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The race for the all-important Champions League spots – the top four positions in the Premier League – is now as hot as it’s ever been this season. Sure, it looks like Manchester City and Liverpool have the top two places sewn up, but when it comes to finishing 3rd and 4th, we have a four-way shootout between Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea with a hell of a lot on the line.
Right now many observers are predicting that Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham will miss out. They’re on a horrible run of form that’s seen them pick up just 1 point in their last 5 league games, but despite that, it’s still highly likely that they’ll make the top 4 – and could still even finish third.
Here are 3 reasons why Spurs won’t be the side to lose out in this race.
#1 They have a relatively simple run-in
Arsenal appear to have the softest run-in of the four chasing clubs, as they haven’t got to face any fellow Top Six sides during their last 7 games, but a closer look might tell you differently. The Gunners do have to play Wolves – who are currently 7th in the table and are coming off a win over Manchester United – and Leicester, who look increasingly dangerous since Brendan Rodgers took over the helm, and of their remaining fixtures, 5 of them are away.
Manchester United have six games remaining – one less than any of their rivals – and two of those games come against Manchester City and Chelsea, while the Blues themselves also have to face Liverpool and Leicester as well as United. Tottenham though? They still have to visit the Etihad, granted, but outside of that their fixtures seem relatively simple.
The list of teams they have left to face, ignoring City? Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton. 5 of those are home games, and more to the point, all six sides have lost to Spurs earlier in the season in Premier League action, with Bournemouth and Everton shipping 11 goals between them.
Basically, there’s a distinct possibility that Pochettino’s side could win all of their final 7 games apart from their showdown with Man City – and if they do that and take 18 points, it seems highly likely that they’ll finish the season in the top 4.
#2 Harry Winks is coming back
Nobody is going to confuse Tottenham’s Harry Winks with Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo any time soon, but there’s no denying that the England midfielder has become a key player for Pochettino’s side this season – and there’s even more evidence to suggest that they’ve missed him dearly during his absence due to injury over the past few games.
Tottenham have lost 10 league games this season, but Winks has only started in 5 of those losses, and even more interestingly, when Winks and Moussa Sissoko have hooked up in Spurs’ midfield, they’ve only suffered 4 losses. Winks might not be a flashy player – his WhoScored average rating of 6.56 is nothing to brag about really – but he provides Spurs with a lot of stability in the centre of the park, particularly against lesser sides, and rarely loses the ball, as his pass success rate of 91.8% shows.
Without Winks, Spurs have struggled for control in the midfield areas against Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool – but he should be ready to return either against Crystal Palace tonight, or in the worst case scenario, in the match against Huddersfield. His return will give more support to the likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen – and if he hooks up with Sissoko again, it should mean Spurs are at full strength for the home stretch of the season – meaning they shouldn’t slip out of the top 4.
#3 The move to the new stadium should give them a boost
The subject of Tottenham’s new stadium – which has been built on the old White Hart Lane ground that they used prior to 2017/18 – has been a sore one throughout 2018/19, as various delays have meant that the club have yet to play there. Tottenham’s form at Wembley has still been impressive – they’ve lost just 4 games there – but everyone associated with the club, from Pochettino down to all of the players, has been dying to play in the new ground.
Finally though, the delays are over. Spurs will open the new stadium tonight by playing host to Crystal Palace, and while there is some evidence to suggest that clubs often struggle when moving into new stadiums, that likely won’t be the case for Tottenham as they haven’t moved area per say, and the scenario surrounding the saga of the new White Hart Lane has been so frustrating for the team.
Assuming Spurs hit the ground running and defeat Palace in the new stadium, then it could rejuvenate their season somewhat – and the best part is that of their 7 remaining fixtures, 5 of them will take place there. If they can instantly turn White Hart Lane into a fortress, that’s likely 15 points guaranteed for them – more than enough to keep their top 4 spot alive.
