that is something all clubs have experienced when the opposing team pulls everyone back to defend. This Spurs team is good. They may not win the Premiership, but they have been a breath of fresh air playing flowing attacking ball in what is generally a negatively focussed league. They desrve better journalism than this kind of negativity.
The point I’m trying to make is that the champions’ route to the league title hinges on turning points throughout the season. Based purely on results, Tottenham have not got a sufficient return from their last 2 games and, in my opinion, that was a key time for the team to prove their title-winning credentials. We both know what happened. They have been thrilling to watch this season and it remains to be seen whether they can bridge the gap between themselves and the front-runners. The two Manchesters can be ruthless and Spurs may not get another opportunity to overtake these two for the remainder of the season.
Spurs lost the two ppening games fair and square. After that, only extreme refereeing decisions have cost them points, the handballs and sending off at Stoke, the Ade offside against Wolves and we all know what happened at city. So ther’s 5 points and city would have 2 points less. That said, I’m as happy as I’ve ever been, I’d take 4th now.
Let’s not foget Adebayors “offside” goal against Chelsea. Yeah Assou Ekotto handled in our box which didnt result to a Chelsea penalty, but then Cole handballed it before crossing in to setup their goal.
Idiotic nonsensical article no doubt written by a jumped up twat masquerading as a would be journalist, long on rhetoric short on intelligence. Trying to put Spurs down because they lost four games, two by the narrowist of margins aided and abetted by dubious refereeing decisions suggests that the authour of this article takes great joy from that and is in all likelyhood an Arse follower, the written word is all they have to use against Spurs these days and there are many of those low lives around at the minute.
I was disappointed that Spurs didn’t come away from their last two games with 6 points from 6. That would have alerted the whole country towards their new status as front-runners in the race for the Premier League considering their form ever since the opening 2 games of the season. Manchester City and Manchester United are strong in their positions at this point in the season and I feel that Tottenham may not have such an opportunity to dismantle the Manchester love-in for a while yet. Good luck to them.
Thanks for your comments! Keep them coming!