Tottenham Hotspur and a Busy Holiday Schedule
By Aaron Coe
On Saturday Tottenham Hotspur host Chelsea at Wembley to kick off a very full slate of matches over the holidays. While most people will spend the last 40+ days of the year preparing for festivities, Spurs will be stretched to keep some silverware hopes alive.
With the third and final International Break behind us, we can look forward to a long string of matches over the next six weeks as we enter the new year. Starting with the Chelsea match on November 24 through a trip to Wales to play Cardiff City on New Years Day, Tottenham Hotspur will play 12 matches over 39 days, an average of 1 match every 3.25 days.
The breakdown is simple, one Carabao Cup match, two Champions League affairs, and nine Premier League matches, which will take Spurs beyond the half-way point in terms of games in the league. Just for some perspective, this Saturday, the Chelsea match is Day 13 of the Premier League, forty-two days from today on New Year’s, Spurs will be playing on Day 21 in the League.
At this point, it is what it is, and it sure makes for good TV, so who are Spurs playing and what might we expect over this holiday of football?
Spurs Finishing November
Spurs are a perfect 4-0 in all competitions thus far in November. That record will certainly be put to the test with Chelsea and Inter Milan coming to Wembley on the 24th and 28th. The key is that they are both coming to Wembley. I know I don’t like still calling it home, I can only imagine what the players really think. Still, Spurs have been able to make the most of the stadium and certainly can beat both squads on any given day.
A victory over Chelsea would leapfrog Spurs into third place in the League and help to maintain the distance between us and the chasing pack. Further, a victory over Inter is paramount for any remaining hopes of Champions League glory to continue. Even with victory, the road is tough. Even so, it can all start with a strong Wednesday night in London against the Italians.
Spurs’ Early December
December marks the start of mid-week games in the Premier League and Spurs play 3 games over seven days to begin the month. First on Sunday December 2nd, Tottenham travel across northern London to visit the Emirates and take on arch-rival Arsenal. Given there are already 3 points between Spurs and the Gunners, a Tottenham victory would really create some distance.
Spurs follow the Sunday match by hosting Southampton on Wednesday, December 5th at Wembley. Southampton has really struggled this season with only 1 victory in 12 matches. That said, it is Mauricio Pochettino’s former team and they play tough.
Following the midweek game, Spurs then travel up to Leicester to take on the Foxes. Leicester City are currently a solid mid-table team at 10th. They have 17 points, 10 points from the top 4 and 9 points clear of relegation. Clearly, the rest of season is going to have an emotional cloud following the loss of their owner.
Three games- all with their own emotional tilt- but all very winnable for Spurs. Given the defenses on each of these sides and the fact that Arsenal is a derby, I expect Harry Kane to really come alive during this stretch and Spurs can and should win all three.
Spurs in Mid-December
Instead of the Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday of the prior week, Spurs follow-up the trip to Leicester with a Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday turnaround. Just a few days after Leicester City, Spurs get on a plane for their final Group Stage game in this years Champions League. Barcelona and maybe some destiny await, presuming Spurs beat Inter a fortnight prior. Hard to say what this game will mean to either side at this point, but likely Barcelona will already be through and guaranteed first place, so you never know.
On Saturday December 15, Burnley travel to Wembley for Day 17 of the League. Burnley have struggled this season with only two wins from 12 matches, but 3 draws on top of the wins have them just outside the relegation zone with 9 points. Currently, Burnley also have one of the poorer goal differentials in the League, which could be detrimental down the stretch for them in a relegation battle. Fortunately for Spurs, that is not their concern as they should easily sweep them aside. The one issue may be the trap nature of playing Burnley between the trip to Spain and the quarterfinal League Cup match with Arsenal.
The second Tuesday of the mid-December stretch leads Spurs back across north London to again take on the Gunners. It will be the second meeting in under three weeks, and one with real potential silverware implications. The winner of this match is on to the semi-finals and one win away from a shot at a trophy. I’ve previously written about my desire to go all in for the Carabao Cup, and this is a MUST win game for Spurs. Ideally, they sweep these two December matches.
Spurs at the End of the Calendar Year
Tottenham end the calendar year and begin it the same way, playing Premier League football. From Sunday December 23 through Tuesday January 1, Spurs play four matches in the League. This four-game stretch- which is great for fans and terrible for players- can define a lot, presuming business is taken care of earlier in the month.
First comes a Sunday trip to Merseyside in a match against Everton. Spurs are currently 8 points ahead of Everton, who sit in 9th on 19 points. Everton has had good home form, with only 1 loss coming at Goodison Park this season in six matches. While Spurs are the superior side, the intensity likely won’t be very short of a derby.
Although technically the first game of the second half of the season is on Day 19, Tottenham take on AFC Bournemouth for the first time in 2018-19 on Wednesday December 26 at Wembley. Bournemouth has had a strong season currently sitting in 6th on 20 points. They have won three games both at home and on the road this season, so they are strong wherever they play. As the 10th game in this stretch, I smell a trap Spurs need to avoid.
The last game of 2018 for Tottenham is against Wolverhampton at Wembley on Saturday December 29. Spurs just beat the Wanderers 3-2 earlier this month at Molineux Stadium. By the time this game occurs some seven weeks later, it will have seemed a lifetime. That said, we saw Wolverhampton that won’t quit and at 16 points currently, they will have a lot to play for on the path to 40 and what is usually safety.
Of course, no holiday period is complete without a trip for New Years. This year Spurs travel up to Wales to play Cardiff City on New Years Day. Cardiff is currently struggling sitting on 8 points and in the relegation zone based on goal differential. With 8 games in League to play between now and then a lot could change for Cardiff. What likely won’t be different is the chasm between the talent of the two clubs.
Bottom Line for Spurs
The bottom line over the next 40 days or so is that Spurs truly only play a few games- Chelsea, Inter, Arsenal and Barcelona- where they will not be the clear favorite. If the club can keep the momentum built already this November, and win the next 12 games, things could get interesting.
There is one must-win in the League Cup, at least one must-win in the Champions League, and 9 must-wins in the Premier League. With the season some of the other clubs are having, what choice is there but win? Good news, this has been one of the strongest times of year for the club since Pochettino has arrived, so anything could happen!