Opinion: Why there is still much to be optimistic about this season

Following the FA Cup defeat to Everton last week, along with the very poor league form which has seen Tottenham fall from first place in the Premier League to ninth in a matter of months, we have seen a lot of negative energy surround the club.

However, despite what has gone on over the last few months, there is still a lot to be positive and excited about in the 2020/2021 season.

The recent form of the team has seen Tottenham slide down the table from first at the beginning of December to currently 17 points off Manchester City at the top.

Now, even the most optimistic of Tottenham fans will tell you that the chances of winning the league this season have gone but the odds of getting into the top four are still as high as ever.

Currently sitting 10 points off Manchester United in second and 7 points off Liverpool in fourth, with a game in hand, it is certainly a gap that Tottenham can close in the final third of the season.

On paper, Tottenham’s run-in is more favourable than their top-four rivals. The table below compares Tottenham’s average place per opponent remaining and the number of remaining games against the Top seven (Traditional Top 6 + Leicester).

Average place per opponentGames against Top 7
Manchester United                 9.935
Liverpool               12.363
Chelsea                 9.805
Leicester               11.005
Tottenham               10.873

As shown by the table, Tottenham may only have the third easiest run-in of their rivals but they crucially have a fewer number of games left against the Top Seven.

This could be pivotal as it has the potential to allow Tottenham to build up momentum against the so called ‘lesser’ teams before they play the Top Seven sides.

Another big factor is that, unlike earlier this season, Tottenham do not play any Top Seven clubs back to back, further enhancing the notion that they will be able to put together a run of results and challenge for the top 4.

Secondly, Tottenham are currently in the final of the League Cup having beat Brentford 2-0 in the semis – their first domestic final since losing to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the same competition back in 2015.

Although they are a modern juggernaut, Manchester City have, in recent history, struggled against Tottenham. This is the kind of game that Jose Mourinho was brought to the club for. To instil a winning mentality in the squad and the club to set up for future success.

This factor, along with multiple players Kane, Son and the majority of the squad, looking to go that final step and win honours for the first time in their careers, should have them chomping at the bit to put in the performance that ends the club’s trophy drought.

Finally, Tottenham are still very much in the race to win the Europa League. Spurs have an easier looking draw in Wolfsberger AC who currently sit sixth in their domestic league.

Meanwhile, some of the other bigger clubs in the competition have been drawn against each other (Real Sociedad v Manchester United, Benfica v Arsenal, Lille v Ajax).

With many games to go before the final in Gdansk, it is by no means a guarantee that Tottenham will end up winning the trophy.

Mourinho has twice been a manager in this competition and he has won it both times so he knows better than anyone what it takes to win.

So, to conclude, while it may currently be all doom and gloom around Tottenham Hotspur, there is still plenty to be positive about with a good set of fixtures in the Premier League in the race for the top four, a final at Wembley in the League Cup, and a great chance of winning a European trophy for the first time since 1984.

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