Tottenham Hotspur started the 2016-’17 Premier League season on a positive note. Despite drawing their first and third matches, Spurs won the rest of their first seven fixtures. The wins ranged from easy-on-the-eye performances that are usually associated with them to the tough and gritty get-the-job-done displays that is new to them.
Their early draws were against Everton away and Liverpool at home. Both matches finished 1-1. Both the Merseyside outfits were in form early on in the season and these results were seen as a positive. The Spurs easily rolled over Stoke City away 4-0 while grinding it out and winning by one-goal margins against Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Then came the win on mtchday seven that got everyone’s attention. Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-0 at White Hart Lane to end Pep Guardiola’s six-match winning streak in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino’s team played very well and took their chances in the first half itself. This was one of the best matches this season. Two teams with similar attacking philosophies went head-to-head and the home team came out trumps.
That put the spotlight on Spurs. They moved within a point of City in second place and one point above fierce rivals Arsenal. But as mentioned before, when the footballing world takes notice of Spurs, they sort of buckle under pressure. This cost them the Premier League title last season. Tottenham would then draw their next four matches in the Premier League.
Burden of Champions League and Wembley
Tottenham are scheduled to move to a new stadium with a capacity of 61,000 from the beginning of the 2018-’19 season. And with them qualifying for this season’s UEFA Champions League, they were required to play their three home matches at Wembley Stadium in preparation of moving away from White Hart Lane. If Spurs are to move to their new stadium on schedule, they will have to play all of their home Premier League and cup matches at Wembley Stadium next season.
Their Wembley adventures turned out to be problematic as they lost two and won one. The win was a consolation as they were already knocked out of the Champions League Round of 16 stages. But by finishing third in their group, Spurs have qualified for the Europa League for the remainder of the season. They would have to play their home fixtures at Wembley Stadium again.
Spurs looked like a fish out of water at England’s national football stadium. The 90,000-capacity stadium has proved to be a burden as the team have played in unfamiliar conditions. The atmosphere has been termed much different and a negative to that of the 36,284-seater White Hart Lane. As their journey went on in the Champions League, Tottenham’s Premier League form started to drop.
A string of draws
One would have expected Tottenham to carry on from their defeat of City in early October. But a mixture of the spotlight and Champions League woes filtered into their Premier League form. Spurs drew their next four, scoring only thrice. They had to dig deep and earn a 1-1 draw away to West Bromwich Albion in their eighth match in the league. Last season’s Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year, Dele Alli, scored the equaliser in the 89th minute.
They were then held to a frustrating goalless draw away at Bournemouth. They then drew 1-1 at home to defending champions Leicester City. Spurs then faced north London rivals Arsenal on November 6 at the Emirates Stadium. Despite the away team shading play overall, the match again ended 1-1. This placed them in fifth position in the table. They were behind Arsenal, who were in fourth.
Mixed results
Spurs got back to winning ways against West Ham United at home. This was a crazy match as it ended 3-2 with Harry Kane scoring twice in the last few minutes to reverse a 1-2 deficit. This showcased their new gritty attitude. At that point after 12 matches, Tottenham were the only unbeaten team in the Premier League. Confidence was high as they took on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 26.
Despite taking an early lead through Christian Eriksen, Spurs lost 2-1 as Chelsea won their seventh match in a row at that time. Tottenham, though, picked themselves up and hammered relegation candidates Swansea City 5-0 at home. They then travelled to Old Trafford to play Manchester United on December 11.
United were on a run of three consecutive draws, but put on a positive display as Spurs were beaten 1-0. By this time a title push seemed a little far-fetched. But Pochettino’s men were playing attractive football overall.
Hitting their stride
Those defeats pushed the spotlight away from Tottenham and they soon began to get the wins under their belts. They beat Premier League strugglers Hull City 3-0, then saw off Burnley 2-1. Both victories came at home. Spurs then easily rolled over 10-man Southampton 4-1 away. They then cruised to another 4-1 away victory against Watford.
The likes of Kane and Alli are scoring, with Eriksen providing the creativity. They have the second-best defence in the league and are currently in fifth position, only one point behind Arsenal. Spurs have a stable starting XI and are able to produce positive performances.
European sojourn could decide position in table
With Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all playing relatively well and with Manchester United hot on their heels, Spurs need to keep doing the business week-in-week-out in the Premier League. From February they will have to contend with the Europa League. Winning the competition would ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League, but would Spurs risk direct entry via the Premier League in search of European glory?
Chelsea and Liverpool don’t have any European football this season and look like easily finishing in the top three places at the end of the season. City seem good enough to end up in the top three as well. And although Arsenal finished second and third in their previous two seasons, they seem like finishing in their obligatory fourth position this time around.
United seem to have a better squad than Spurs and are more well-equipped to win the Europa League this season. If Tottenham do end up in the Champions League next term, this would be a very good season in the end.
Prediction
The pre-season prediction was for Tottenham to finish fourth, but as the season is panning out it does not seem that Spurs would finish in the top four. Their overreliance on Kane to score the majority of their goals could prove costly at the end. The likes of Vincent Janssen, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min don’t score enough from their advanced positions in the team.
And every time the spotlight is directed at them, Spurs seem to wither under the pressure. Hence, a sixth-placed finish seems more likely.
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