5 teams in contention for 4th place in the Premier League this season
Even by its own standards of unpredictability, the English Premier League has left fans bewildered. The 2015/16 season has so far seen Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City dispel all lingering doubts and score freely on their way to 3rd position, West Ham United beating Arsenal, Manchester City AND Liverpool away from home, and league leaders Manchester City playing a goalless draw with bottom-placed Aston Villa.Most eye-catching, however, has been the fall of defending champions, Chelsea. Jose Mourinho’s men have shown relegation form in the initial stages of the season, the recent 1-0 loss to Stoke City further intensifying the mystery behind the reasons for the Blues’ decline. Chelsea’s slump has also left the race for the top four wide open.Here’s a look at 5 teams which could potentially fill up the all-important remaining Champions League place (assuming the two Manchester teams and Arsenal occupy the top three spots).
#1 Tottenham Hotspur
Mauricio Pochettino is doing it again. After previous successful stints at Espanyol and Southampton, the Argentine has, once more, built a youthful, energetic Spurs side whose high-pressing would make Jurgen Klopp proud.
Since their opening-day 1-0 loss to Manchester United, Tottenham have gone on an 11-game unbeaten run, defeating Manchester City 4-1 and keeping 4 clean sheets along the way. The 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates was yet another example of their newfound resilience and their ability to grind out results.
The partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in central defence has provided a stable base. Eric Dier in defensive midfield has proved effective in pressing opponents high up the pitch and the attacking midfield trio of Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Delle Alli (earlier, Nacer Chadli) have looked to attack on the break.
With last season’s hero Harry Kane rediscovering his form as well, Spurs will look to add goals to their game and convert those 0-0 draws and scrappy wins into more comfortable victories.
Moreover, the substitute’s bench, consisting of Ben Davies, Ryan Mason, Michel Vorm and Heung-Min Son, is more than capable of guiding the team through the hectic winter fixtures without major hiccups. The only major worry would be the Lilywhites’ occasional inability to score, something Pochettino might want to redress in the January transfer window.
That aside, Spurs look well-placed to cash in on Chelsea’s disastrous start and qualify for the Champions League. If they do, it will be due to Pochettino changing the ‘Tottenham Way’.