Yo, Tottenham is Really Good

It’s a shame that Harry Kane’s injury earlier today is Tottenham’s biggest headline this season. With celebrity managers Guardiola, Klopp and Mourinho in their first years with new clubs, Arsenal’s pathetic drama, and Chelsea’s dominance, it’s been hard to find room to praise Tottenham Hotspur for their quickly-rising status in the Premier League.

Spurs, much like the NBA’s Spurs, have been chilling at 2nd place in the league for a while now. If not for an average start to the season, Tottenham would be breathing down Chelsea’s neck. That being said, Spurs’ consistency and the extremely promising rise of their young English stars make them arguably the most exciting club to watch in the PL this season.

Form can dive as quickly as it rises in football, but Tottenham have gotten past this problem for the most part. The cohesion of this team is surprising given their youth. The work rate is kept high, and given the occasional wild attempts by Heung-Min Son, the attack is graceful. Even when a centerback like Vertonghen makes a run, it always seems to make sense in the moment. No one does more than they need to do, and they all execute brilliantly.

It’s been awhile since Gareth Bale and Luka Modric graced North London, but it was only last season the Nigerian-English 20-year-old phenom Dele Alli was a developing talent. This season he’s Spurs’ second-leading goal scorer and leader in assists. As soon as Alli emerged as a mainstay, English schoolboy lookin-ass Harry Winks joined the first team as an 18-year-old and has done nothing but impress in the midfield.

Meanwhile, England’s future a.k.a Harry Kane has been producing classier finishes than a Sean Connery ‘James Bond’ film.

Whether it’s a left-footed volley…

https://youtu.be/N0u95WGdIac?t=2m7s

Or a right-footed screamer…

https://youtu.be/qVxnYmIitzE?t=4s

The balance of flair and poise in pretty much any Harry Kane or Dele Alli goal embodies how this exciting yet disciplined side plays. They rip apart teams they’re expected to beat, and they’re one season away from having the confidence to secure more crucial points against top-5 teams. Though teams like Man City and Liverpool know how to walk away with Ws against rivals Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea, Tottenham’s weekly quality is what keeps them floating just above the pretense of those big name clubs.

Their performance in European competition leaves much to be desired, but with the kinds of leaps they’ve taken under Pochettino, it isn’t hard to see Spurs become contenders in the Champions League in a couple of years. I mean, at least they’d be better than Arsenal.

Getting past their disappointing Champions League performance this year, just look at the margins of victory in domestic matches the past three months. Though Liverpool, City and Arsenal are rough equivalents in points, they aren’t giving out high-level ass-whooping to the rest of the league like this:

  • March 12, FA Cup: Tottenham 6, Millwall 0
  • February 26: Tottenham 4, Stoke City 0
  • February 19, FA Cup: Fulham 0, Tottenham 3
  • January 14: Tottenham 4, West Brom 0
  • December 28: Southampton 1, Tottenham 4
  • December 14: Tottenham 3, Hull City 0
  • December 3: Tottenham 5, Swansea City 0

As we pray for Kane’s ankle to heal quickly, look out for Tottenham in the next couple of seasons. With the gains they’ve made in just a couple of years, along with the buzz of a new stadium, a convincing Champions League run and a true Premier League title campaign is not out of reach.

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