Premier League 2018-19: Why Tottenham will finish in the top four?
Tottenham is considered to be among the biggest clubs in the Premier League. They have produced a lot of world-class players like Harry Kane, Gareth Bale, and even Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modrić. The club is one of the top six clubs who aim to become the Premier League champions every season. Tottenham was a serious contender in the 2015-16 season and was fighting behind surprise package Leicester City to be crowned as the champion. But a draw against Chelsea dashed their hopes as Leicester City became the champions in the 2015-16 season.
In the current season, the team started the campaign brightly by winning the first three matches, including a 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Back to back losses against Watford and Liverpool derailed them off the track. After that, the team regrouped and won eight matches in the following ten fixtures.
Till now, Tottenham has won nineteen matches and lost six games. Though they are still in contention for the title with only a two-point difference between them and second-placed Manchester City, it looks like a two-horse race between Liverpool and Manchester City. The reason behind is that Liverpool are showing few signs of weakness, with only one loss in league games and Manchester City have a lot of quality back-ups, which is not the same in the case of Tottenham.
The reason why Tottenham will finish in the top four positions is that the team has shown on many occasions that they are capable of winning matches in the dying moments. The victories against Fulham and Watford came in the last five minutes, in the process securing four critical points. Son Heung-min is also back in the squad after featuring in the Asian Cup and is in sublime form with ten goals and six assists in 19 matches. With such statistics, he has proven that he is capable of filling the void created by the injury to star man Harry Kane.
Another reason in their favour is their away form in the current season. The club has lost only two away fixtures and they have accumulated thirty-three points in thirteen matches, the highest by any club in the league. Tottenham has four key matches against top clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Except for Arsenal, the team will play the remaining three fixtures on away soil. So, they will bank on their away form and would look to secure a place in the Champions League.
Another factor is that Chelsea and Arsenal are not playing at their full potential so far. Chelsea were unbeaten in twelve league games before Tottenham thrashed them at Wembley stadium. Arsenal, on the other hand, have always been poor against the top 4 clubs, especially in away fixtures. Manchester United in another team who are on a winning streak but Tottenham is nine points ahead and has a great chance to finish in the top four.
Tottenham have won four matches in a row and will face Leicester City and Burnley in their upcoming fixtures, before facing Chelsea and Arsenal. Results of the next few matches will go a long in deciding where Tottenham stand at the end of the season.