How Does The Fixture List Help Tottenham In The Business End Of The Season

Barring the disappointment of their European campaign, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur side have had a decent season in terms of domestic competitions. They are the closest in the table, to Antonio Conte’s Chelsea who are running away with the title and have also been drawn against them in the semi-final of the FA Cup. They have backed up their previous campaign well so far but will need to finish the league strongly to get into the next season on a high. They have 59 points from 28 games, with Manchester City (57), Liverpool (56), Manchester United (52) and Arsenal (50) all in close quarters. Arsenal and United have played a game less than Spurs while Liverpool have played a game more. They have no games over Manchester City which makes this year’s top-4 race all the more interesting. So does fixture list allow Spurs to finish at second place at the end of the season?

Tottenham have just lost three league games this season and all of them have been on the road. They have won 13 of their 15 games at home and have drawn the other two, making the White Hart Lane a fortress. They are the only team unbeaten at home this season in the top flight and there are just a couple of teams in the top-6 that travel to the Lane from now to the end of the season. Arsenal and Manchester United, who are not too far away from Tottenham on the points table will face Pochettino’s side at White Hart Lane and if Spurs can get maximum points from these ties, Watford and Bournemouth should not be hard points to collect.

But this is where it becomes tricky for the Lilywhites. They will play six games away from home from now to the end of the season and they reside at the bottom of the away table in the Premier League, losing 3 games and drawing another 6. The Turf Moor and the Liberty have been hard places to win games at and Tottenham go there right after the international break. Anything less than 4 points can seriously dent their chances of a place in the top-4. Following those two games are trips to the Stamford Bridge and the Selhurst Park, which are also tricky fixtures for Pochettino’s side. The Olympic Stadium will make itself heard in the final games of the season while a trip to the KCOM comes with its own difficulties.

The injury to Harry Kane will certainly affect their game and even if Heung-Min son can deputize, they will need to be at their best in each of their away games to even have a shot at a place in the Champions League next season. As already mentioned, their away form has been the worst this season in the top-6 and they still have to play three of the top-6 in their remaining games. They have to find form and rhythm to help themselves get through these fixtures.

Do you think the Spurs have a tough fixtures schedule that might knock them out of the top-4?