Can Spurs actually win the league?

Gameweek 25. Spurs 2nd, 5 points off top. Surely this is a context everyone would have been delighted at in August?

It was very interesting on MOTD go hear Alan Shearer talk about how Leicester have always been the underdogs, dark horses for the title. Well, so much for that! But a Leicester City team favourites to win the title may be an entirely different animal to the one that's secured the points up to now. If, as Shearer's Blackburn did, they struggle across the line, and we maintain consistency, always chasing results, then for the first time in my lifetime (I like to think I'm the youngest out of everyone on here ) we actually can win the league. That's not me fishing, not me being deluded, that's an honest statement. Pochettino has us dominating teams, with strength in depth everywhere apart from an out and out striker, he has us winning games but almost as importantly he has us replying immediately after bad performances - the two defeats since United have been followed with three wins on the trot, as a minimum.

Still, the title. It's a long shot, I know. And if I'm honest there's only one way I see it happening - Leicester stay top, keep the limelight on themselves, faulter, drop points in the last few games and we snatch it, with City having dropped points and the Gooners out of sight down in their usual place of 4th. I don't think that the squad would hold with the mental pressure of leading from the front now until May; in fact I'd be far happier to be second right now.

Honestly, this may be our best shot at the title from now until the new stadium's paid off. City under Guardiola will throw money at players, United will buy buy buy, Arsenal will unfortunately attract big names in the summer, and Chelsea will return far stronger. I think at this point I've really got to say, if you offered me second right now I wouldn't take it. 1st or 4th - to dare is to do.

To end with a quote I saw on my Twitter, Spurs are that piece of toast that always lands butter side up.

COYS

 

IMO its like most sports you have to lose one to be a better / real chance the next time you get in that position to win one........however I cannot remember seeing a SPURS team playing as consistiently as this one and I am not that far off the big 50.

We are relentless this year, and seem to be able to lift that extra 1%, it doesn't sound like much but in team sports when every team member plays their part, it is the difference between where we are this year and where we have been in the past. Ah the past...... COYS

 

we are in with a shout of the title. ....I don't remember being in February and having seen anything like that in recent years
It seems we have the belief...and the play...to really keep mon winning games. thats all we have to do. thats all we can do. forget about looking too far ahead. win each game.

Leicester's win yesterday really does show they are having a great season. Aside form the fact we are in with a shout.....its really good to see a side outside of the normal ones heading the league.
I watched Shearer (MoTD) talk about the Blackburn team that won the leaue. He must have forgotten the amount of money spent by them to do that! ...nowhere near the same as Leicester's (current) feat

 

What do you say. A good performance, totally dominant, only one goal mind, but sometimes that happens. We then find ourselves in second place with the Gooners and Sheik City breathing down our necks.

How does that feel......A cautious "pretty good". As I watch MOTD, week in, week out, the truth is there are no better sides than is in the league this year. It is true that the draw and defeat to Leicester currently defines us being second rather than first, but there are enough games left and the Gooners have them next week.

We know Sheik City are vulnerable, based on their humbling to Leicester, so as long as we take our chances, we could come away with three points.

For me the Chadli and Lamela starts were a surprise, and didn't work for me..Alli and Son for me next week.

If I think back to the opening home game in August our group at The Lane didn't really know what to make of our prospects for the season. Fast forward to game 25, we're in second and are good enough to win the title......said in a whispered voice, as I/we don't want it to be a false dawn....we've had a few of those, for sure.

COYS

 

I have to agree with the fact that sitting in second is probably the best place to be at present - personally I (and probably most fans) would not survive to the end of the season if we were five points out in front now. Leicester and ourselves have the opportunity to make it a two-horse race this weekend, and I cannot help myself watching Leicester and cheering them on at present, but the pressure will tell on them if they continue out front towards the end of the season.
Ironic that the Cockerel should be chasing the Foxes but 'the times they are a' changing'.

 

We can win it this year, but Leicester can even easier than us. Our fans need to stop looking down on Leicester as being less worthy than us and, somehow, lucky. The progress we have made is good, no doubt of that, but they have surpassed it by a mile.

I cannot remember such a weak PL or, in fact, First Division as what we have now. It is in this context we need to judge where we are., and you know you are in a false year when the league is topped with 12 games to go by last years 14th placed team with the reigning champions out of the top ten.

We have a lot of potential for definite, but let's keep it real as to where we are.

 

Any team five points clear with only 13 games to go,in fantastic form and no other cup distractions are very very strong favourites.
If we were lo lose at the etihad as we normally do of late and the foxes won the 8 point gap would almost certainly end our hopes.
Not often we ask a favour of the goons but a draw and a spurs win would be a real boost to our title push. If not dare I say it an arsenal win would be even nicer!

 

All we can do is concentrate on ourselves and the next 13 remaining matches. No point in worrying and fretting over what the Foxes or any other team does. I reckon we can probably afford to lose 1 match, maybe draw 3 matches and win 9 of the remaining 13 at a minimum. Sunday will be a massive litmus test for our young side. If we really want to be champions, we should be able to come away from the Etihad with a positive result. Funny, but ever since Peter Crouch scored his famous winning goal against the Sheiks, I've always felt their ground is our proving place, so if we cannot get a result against this underachieving side with a suspect defence, then we may be have to accept that we are not ready to be English Champions yet. These are the situations we want to be in on a regular basis though, so roll on Sunday! COYS!

 

What I've noticed after watching all but 3 games (LFC KO same time as us), is the desire and confidence to win. People doubted Wimmer but what a job he's done for Verts. The whole team gave improved on last yr. Davies is even playing better now. Trippier now come of age. Dembele (I love that guy) is a beast. They all believe they can win. Tbh I will still accept 4 th if it comes down to the wire. Forget 13 games to go. We have EL which will test our resolve and the FA cup. Sunday will be the test 5-1 last time. Take the Leicester attitude up there, they fear no-one and we can win again. 1 game at a time. Think back to when Newcastle beat us at home from bottom 3 where they are again. How did we LOSE to a Shiite team like that?? I forget when we were last second if at all and I've been a fan since '67, but it's a great feeling Aint it ??!

 

The simple answer is yes. And Leicester are top because so far this season they have been the best team.
Leicester have a slight advantage in so much as they only have the league to concentrate on. We have three fronts to go for and balancing that will be a real test for Poch and his squad.
We have strength in depth and although we do lack another recognised striker, we have other players getting enough goals to fill the void should Kane be missing. Hopefully we won't need to cross that bridge.
Poch is very clear that he and the squad take things one step and one game at a time.
That is the sensible approach to take and Poch will not get carried away with any media title talk.

There is no doubt in my mind that Spurs can win the league and what a chance they have to do so. If they do win the league, and if even they do not, Spurs are very close to the glory glory nights again.

 

Current PL Champions also lost to Newcastle last season. May be it is a good sign...

I agree we should not discount LCFC. However, we are deeper team, I believe. Take Mahres and Vardy out, they have absolutely nothing to show for. Spurs can do without ANY two players UPFRONT.

Winning the league is quite premature. It is nice to be above Woolwich and second overall, but at this point I am looking at point difference with MUFC. That is most important to me.

 

We've got some big games on the horizon, wel have to be at our best to win the League.
We're in a great position but we will need to put the big Teams coming up to the sword.
Its all about who wants it the most from here.

 

Anyone who beats the Mancs will do me. Glad Costa got that late one. Te He....... and to think we nearly got Vsn Gaal

 

Exactly.....fancy watching that each week, even if they've been a tad better lately...

 

We were watching that each week last season , were we not .. What a diff in the space of a year and while we're playing fantastic stuff at the min and everything looks rosy for the future things change fast , I bet a certain Merseyside team were thinking the exact same thing not so long ago and look at them now 300+ mill later ... Enjoy the moment , and if this season has taught us anything , its don't look too far ahead because things can change very quickly one way or the other ...

With regards to winning it this year we prob need a lot of things to go our way like injuries , loss of form , burnout , how far we go in other comps will prob have a say in it .. We have plenty of cover in most positions but we need to keep the spine of the team healthy .. For me , that will prob be key .. Everybody recognizes the potential problem if anything happened to Harry , but for me Dier is also key , if anything went wrong with him we,d be loosing 2 players , our deff mid and our cent deff cover but who knows , i for one couldn't see where the goals we needed were going to come from all season but that's not looking like a prob at all now so for me trying to predict what's going to , , or not going to happen next is flakey to say the least ... It's great just to be in the equation and we should all embrace it while it lasts ... C.O.Y.S .....

 

Van Gaal......I just have to turn the tv off evey time he speaks.

Looking forward to the game against City. we know it won't be an easy game. they will be well up for it after losing to Leicester. but we have the team that can go there and win the game. more so the players believe that now.

COYS!

 

It is only the most exciting title race ever cos Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea have been rubbish, while Arsenal and Man City have been inconsistent.
At the same time, Spurs and Leicester have developed their own identities and ways of playing that have got them results.
It will be different next year. Certainly i'd expect Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City all to have new managers and new players.
So basically it's now or never in terms of winning the league. Never gonna be a better chance i feel

 

I would add to it one quite detrimental thing - distractions. The late gossips spread out by Sun about MUFC talking to Poch agent, or as they call it "representatives" is absolutely uncalled for given the situation. I hope MP will put a quick and forceful end to it.

 

It's inevitable though , when things are looking good and your stock is high the vulture,s will be lurking ... I'd say 90% of the time it's horse-sh1t anyway , lazy ass journalism to fill a few column inches or agents stirring it up trying to milk another few quid etc etc ... Think I read somewhere that Poch doesn't have an agent , he represent s himself so I'm not saying thats what's happening here but in general its fairly common ... One thing that's going to have to change to give us our best chance to hang to our best assets is the wage structure .. It's unrealistic to expect people to keep turning down huge increases to move elsewhere .. I'm not expecting us to compete with the sugar-daddies , that's fantasy land but we've got to make the gap smaller ...

 

Whatever happens this season, we will finish where we deserve. We have the highest goal difference in the league, this shows our quality with the majority of EPL games played.

If we can keep this team and manager pretty much as is, what is stopping us from being even better next season, even with our rivals $pending gazillions again.

This season has really shown that a team is not 1 or 2 brilliant individuals but a sum of its parts. When the times get tough it is about heart and will. As the Poch has said the players get paid to train. This is what separates the mercenaries from the players I want wearing the Lilywhite. COYS.