Tottenham looking for help this week as top four hopes fade

Like any interested observer or fan, Tottenham Hotspur is going to be closely following the Premier League matches between now and when they play on Sunday. Following a difficult loss at Leeds, Tottenham, who were already on the outside looking in, needs major help this week to have any chance at making the top four.

Only two places left for Tottenham to fight for

Manchester City was already guaranteed a spot in next season’s Champions League and winning the league seems just a formality. This past weekend, after another penalty helped push Manchester United into the lead and another three points, the Red Devils became the second team to guarantee their position in the top four.

Manchester United is not pegged on for second place but they cannot finish any worse than fourth at this point, hence the guaranteed spot. However, Tottenham really needs United to finish second, or at least win the next two games anyway.

Man U plays both Leicester City and Liverpool this week in games Spurs need the Red Devils win. After those two matches, Spurs fans should not be all that concerned with United but we do need them to get those six big points to keep Leicester and Liverpool standing in place.

Besides United, Tottenham need help from a lot of others too

Realistically, Tottenham needs everyone in front of them to lose their fixtures, besides the two  Manchester clubs at this point. With Spurs eight points adrift of Chelsea in third and seven points adrift of Leicester City in fourth; the Lilywhites can ill-afford either team to win any more matches.

With 65 now the maximum point total Tottenham can achieve, a win by both Chelsea and Leicester would effectively eliminate Spurs from the top four.

So who are we cheering for? Everyone, but…

First, is Manchester United who plays Leicester today. If The Foxes win, all that left is the crying for Spurs so we are really all in on Manchester United. Chelsea hosts Arsenal in a London derby, so we have to want the Gunners to win too.

If, somehow if both Manchester United and Arsenal win, then Chelsea and Leicester play each other in a game where a draw is likely the best outcome we can hope for, or maybe a Leicester loss. As two Leicester losses and two Tottenham wins would set up a final day showdown, with Leicester only 1 point in front of Tottenham and the Spurs looking for some revenge. 

Liverpool and West Ham make it more difficult

That could make for one heck of a last day for Tottenham and Leicester City. Of course, they may be playing to see who finishes sixth or seventh as Liverpool and West Ham are still in between Tottenham and the current third and fourth place teams.

At this point, Liverpool seems to have an edge with four matches left instead of three. Further, following Manchester United this Thursday, Liverpool play, West Brom, Burnley, and close versus Crystal Palace. All three are bottom half clubs and leave the Reds with a very favorable run in on top of a one-point lead on Tottenham and a game in hand.

West Ham does not have the game in hand but they do have two big points between themselves in fifth and Tottenham in seventh. The Hammers close with Brighton, West Brom, and then hosting Southampton. Again, all bottom-half teams, giving West Ham, like Liverpool an edge if either Chelsea and/or Leicester City falter.

All this said, while the math from fivethirtyeight.com may say Tottenham has a 2% chance, knowing everything that has to go right for Tottenham and wrong for everyone else, it seems more like a 0.2% chance. The possibility is there but it is remote at best.