Spurs could really win the league!!!

Right, now I have your attention!! But actually Spurs could win the league. Maybe not this season but let me explain why it could be more of a reality than you may think.

Firstly, Spurs have only lost once since the opening day in the league.
Second, we have one of the meanest defences in the league. Toby and Verts are a force to be reckoned with for Belgium and now for Spurs.
Third. Dier moving to midfield is a stroke of genius from Pochettino.
Fourth. Levy seems to be letting the manager get on with the job. At long last.
Fifth. We have Harry Kane.
Sixth. Hansen said you can't win anything with kids and we all know how that ended!
Seventh. The gap between teams in the league is getting much closer.

Now, before you all start yelling , " Matt, what drugs are you on this week?!", just take a moment to look at the league, look at Chelsea, look at our results and start thinking that actually we are building a squad capable of winning the league.

We stand five points off the top. We have already played City, Arsenal, Liverpool and United, taking 5 points. In recent years we have struggled to take many points from these games but we are also beating the lower teams and that is where we have improved. Against the likes of Villa and Bournemouth we usually drop points but we seem to be bucking that trend so why not start believing?

We have changed managers more often than I change my pants under Levy, but at last he does seem to be giving Pochettino a chance. I have had my doubts about Poch, I really have but he doesn't suffer fools ala Townsend and his players are playing for him and I am starting to really enjoy being a Spurs fan for the first time in a while!!

What we must now do is keep this team together. No selling Kane, Alli etc to the highest bidder. Keep this team together and we CAN win the league.

As ever, come on you Spurs!!!!

 

Have to stay in touching distance with the big boys come Jan and invest in two big signings offensively. Winger/forward and a cm.

 

What drugs have you been taking Matt?

Its a long season squad depth and depth of quality is what wins leagues etc.

Our bench today bar Son was embarrassing a couple of key injuries and we're mediocre.

Our strongest team threw away 3 points vs a weak Scum side who have numerous players to return.

City are suffering with key injuries but top the pile, Utd may not be pretty but they are churning out the results and have depth.

We should be fully focussed on a 4th/3rd place finish anything else with the league looking as poor as it is would be extremely poor from us imo.

Chelsea and Liverpool are who we need to stay ahead of niether look good and are facing major rebuilds while we should be getting our noses in front and staying there.

If we dont make top 4 serious questions need to be asked.

 

Lets not get carried away but things are improving no doubt. Arsenal could have been beaten today if we had a winger who can really go at a defence like a yarmolenko etc. Lamelas workrate is phenomenal now and he tackles like a demon and now has the bookings to go with that. However thats not why we bought him and that was to dribble score and make assists. There was a time todaywhen he was through and he overdid it as usual.Central defence susceptible to the early cross but Verts and Toby are good elsewhere. Dembele could be the player we all hoped with his strength and now shooting power.I think Eriksen a bit off the mark at the minute. Dier superb and Dele Alli a real find. Much better than Bentaleb and Mason. Glad Son is getting fitter as we need him to support Kane. Good point about winning the games against the bottom teams to gain points. Next 2 games tough but if we win them then we really can think top4. Young team loads of potential and tough to beat!

 

Matt I admire your optimism, I really do mate. How I would love us to win the PL!

In reality, we are way off (at the moment). But, the team are certainly moving in the right direction - without a doubt. First and foremost, we are tough to beat; an important ingredient if we are to challenge, seriously challenge. I'm with Felon here, the depth is lacking and if Harry gets crocked we are in the mire!

3rd/4th has to be the goal, especially with chelski and Pool looking poor lol!

Achieve this, we can then retain our key players, build and invest (yes, invest Danny Boy and not sell our prized assets!)...

The big question is... Who do we go for in Jan?

 

Lamela no longer Pamela... He wants to be the new Barton lol!

Most improved player thus far... but he does love a blind alley; Poch is getting a tune out of him and he will only improve under his watch.

 

Nice optimistic article! Although it did raise some concerns as to your pants changing habits

 

I'd echo your views on the feel-good factor around the Club. I'm enjoying being a Spurs fan for the first time in ages.

The only thing I'd caution you on is the clear need for more pants.

 

why not ? ..I would of fobbed off the idea earlier.......those average pack of no hoper , wannabes we played today are being touted as league challangers,....not fit to be on the same pitch as super spurs........stand up for the champions ,stand up for the ..............

 

Canadian Spurs here, I actually said this for the 1st time since Hoddle, Galvin, Roberts and co, 3 weeks ago. I think the leagues open, and the very fact that we are still unbeaten since the opening day is unheard of for Spurs fans. Poch seems to be learning about his players, ie; Masons injury , by default giving us a solid, yet creative midfield, Dier by chance, being the missing part in a star laden midfield, just playing a solid simple game, great stuff. Dembele? He looks reborn, thats coaching, leadership, I admit, I wrote lamela off a year ago, his problem is , the price tag, but the kid puts in a shift. He just has to stay on his feet when he tackles back. Walker & Rose both are guilty of not getting close enough , especially Rose in stopping crosses from wide. Ali really just needs to play a few simple passes, and when he is in the last 3rd, look to pick a team mate out. But, yes, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, we can make that, if we have the belief.

 

Have to agree with you. I'd say this season there are 3 teams that the champions are likely to come from (Manure, Shitty, Scum), but, crucially, we are the 4th team, the dark horses, with Liverpool as the wildcard. I'm not saying I believe we will do it, but I am saying I believe we can do it, and since we have the youngest team in the league, this could be the Lilywhite era dawning at last.

 

If we can make top 4 this year, that will certainly be an achievement for Poch and the young lads. In the past, making top 4 would have probably given Levy enough ammo to reinvest CL money into the team but it is clear that any investment in this project is going to be in young but as yet untested talent (i.e., no more than £15 million per footballer as per Levy's new recruitment policy) because we are going to have to save up for the new stadium. The whole project with bringing in Poch was to make use of the young talent we have in the first team and coming up through the academy, so for that strategy to work, Levy cannot sell the likes of Kane or Eriksen or up and comers like Dier and Alli because if he does, then the whole project fails and Poch likely walks (or has a bad year and gets fired). This strategy is Levy's gamble to make it through the up coming lean years while the stadium is built and if we can get CL football in 1 or 2 years of the next 3 when the stadium is built, then there will be enough success and allure to draw a bigger crowd locally and globally and to attract better (aka more expensive talent down the road). I hate to say it but kind of like the Le Arse/Wenger strategy when they built the Emirates. Let's hope Poch and the lads are up to the task and we can achieve some nice things. But as Matt said, the key to it all is keeping this team together and growing/learning and freshening up the talent pool with academy talent and targeted purchases in key positions. Onwards and upwards! COYS!

 

The next few games will tell us a lot about where we are and for me top four is up for grabs and a real opportunity for the team that wants it most. Do we have the makings of a team that can win the title ? maybe. Not this year, we just don't have the depth and the fact that we didn't get in another quality striker this year might just sink our aspirations as were just not scoring enuf goals and without Harry banging them in we don't yet have the firepower to be serious about winning the league so im not about to get too excited and talk about winning the league unless Matt starts sharing around some of those drugs he's been talking about.
On another note how good are the next few games, cant wait specially for Chelsea.

 

The key for me is keeping our best players. Which means paying higher wages than we have traditionally done. It won't be long before Dier,Alli , Toby and our prize asset Harry are seriously targeted by City, Utd, Chelsea and others. Whilst we may not be able to totally match what they pay in wages we need to offer a lot more than we have in the past. For the first time in years I feel that if this team is kept together and added to with 2 or 3 quality signings over next 18 months we could be title contenders. Now is the time to stop being a selling club , after all that is the point of the new stadium and we need these players here when it opens

 

Many moons ago, when I had hair, so a long time, when the League Cup semis were over two legs we drew the Gooners. Hoddle's era. We played them off the park at their place, total domination, think we might have won 1-0, which didn't reflect our domination of them. But we didn't finish the tie off.

Back to the Lane and we lost it at the death - in overtime or extra time. Painful memories.

Only when we get that vital extra goal (or two), will I start to believe that we have a realistic chance of staying with the top, rather than looking better than them, but never converting.

When we met up for the first game this season who would have thought we'd be having this sort of exchange...not me for one. I had little or no expectations, after the lack of a striker signing. We remain marginal and we just don't have the depth to cope with a string of injuries to key players. Imagine Trippier as a regular in the PL, were Walker to be injured, or Harry getting crocked. That might change mine and a few others views....!!

COYS

 

For the first time, I think us fans are really behind Pochettino. I can't think of one fan who honestly believes he isn't doing the right thing, and this kind of solidarity is the basis for a successful team. Secondly, the players clearly love playing for him; Lamela is putting a real shift in regularly and he really became a Spurs player yesterday. A fantastic effort from the lad, and it was absolutely full of heart and desire. It really did show against an Arsenal team who looked out of it. Thirdly, new stadium. Whilst we won't see any real marquee signings, we will see a consistent development of youth players and with Paul Mitchell here, we will see more and more of players like Dele Alli. Have faith. Fourthly, this year, title obviously is far fetched, but top four definitely looks attainable. I do believe we may actually do it this year, if we fight in every game. However, to use one of Mourinho's analogies, being unbeaten is great, but drawing 10 games gets you 10 points, whereas 5 wins and 5 losses gets you 15. Furthermore, signings in January are likely to decide our season, whether it's bringing in a new striker (at last) or uncovering the next Dele Alli. Penultimately, I would argue that the title is attainable in the not too distant future. Without getting carried away, we have the base for a great team. We have the workmanly performances in the midfield, I would say we need depth in the squad that will come through a combination of youth players and signings, but I also think we need a bit of stardust to really challenge - how many times did Bale or VdV or Modric dig us out of a bit of a hole? Bale's last minute winners illustrate my point; a player likes that easily wins you anywhere from 20-30 points a season. I think the new stadium will take precedence over a big name player, so this will have to come from within the youth academy or a bargain. Either way, the future looks really really bright - but maybe it's time we live for now?

 

Building from within is a trend that entire European football is going to follow. In a few years Chelsea youth academy will start producing and so will, if not doing already, many other EPL clubs. Southampton pioneered such approach in EPL and DL picked the most experienced and successful specialist in MP to replace Tim Sherwood who was slated earlier into manager position with same purpose - produce homegrown talent. Poch uses Sherwood's products for now, but with new faces appearing more and more. The recruitment changed according to new culture with Baldini ousted in favor of Mitchell who works under the same build-from-within guidelines. It also worth to mention that about half of England starters were under Pochetino at some point in time, making him a true leader in young talent promotion.
So Spurs are ahead of some other iconic EPL clubs in this business culture transition and that opens the window for getting a good end result in EPL competition this and maybe next season. Don't hold your breath, though. The big clubs are going to catch up quick and will send our beloved Spurs back to where they belong, but brief success is possible and we all should be cheering for it.

 

Nice job, Matt. Now come back down to earth. All this talk of winning the league is a bit premature, don't you think? I think Spurs looked great, but how long will it last with Europa League and the FA Cup matches. Remember you have a young side that could win next year. TBF great game yesterday.

 

I did say that I didn't mean this year but I do believe we need to be optimistic about the future. We've beaten City, outplayed Arsenal, drawn with Liverpool and we are beating teams lower down the league where we usually drop points.

 

We are a basically a 3rd way through the season having played 12 won 5 drawn 6 lost 1. If we continue at this standard of form we will at best get 69 points.

My point is that although plenty are lauding this unbeaten streak, we are not winning enough games and will struggle to achieve anything more than usuall without collecting 3 points more often.

Its nice weve found a back bone and team spirit at long last but we are still lacking depth and the quality to make a title push.

My biggest concern is injury/fatigue as we simply do not have players capable to cover the level of our main players.

We need to buy 2 players in the January window to strengthen our position, a genuine Striker and pacey forward to give us options against stubborn defences and keep us fresh.

Last thing we want is another end to season slump and a resurgent Chelsea etc leap frogging us.

Be more clinical, ruthless and turn numerous draws into wins then we can start dreaming.