Road Ahead for Tottenham Hotspur Over the Next Month

Tottenham Hotspur have bounced back from injuries to major stars, delays in their stadium, and a couple heartbreaking losses to be positioned for a real shot at glory as the final third of the professional football season begins.

Despite falling out of both domestic cups in January, since the calendar turned 2019, Tottenham Hotspur have managed injuries and fixture pile-up well enough to have a real chance in both the UEFA Champions League and Premier League with the last third of the season to go. What is the full context of the situation and what does Tottenham need to do over the next month before the next break for Spurs to have a legitimate shot heading down the season’s last seven weeks?

Tottenham and Fitness

While it would be nice talking about the Cup final against Manchester City looming or advancing to the Quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but the reality is Spurs needed a rest. With Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Ben Davies – among others – all missing significant time since early January, the squad has been stretched thin.

Youngsters – like Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, and Juan Foyth – have all made major contributions during the stretch. Additionally, veterans – like Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Sissoko, and Heung-Min Son, have stepped up their respective games to another level.  Yes, Son has done his best to replace Kane on the scoring charts, but it has been the strength of the collective team that has pulled the group through during this trying period.

Now, coming off some much-deserved rest, with Kane, Dele, Davies, and Dier all returning to health, the team looks to coming back to full strength at just the right time. If the returning players can seamlessly integrate back into the team, it will be like adding some new signings, who don’t take a year to bed into Pochettino’s complex system.

With less than 4 months to go in the season, if the squad can regain and then maintain its fitness Spurs have a real opportunity to make a run.

The Top Six Schedule

Over the next month all the top six have a handful of games against one another that will make this a Premier League title race as one for the ages or leave one side running away with things. Manchester United, who Spurs have already split with, will have a big say in the title race over the next month. United play Liverpool, Palace, Southampton, Arsenal, and Manchester City between now and the next International Break in mid-March. If United wins all those matches, Spurs could conceivably be in second only 2 points back, or if Liverpool were to drop more points along the way tied for or even in first place.

After the United match, Liverpool have Watford, Everton, Burnley, and Fulham. Not exactly murders’ row, making that United one pivotal for the title race. City only have four games, since they beat Everton mid-week a few weeks back. Their schedule, outside United is not difficult, but not relegation fodder either with West Ham Bournemouth, and Watford all before their meeting with United just before the break.

Spurs play both Arsenal and Chelsea in the next five matches, assuming Spurs win those and their other three, who cares what Arsenal and Chelsea have left on their schedule as they battle for Europa League qualification.

Bottom line, as we have been since Ole was appointed, Spurs continue to cheer for United – the only team with a better record than Spurs in the last 10 in the Premier League (8-1-1 to 8-2); as Manchester United could make this a race for the ages.

The Siren Song of Champions League

It looks like Spurs learned from the 1-0 win over Chelsea in the League Cup, and took all they could from Borussia Dortmund in the 3-0 smashing that was leg one at Wembley. While both teams were short their primary talisman, it was Son and Vertonghen who stepped up and stole the show for Tottenham. Having a 3-0 lead going into a VERY hostile environment at Signal Iduna Park.

What will soon be the second-largest single-tiered stand in the world – Tottenham’s new stadium will be first upon opening – will be rocking and Spurs need to be ready to stand strong. But an away goal at any point should put the match to bed and advance Spurs to the Quarter-finals, at which point anything can happen.

With a comfortable lead heading into the early March midweek affair, Spurs can genuinely focus on the Premier League and making a run.

Spurs Schedule Between Now and the Next Break

Tottenham have slated to have five Premier League games and the one Champions League match with the last on Sunday March 17 at home against Crystal Palace. I said slated, as Palace won their 5th Round FA Cup match this past weekend and will now be scheduled in the FA Cup Quarter-finals the weekend of Friday March 15 through Sunday March 17 – so Spurs Palace will be rescheduled.

Scheduling issue with Palace aside, Spurs have six winnable games in this stretch, which can put them in striking distance of the top and leave the Europa League places far in the rearview. Tottenham play at Burnley, at Chelsea, host Arsenal, go to Dortmund, and travel to Southampton before the schedule match with Crystal Palace.

Spurs v Burnley

Burnley is just above the relegation zone in Premier League and have been struggling to score with only 24 goals in 26 matches. Having given up 42 goals in those same 26 games, it is easy to see how Burnley only has 27 points. However, Burnley went into this most recent break feeling good, having not lost in the last seven league matches. A 5-0 trashing to City in the FA cup doesn’t count.

Since a 1-5 loss to Everton in December, Burnley has won four and tied three and moved out of the relegation zone. The question for Spurs is which Burnley shows up, the hot side that has 15 points in the last 21 or the team that only had 12 points from the first 19 matches. Regardless, if Spurs play their game, it is a win.

Spurs v Chelsea

A healthy Tottenham squad facing a team with a manager on the ropes or maybe a new manager altogether is looking for a little revenge when Spurs return to Stamford Bridge. Having lost in penalties in the semi-final of the League Cup, Tottenham has some payback for the Blues.

Chelsea is falling like a penny stock at the moment and having lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup, the calls for Sarri’s head grow louder and louder. In League the Blues have lost three of their last five and have dropped from third to sixth place, going 5-1-4 in their last 10 matches. It is hard to say what Chelsea will look like by the time Spurs reach the bridge in ten days, but it shouldn’t matter for a Spurs team on a mission looking to do Chelsea like City did a week ago.

Spurs v Arsenal

Tottenham already got some payback from the early December in-league loss to the Gunners with the 2-0 win in the League Cup. With cup competition over and some serious London bragging rights up for grabs, this will be a 10-round heavy-weight clash. Throw records out the window and expect the best from both sides.

This match starts a three-game stretch of Spurs, United, and Wolves for Arsenal, so you can bet it will be important to get a win here and keep their distant top four hopes alive. The Gunners can go a long way toward making a claim for the top four if they beat Spurs and United in back-to-back weeks. That said, if Spurs win, the United game doesn’t matter for us, but means a lot for Arsenal as they would be battling Chelsea for 5th/6th and automatic Europa League Qualification, versus the play-in route.

Given Arsenal should not catch Spurs regardless, the season is on the line for Arsenal when they go to Wembley on March 2. It will be up to Spurs to recognize the dire nature of Arsenal’s situation and seize the game against their rivals.

Spurs V Dortmund

As already mentioned, this is a big game, that isn’t as stressing as it could be if the Spurs held only a 1 or 2 goal lead. With a three-goal deficit heading into Leg Two Dortmund will have to push from the start giving Spurs opportunity to strike on the counter. With the value of an away goal still meaningful in European Competition, if only domestic too, scoring one goal and seeking another shut-out should be Spurs main objectives on the day. Either will make passing through to the Quarter-finals a nearly sure result and leave Borussia Dortmund with the consolation of likely winning the Bundesliga.

Spurs v Southampton

Whereas Burnley is trying to stay above the relegation scrap Southampton is smack in the middle of it in 18th place on 24 points. Like Burnley, Southampton has struggled to find the net this season, with only 25 goals in 26 games and has given up 41 for a -16-goal difference. While Danny Ings has returned to some health this year with seven goals, no-one else on the team has more than three.

Since Mauricio Pochettino left the south coast for London, Southampton has continued to slide down the table. This could be the year that sees the Saints fall out of the Premier League. While I doubt, we see any sentimentality from Pochettino at this point in the season, having just faced Chelsea, Arsenal, and Dortmund over the span of nine days, some rotation is likely to occur for this one. Of course, at this point rotation likely means much of the same line-up that just beat Dortmund 3-0 in Champions League, so it is not like Spurs would be bringing in B leaguers.

Spurs v Crystal Palace – TBD

So, this will likely end up being a game in hand for Spurs, which mean more mid-week games down the stretch for Tottenham. With the Champions League not starting up again for the quarters until April, when this game is moved, Tottenham may end up with two weeks off, from Saturday March 9 against Southampton until Sunday March 31 against Liverpool. That means potentially 22 days of preparation for what may be the biggest match of the year after the next break.

With that match, like the Palace one to come after the next break, we will cover those then. First Spurs need to win and then see what happens as a resurgent Manchester United tries to provide Tottenham with more than a punchers chance over the next month. Regardless, Spurs must handle their business or see the good will of a tough but successful season slip away.