Spurs control the destiny of 3 teams

Spurs look set to decide not just their own fate but also that of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Although Liverpool’s quest for a first league title since 1990 carries far greater historical weight, it’s Sunday’s opponents, Tottenham, who seem central to more of this season’s most intriguing narratives.

On the one hand, they’re the only big-six club that still has to play both Premier League title contenders. And immediately prior to the team’s potentially pivotal league encounter on April 20, Spurs also have two Champions League quarterfinal ties against Manchester City.

On the other, just four points currently separate third-place Spurs from Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. So the race for Champions League qualification could well be as dramatic as the battle for the title itself.

Despite the fact that they trail league leaders Liverpool by 15 points going into this weekend, then, Tottenham are still very likely to have a decisive impact on the Premier League title race and beyond.

Looking at the remainder of the Premier League program, there are two clear potential bumps in the road apiece for the title contenders. For Liverpool, they’re this game and the Anfield clash with Chelsea, which is sandwiched between their two Champions League games against Porto.

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Although City have lost to Crystal Palace, Leicester and Newcastle in the league this season, the only clear danger signs ahead surround their encounter with Tottenham at the Etihad — immediately after the Champions League quarterfinal between the two teams has concluded — and the Manchester derby, both to be played in the space of five April days.

However, in spite of their pivotal position, Spurs have undoubtedly been in poor form lately. Indeed, they haven’t put in a truly convincing Premier League performance since playing Newcastle at the very start of February.

This is best demonstrated by the obvious benchmark of any Spurs season, namely their position relative to that of Arsenal, which has seen Tottenham’s lead of 10 points be reduced to just one in the space of a month.

In fact, Spurs have already lost six times in all competitions in 2019, including three defeats in their past four Premier League matches.

But regardless of those disappointing recent displays, there are still plenty of absorbing narratives surrounding the north London club itself.

Dele Alli and Harry Kane’s return from injury alone generates plenty of headlines, of course. Above all, though, Tottenham’s very belated move to their new stadium has added further drama at a juncture of the season when it’s hardly in short supply.

Given Spurs’ sub-par domestic displays at their temporary Wembley base — they’ve earned five more points away than at home this league season, albeit from two more games — their supporters will no doubt wish this transition had been completed a long time ago.

But for fans and neutrals alike, the impressive and unfamiliar backdrop when Tottenham move into the new stadium for their next league game will generate yet more intrigue.

In anything approaching normal circumstances, the future of Mauricio Pochettino would also have been a much bigger talking point. Zinedine Zidane’s return to Real Madrid had already calmed Spurs fans’ nerves to a degree in that regard, and their prayers were further answered when Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was permanently appointed as Manchester United manager on Thursday.

It would have been a shame if the Argentinian coach had departed in the near future, because there seems to be more to come from this Tottenham squad, perhaps a lot more. And who knows what Spurs might achieve if Pochettino can actually spend some money on players this summer. That could end up being the most dramatic subplot of all.