Tottenham Hotspur are in race for fourth place, but

A midweek win over Brighton, coupled with Arsenal’s loss to Liverpool, kept Tottenham Hotspur firmly in the race for a top-four finish, but Spurs need to do more to finish fourth. 

Rebounding from a painful loss to Manchester United, while picking up a massive three points from a game in hand, despite sitting in seventh place, Spurs are still very much in the race for fourth. However, to reach fourth and overtake the three teams ahead, Tottenham must consistently win, something missing for much of 2022.

It is time for a Tottenham unbeaten run

Over the last two weeks of December and into New Year’s day, that is how far back you have to find the previous Tottenham unbeaten run. Those five matches are the longest such streak of the Antonio Conte era, where Spurs won three and drew two across the Premier League and League Cup.

After a late 1-0 win over Watford, the team went on an international break and has not been the same since returning.

In the 15 matches in all competitions since that New Year’s day win, Spurs have lost eight and won seven, having not once won twice in a row. Of the 15 matches, three were losses to Chelsea, and Spurs played 14 games without Oliver Skipp.

The young midfielder was a mainstay for Spurs, regardless of the coach. Unfortunately for Tottenham,  he injured his groin against the Blues and has been out ever since. With Skipp on the mend and possibly returning following the next international break, now is the time for Tottenham to snap this streak of inconsistency.

If Tottenham can beat West Ham, at home, on Sunday, Spurs would be no lower than fifth ahead of Manchester United by a point. If Arsenal, who plays Aston Villa at lunchtime today, loses that game and Spurs win, Tottenham could even be in fourth place going into the international break.

The bottom line is that the opportunity to finish fourth is there for the taking, and Spurs have a better chance than most, but only if they can start to take three points consistently.