5 reasons why Tottenham Hotspur are out of the title race 

Over the past two seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have been one of the best teams in the English Premier League and finished within the top 3 on both occasions. Mauricio Pochettino had put together a team of superbly talented and meticulously drilled footballers, who had the ability to blow teams away week after week.

In spite of the fact that they finished third and then second twice in a row, it was thought that eventually, the team would cross the barrier and properly challenge for the title in the 2017-18 season.

However, that has not come to pass and following their 4-1 away defeat to champions-elect Manchester City last Saturday, any hope of a title challenge is over. They now lie at 7th and 21 points behind the leaders. Even a top 4 berth is now in danger. So, what caused this collapse?

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#5 Wembley woes

Spurs have had a torrid time at Wembley

Over the past two season, Spurs had turned White Hart Lane into a fortress. In the 2015-16 season, they lost thrice in 19 games and scored 35 goals, as they finished 3rd in the league. However, last season, they were on a different plane altogether as they went unbeaten at home and won 17 out of the 19 games while scoring as many as 47 goals in total.

Needless to say, it was their peerless home form that propelled them to 2nd place last season. However, White Hart Lane is being rebuilt and the club has made Wembley Stadium their home this season.

The narrow White Hart Lane pitch suited their high pressing style but it seems that the huge Wembley pitch has proven to be a bit of a problem and the results have pointed in that direction. They lost their very first home game to Chelsea, a team they had beaten home and away last season.

So far Spurs have played 10 games at home, won 5 and drawn as many as 3 games. The drab draw came against Burnley, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion. The goals have not been forthcoming either and a record of only 16 goals in 10 games for such a free-scoring side is a poor return.

#4 Midfield muddle

Central midfield has been a troublesome area for Spurs all season

The midfield is the beating heart of any good football team and over the past two seasons, Spurs were served well by the impeccable Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier among others.

Last season, even Victor Wanyama proved to be an excellent addition as a ball winning midfielder. However, this season the sporadic showings of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama's continued absence has taken the bite out of their midfield.

Players like Moussa Sissokho and defensive midfielder Eric Dier simply haven't been good enough to provide Spurs with the sort of control that the other players provided. The emergence of youngster Harry Winks is definitely a positive and perhaps, he will be an excellent deep-lying midfielder in the future but so far, he is too young to influence games day in and day out.

As a result, the attackers have not got the sort of service from midfield that they would have liked and that, in turn, has led to a dearth of goals. Naturally, Spurs are out of the title race even before the turn of the year.

#3 Toby Alderweireld's injury

Toby Alderweireld

In the 2015-16 season, Spurs' Belgian central defender Toby Alderweireld was the 3rd best defender in the league according to Squawka defender rankings and although he did not figure that high in the list last season, he remained one of the most influential players in the Spurs side.

This season, he started well (played all 10 games in the league) but pulled his hamstring during the momentous 3-1 win against Real Madrid at Wembley back in November and since then, he hasn't played for them. Pochettino had recently stated that he could be out for a while and it is interesting to note that since his injury, Spurs have had a torrid run.

Alderweireld is not only a defensive rock but he has the unique ability to play out of the back and distribute the ball well. In addition to that, he is a presence in the opposition box as well and often runs into good positions.

He is a nuisance during set pieces as well and his absence has hampered Spurs. They won against Cyrstal Palace, but lost to Arsenal, drew with West Bromwich Albion and then lost to Leicester City in the four games right after his injury. It is quite clear that his absence has hit Spurs hard and they either need to find a solution or enter the transfer market in January if the injury proves to be a long-term one.

#2 Key players burning out

Eriksen, Kane and Alli have not been handled properly

The scintillating football that Tottenham Hotspur have played over the past two seasons is down to the stellar show of their front line of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and star striker Dele Alli. However, there is genuine fear now that the trio might have suffered from a burnout at some point this season.

Eriksen played 48 games last season, Alli played in 50 and Kane appeared in 38. In the 18 league games this season, Alli started in 16 games (1 substitute appearance), Kane played 17 and Eriksen has played in all 18 games. In addition to that, the Champions League commitments and that too against higher quality opposition have further added to the workload.

Harry Kane is still producing the goods and getting into good positions in almost all games but at some point in time, the workload is going to catch up with him. Dele Alli has been a pale shadow of his former self and has scored only 3 goals all season so far.

In addition to that, the usual energy with which he plays and the runs into the box has dried up a bit. That cannot be good news for Spurs, considering the fact that the player had scored 18 goals last season. However, the most telling drop off has been seen in case of Eriksen.

The Danish star started the season on fire and was extremely influential in Spurs' attacking play, having made 3 assists and scored 3 goals in the first 8 games. Following that, he went through a prolonged drought during Spurs' wretched run in November and needless to say, the only reason one can attribute to such loss of form is burnout. Spurs can't do without these players but on the other hand, at least two of them seem to be running on fumes.

#1 No squad depth

Not much to offer

It is very rare to come across title-winning teams, who are also involved in the UEFA Champions Leauge to not have a squad deep enough to cover for a range of contingencies. What Pochettino has achieved on a relatively meagre wage bill as compared to arch-rivals Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs over the past two seasons has been remarkable.

However, there is no escaping the fact that the Spurs squad is simply not deep enough to go all the way in the league. The lack of bench strength is quite visible and has affected the team on many occasions.

The central midfield resources are a bit bare and the injuries this season (as documented above) have further exposed this. Pochettino cannot call upon anyone else other than the below par record signing Sissoko, defensive midfielder Eric Dier or youngster Harry Winks to shore up the midfield.

The creativity is often missing and when he has to change a game or try something new, he simply does not have much of an option. As a result, the team has often been played off the park in the midfield battle against the best teams.

Due to the absence of attacking quality on the bench and the injury to Lamela, Eriksen has had to play each and every game in the league. Vincent Janssen's addition to the squad last year as Kane's back up proved to be disastrous, so Pochettino moved him on and bought Fernando Llorente this season.

However, that has not provided the team with the alternative edge that he might have been looking for. Overall, the Spurs squad needs a reorganisation and addition of more quality. All their competitors took care of this aspect and are sitting pretty. Spurs, however, stood still and hence find themselves out of the title race 18 games into the league season.