Premier League midseason report card: Tottenham
Tottenham have a good first half of the season but what grade did they receive for their performances at the midway point in the Premier League season?
The Good
Considering Tottenham’s performances in recent seasons, more and more has been expected of the London club that have played second fiddle to their arch rivals, Arsenal, for so long. Instead of just aiming for a top four place, Tottenham are now considered potential title contenders at the start of every season.
Spurs have been impressive so far this season and although they’ve not kept the same pace as Liverpool and Manchester City they’re not completely out of reach. What makes their third-place league position more impressive is the fact they made no summer signings.
What may scare Tottenham fans is the question of whether their team can maintain this kind of form. In recent seasons they’ve always had a slight dip that takes them away from the league leaders. That’s where the lack of additions to their squad could come into play, but Mauricio Pochettino could bring in some players in January.
The Argentine manager’s saving grace could be the fact some of his players have really upped their game this season. Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela are looking like two new signings with the way that they’ve been playing this season and although they’re not necessarily game-changers, they’re looking more effective than they ever have in a Tottenham shirt.
Most Spurs fans would probably agree their team’s greatest achievement so far in this season is their progression to the second round of the Champions League. Tottenham struggled in their first few matches in the group stages but beat the odds to make it to the next stage by grabbing a draw at the Camp Nou on the last match day.
Pochettino’s men have also made it to the semifinals of the Carabao Cup, meaning Spurs have had advanced as far as possible in each competition. That means that a quadruple is still on for Tottenham but most of their fans would agree that any kind of trophy would be a great achievement this season.
The Bad
There’s not a great deal of bad in Tottenham’s season thus far. The London club have been pretty successful on all fronts although their Champions League campaign has found this success through fortune rather than good play.
Tottenham grafted through to the second round but they required results to go their way after disappointing losses against Inter Milan and PSV. Their Dutch counterparts did them a favor in the San Siro on the final matchday but Tottenham will not be able to rely on this kind of help in the knockout stages.
Tottenham face Borussia Dortmund in the second round of the Champions League and if they perform like they did in any of those opening group matches, then the German side will advance. Spurs went out of the Champions League to Juventus last season when they were in an advantageous position and Mauricio Pochettino won’t want a repeat of that.
Aside from their suspect Champions League group stage there’s not been much to complain about for Spurs fans.
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What’s Next?
Tottenham will look to keep this form going and progress in all competitions. They face Borussia Dortmund in the next round of the Champions League and Chelsea in the semis of the Carabao Cup. Those ties are both winnable but Spurs will have to be at their absolute best and have all starters fit. If that’s the case they’ll have a great chance of progressing in both of those matchups.
Unless January additions are made, their title challenge will rely heavily on key players remaining fit during this busy upcoming period. The good news is that Tottenham face Everton, Bournemouth, Wolves and Cardiff in the next week and a half. Those are all winnable games that can propel them closer to leaders Liverpool.