Can Pochettino Help Tottenham To Finish In The Top Three This Season?

This season is set to be the most fiercely contested in the history of the topflight, with as many as 4/5 clubs capable of stealing the top prize away come May 2017.

With the Champions League spots the most prioritized by the top teams in the eventuality that they miss out on the title, the 1st to 3rd runners up positions will go only to the strongest of the strongest.

And after 11 rounds of games, the spotlight is on 5th-positioned Tottenham as regards how their campaign could turn out in 2016-17.

Last term, the north London club had their eyes on the title before falling short at the tail end of the season. Despite this, they finished 3rd – their best ever in the history of the league, and if they would be able to surpass or equal that achievement this season is anyone’s guess.

The current top 4 sides; Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal don’t only pose a huge threat to Tottenham’s title ambitions, piping anyone of them to the top 4 spots wouldn’t come easy.

While they are yet to come up against Chelsea, defeated City and drawn Arsenal and Liverpool, Spurs’ undefeated run hasn’t established them as the team to beat. They look more like the team to draw. 6 draws and 5 wins have only earned them 21 points – 3 shy of a 3rd/4th place on the log.

While they remain defensively solid at the back having conceded just 6 goals (1 from open play), their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, perhaps partly down to Kane’s absence until the Arsenal game could cause a lot of harm to their chances of equalling or bettering last season’s achievement.

They have only mustered to grab 15 goals thus far, with even 16th place Crystal Palace getting more (16), and their sole dependency on Kane doesn’t seem the best way to go. The England international is responsible for 20% of their goals, despite being available for just 6 of their league games, and the current owner of the EPL Golden Boot sure is more than capable of firing his side to glory having bagged 25 last season.

But as evident from his exploits in front of goal during the 2015-16 term, relying mainly on his prowess might not be enough to earn them a commanding spot on the log at the end of it all.

Janssen, Son, Alli, Lamela and Eriksen will have to fire in more goals if finishing in top 3 will be achievable. Tottenham style of play and defensive capabilities is far more than assuring that all will be well at the back.

Lloris, Rose, Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Walker are the best backline in the EPL, but even at that, they need quality backups on the bench to keep the unrivalled quality in check.

With the current top 4 scoring at will, and boasting of the best attacking duos and trios within their ranks, it would be very herculean for Spurs to finish in top 3, except they get it right upfront. The mantra – goals win you games, defences win you titles, might just not be true for once.