4 things we learned: Liverpool can’t close, Benitez in trouble

Tottenham are out of the title race

There are only so many lifelines you get to survive the title race in a season when Manchester City have not dropped a point in almost two months. By virtue of their quality, Tottenham could be fancied as a proverbial dark horse to win the league in spite of their inability to win at home against, say, Swansea in mid-September.

Fool us once, shame on you Spurs. Fool us twice … well you’re not gonna fool us twice as this tie against West Brom marks the end of whatever was left of the Spurs’ title challenge. Similar to the Liverpool narrative, Spurs’ season is becoming a tale of missed opportunities. This is a team loaded with talent, young talent, featuring arguably the best attacking player in the Premier League alongside some of the best young talent England (and Belgium) has produced lately.

This is the same team that practically embarrassed European giants and Champions League holders Real Madrid at home. Squeezing out a win against lowly 17th-place West Brom should be expected from them. Their inability to do so is less a testament of the quality and parity of the Premier League and more an indication of Spurs’ inability to bring a winning mentality against lesser quality opponents. This is the encapsulation of what being “Spursy” is all about.

Beyond the results themselves, the bigger issue is that the likelihood that Tottenham will be able to keep their bright stars at the club is becoming less likely the further the team drops in the standings. At some point, the romance of playing for a smaller club wears off and the desire to win trophies takes over (while also earning more money in the process).