The rollercoaster that is Tottenham Hotspur has experienced yet another turbulent and unpredictable campaign. However, Spurs fans were full of optimism at the beginning of the season. Antonio Conte, a proven winner, was at the helm. He had started to bring in some of his signings and the team looked impressive, using grit and tenacity to pip their fierce North London rivals to the final Champions League qualification spot on the season’s final day.
As this year’s Premier League campaign draws to a close, we will look at the last few fixtures for Spurs and try and decipher how it’ll pan out and where they’ll find themselves once the season draws to a close.
Although the season has been stormy, the North London club is in a similar position to last season, battling for fourth place. The difference is that they are battling against Newcastle, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Brighton. If Liverpool can string together an inspired run of form between now and the end of the season, they could also be in contention. However, they are chasing the pack at the moment.
The battle for the top four
With the season hotting up, Spurs are better placed than Aston Villa to claim fourth spot. However, it is a tight battle and too close to call now. Manchester United are in a better position than all of the other clubs we have mentioned, and Newcastle United are more likely to pip Spurs to the post, but nothing is guaranteed.
Looking at Spurs’ final few fixtures, they must win their home games against Crystal Palace and Brentford to consolidate their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League again. On paper, you’d fancy them to beat both of these teams. But, as we know, football on paper and the games themselves can often be two entirely different propositions.
There are no easy games in the Premier League but if Spurs are to squeeze back into the Champions League, they must win both. However, the main crunch games come away from home, and this will worry Spurs fans as they go into a crucial match against Aston Villa, having to beat them at Villa Park.
Spurs vs Villa
Ever since Steven Gerrard received his marching orders, Aston Villa has looked like a different team. They will be keen to finish the season on a high, having played incredibly well throughout March and April to put themselves in with a chance of qualifying for Europe.
Although every game in the Premier League is important, especially at the business end of the season, Cristian Stellini will be keen to make his mark as interim boss to put himself in contention to land the role full-time in the summer. It looks unlikely he will be selected to take over from Conte, but if he can get into the top four, he has a case as good as anybody else to take over permanently in the summer.
As we have already touched on, the issue for Spurs is that this game is at Villa Park – one of the toughest grounds in the country to travel to. It’s not impossible to win this game but you’d have to say Spurs go into it as second favourites.
They’ll be banking on their star captain to bail them out, as he has done many times. It looks more imminent than ever that he will leave the club in the summer, and he will no doubt want to end on a high note and propel his club into the Champions League again.
Given that Kane is one of the most commanding and recognisable names in English sports, he will command a serious fee that could help Spurs consolidate their position as a regular top-four team. However, if it isn’t spent wisely, it may signal the beginning of the end for Spurs as a major top-four contender.
Final game of the season
When Brentford travel to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, they might be slightly behind them in the league, but they won’t be intimidated. Instead, they will fancy themselves to get a result. Depending on the outcome of the Aston Villa game, this match could prove worthless for Spurs or it could be the crucial game that decides it all.
All will become clear once the Aston Villa crunch match has taken place. However, based on the run of fixtures and the teams around them, you’d have to say it will be either Manchester United or Newcastle United to finish fourth. Teams have lost more significant leads than this in the past, so it’ll be exciting to see which teams fall at the final hurdle and which can hold their nerve.
