It looked like Tottenham were on a roll, but they weren’t.
After hiring manager Anzhi Postecoglou and naming Son Heung-min captain last summer, Tottenham have been on a roll and have come from behind to lose their last two games.
Their first 10 games were so good that they were even talked about winning the Premier League, and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola even acknowledged the possibility, but a run of back-to-back defeats in rounds 11 and 12 has seen them slip down the table. They’re now down to fourth place, with the top four in jeopardy.
They’re not far behind Manchester United, who are in a slump that has led to the sacking of manager Eric Dier.
Tottenham’s recent two-game losing streak has seen them slip from the top of the table to fourth place with eight wins, two draws, and two defeats in 12 games (26 points). That’s because their rivals took at least one point in rounds 11 and 12.
Man City, who had slipped to second place, reclaimed the lead with a 6-1 thrashing of Bournemouth in round 11, then drew 4-4 with Chelsea. Liverpool drew 1-1 with promoted Luton Town, but jumped from fourth to second with a 3-0 thrashing of Brentford. Arsenal lost 0-1 to struggling Newcastle, but defeated Burnley 3-1 to stay in third place.
This leaves the top four in the Premier League as Man City (28 points) Liverpool, Arsenal (over 27 points), and Tottenham (26 points).
In addition, fifth-place Aston Villa has pulled within a point of Spurs. Led by Spaniard Unai Emery, Aston Villa defeated Nottingham 2-0 in Round 11 and then beat Fulham 3-1 in Round 12 for their second straight win, improving their record to 8 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, leaving them with 25 points, one less than Tottenham. That’s five teams within one point of each other.
For Tottenham, they could have taken the lead with a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton in round 12 if they hadn’t conceded in late stoppage time, but after conceding back-to-back goals after the end of regulation, they are now in the thick of the top four battle. It’s also worrisome to note that top scorer Son Heung-min has faltered in the last two games.
Interestingly, Tottenham are also within striking distance of United. United narrowly beat Luton Town 1-0 at home on December 12, with defender Victor Lindelof saving a late goal. It was a game so uninspiring that Alex Ferguson and former England international Sam Allardyce, who was watching the game, yawned, but they got the result and won.
The Red Devils are now 7-5-1 (21 points) with more than a game in hand, but they are sixth in the table, five points behind Spurs, so a top-four finish and a fight for the title with Spurs is not out of the question.
In the meantime, Tottenham’s run of games against the big boys will test them. 카지노사이트
Immediately after the A-match break, they will face Aston Villa at 11:00 am on the 26th. If they lose, they’ll drop to fifth place and out of the running for a UEFA Champions League spot. Then, on December 4, the team travels to European powerhouse Man City, followed by West Ham, last season’s UEFA Europa Conference winners, on December 8, and Newcastle, currently in seventh place (20 points) and in the UEFA Champions League this season, on December 11.
