Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has worked miracles this season. AFP/VNA Photo
Paul Kennedy
If I wore a cap, which I rarely do, I would certainly doff it right about now to Ange Postecoglou. The Tottenham Hotspur manager has really got off to a flier since he became the boss in June.
Spurs are top of the league, unbeaten so far this season, and have amassed more points at this stage than any other team in Premier League history.
It’s also worth noting their fabulous start has been achieved without Harry Kane, their number one striker who they sold to Bayern Munich in August.
I imagine Tottenham fans must be on cloud nine right about now, and who can blame them. But I want to put things into perspective a little, and bring them back down to earth, with a slight bump rather than a deafening bang.
Without taking anything away from Postecoglou, who has been brilliant, they’ve not exactly had that tough a start to the season.
Granted, they beat Liverpool, but the circumstances surrounding that win were dubious, to say the least and they drew away at Arsenal. Other than those two teams, they’ve not really played anyone of note.
In the Premier League they have beaten Manchester United, who are currently in eighth place, Bournemouth (19th), Burnley (18th), Sheffield United (20th), Luton (17th), and Fulham (13th), who incidentally knocked them out of the Carabao Cup.
Their next four Premier League matches are against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Wolves and Aston Villa and on current form, I think they’ll probably win all of those as well.
But then things might start to get a little tricky.
At the beginning of December they’ll play Manchester City and Newcastle United within a week and when we get to the business end of the season in April, Tottenham have a run of four matches where they will face Newcastle, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, one after the other.
To be fair to Ange, he doesn’t pick the fixtures, and he can only manage a team to beat whoever they are scheduled to play next, but I think the Greek-Australian is sensible enough to know, there are tough times ahead.
Tottenham won’t win the league, I think that for certain. And they’ve been helped a great deal by not competing in Europe, as they finished eighth last time around.
But if they do spend some of the Harry Kane cash in January, and spend it well, then I think a Champions League place is not beyond the realms of possibility. VNS
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