Could Spurs Achieve a Top Four Finish?

· Source:- Pexels

Before the match against Norwich on January 22nd plenty of people were saying that this was a must-win game if Spurs are going to have any chance at all of a top-four finish this season. And, even if it looked like a draw was on the cards after Teemu Pikku’s 70th-minute penalty, it was Son Heung-min to the rescue with just nine minutes of the match remaining.

This first league victory of the New Year has certainly injected at least a little new hope into Spurs fans that they could be entering a new run of form. So could we see them leapfrog over Manchester United and Chelsea and end up in the top four?

While winning the Champions League would arguably be the dream come true for Mourinho, securing the top-four finish would have to be the priority for both him and the team - as the saying goes, you must walk before you can run.

With Liverpool's outstanding performance of late and Chelsea's current position, chances of winning the league are obviously out of the question for Spurs; it’s a far brighter prospect that they might find themselves in Europe next season, however they do in this year’s Champion’s League. For example, as of January 30th, football betting sites like Space Casino had them at odds of 15/4 to make a top-four finish and at 10/19 on to be in the top six. They've sat in more favourable positions, but that's not bad.

· Source:- Unsplash

Of course, a key question is whether enough of the team are fit to achieve the results required to take Chelsea’s place in fourth position. With Harry Kane sidelined with his hamstring injury, and maybe even out for Euro 2020, a key component of the team may not play any part. Harry Winks also picked up an injury in the Norwich game (but played against Southampton last Saturday) and many of the other players are suffering from fatigue. Then there’s the departure of Christian Eriksen to Inter to contend with, leaving a big gap to fill in midfield.

On the plus side, the arrival of Steven Bergwijn from PSV Eindhoven will mean that there will be plenty of strength up front. The 22-year-old may have cost £10 million more than the money the team received for Eriksen, but his form both for club and country suggests that it has certainly been money well-spent.

In terms of the key fixtures for Spurs which could really make a difference, there’s Chelsea away on February 22nd and Manchester United at home on March 15th. With both games being real six-pointers, Mourinho will desperately want to win them.

Finally, there’s the million-dollar question of whether Mourinho still has the tactical vision to take on the best teams in Europe. Many have commented that his style of play is starting to look increasingly outdated in 2020 with nimbler and more positive teams being able to run away with the action.

However he has shown that, when the chips are down, he knows how to win – and that could be all that’s needed to achieve that dreamed-of top-four finish.

Follow @spursodyssey