The Race to the Title

[Hoddle_Ledge]

No team has ever won the English top flight (in the 3pts for a win era) with fewer than 54 points after 29 matches.

Only Tottenham and Leicester are above that figure this season after 29 games.

(Opta)

 

[Snarfalicious]

We can beat anyone on any day. Same can be said for any team in the Premier League but we've shown over the course of a season we can do that consistently. We've got two matches coming up that you would look at and say we should win. If we can do that, build some momentum, and maybe get Vertonghen and NJie back for the final month+, things could get really interesting.

Today sucked. When we went up 2-1 today I was in the same mind of a lot of Spurs supporters that thought the match became how much we would win by as opposed to if we would win at all. It didn't work out that way and Arsenal have to know they really got out of WHL with a really undeserved point. It's not 3 points for us, but in some way it's a (and I hate this phrase) a moral victory.

We've got to hope the fellas know everything is still to play for and it starts again next weekend against Villa.

 

[Spurger King]

We can beat anyone on any day. Same can be said for any team in the Premier League but we've shown over the course of a season we can do that consistently. We've got two matches coming up that you would look at and say we should win. If we can do that, build some momentum, and maybe get Vertonghen and NJie back for the final month+, things could get really interesting.

Today sucked. When we went up 2-1 today I was in the same mind of a lot of Spurs supporters that thought the match became how much we would win by as opposed to if we would win at all. It didn't work out that way and Arsenal have to know they really got out of WHL with a really undeserved point. It's not 3 points for us, but in some way it's a (and I hate this phrase) a moral victory.

We've got to hope the fellas know everything is still to play for and it starts again next weekend against Villa.

Not a fan of the EL (as stated elsewhere countless times), but the games against Dortmund will be a real taste of CL-level football and atmosphere. They may be extra games, but in a lot of ways the timing couldn't be better. Go out there, have fun, soak up the occasion, then fight tooth and nail to get into the real thing next season.

With other teams creeping up to the top four spots, I don't think there's any danger of the players losing focus because they're a couple more points off the top. They'll be motivated on two fronts - to secure CL qualification (ideally automatically), and the (still very real) possibility of the title.

 

[millsey]

To win from here, I honestly think we need 7 wins out of 9. Is that possible?

 

[dagraham]

We can beat anyone on any day. Same can be said for any team in the Premier League but we've shown over the course of a season we can do that consistently. We've got two matches coming up that you would look at and say we should win. If we can do that, build some momentum, and maybe get Vertonghen and NJie back for the final month+, things could get really interesting.

Today sucked. When we went up 2-1 today I was in the same mind of a lot of Spurs supporters that thought the match became how much we would win by as opposed to if we would win at all. It didn't work out that way and Arsenal have to know they really got out of WHL with a really undeserved point. It's not 3 points for us, but in some way it's a (and I hate this phrase) a moral victory.

We've got to hope the fellas know everything is still to play for and it starts again next weekend against Villa.

Can't really agree it's a moral victory because in all fairness we showed no sign of getting back into the game until they had a player sent off. We weren't being outplayed, but they were comfortable.

 

[dagraham]

To win from here, I honestly think we need 7 wins out of 9. Is that possible?

Without EL yes. With it, I don't think so unless we rest a whole host of players (which we won't do).

 

[Spurger King]

To win from here, I honestly think we need 7 wins out of 9. Is that possible?

We have 5 very winnable games (Villa, Bournemouth, West Brom, Southampton, and Newcastle). Not saying we can't drop points against them, but with three of them being at home, and the others being Villa (who really are cack), and Newcastle (also cack and also the last game of the season), I'd say we'd be expected to win all of them.

That leaves United at home, and three tough away games against Stoke, Liverpool, and Chelsea. We're more than capable of getting at least 6 points from those matches.

 

[NickHSpurs]

This is the week Leicester won the title and we blew it. Can't see anyone catching them now.

 

[DCSPUR]

after today's game this is how i feel about the run in:

"It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have
set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory."

 

[Kempus]

At this specific moment in time, I'm more concerned with us just securing Champions League qualification. That would constitute a fantastic year for us, imo. We can't afford to get anything less than 6 points from our next two games and then see how the league looks then. I want us to give the Europa a really good crack too. See how we measure up against Dortmund.

 

[Spurger King]

It's worth mentioning that our last two games were in all probability against the most pumped-up opposition we'll play for the rest of the season.

Spam - should go without saying that it was their cup final.

Arsenal - multiple reasons. NLD, positions in the league, and the fact that they were absolutely desperate to come back from three straight defeats.

United chasing the top 4 is obviously a big cause for motivation, but it's not an us v them situation for CL spots, and there's no real rivalry between the clubs that would create an intense or hostile atmosphere anywhere near the last two games.

Liverpool and Chelsea away will be difficult (as per usual), but I think the sting will be taken out of those games due to them chasing EL qualification (although there's a chance Chelsea will be sniffing around the top 4 by that point). They'll be big matches of course, but from their perspective the games won't be much different to any other fixture in terms of what they need to achieve.

Newcastle could be fighting for their survival on the last day of the season, but if that game still matters to us and them, I doubt there'd be much to worry about.

 

[SPURSLIFE]

We could easily lose 4 of our next 10? We've only lost 4 of 28 so far.

I was looking at playing a revived Utd and Chelsea then there's Liverpol and at the time there was the Arsenal game that we have just drawn so it is a possibility we could drop some important points.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

In all honesty i don't give a fuck about the CL. The only reason i'd want us to enter that competition would be to appease the likes of Lloris, Alderweireld, Kane etc who may consider their future if they weren't playing at the highest level.

To be brutally honest, we havent got a chance in hell of winning the CL and if it wasnt for the shit scheduling and the commonly accepted dislike for it, i'd happily see us stay in the EL because we have a very, very good chance of winning it!

I'm desperate for us to win the title. 2nd or 3rd would mean the same as 4th to me.

 

[Lighty64]

They've lost 3 games all season. They have less derbies. They have less teams like West Ham putting in the performance of the season to beat them...

But mainly because they've only lost 3 games all season.

We have only lost 4, no guarantee we will lose more.

Leicester play Newcastle next week, and it should be a guaranteed 3pts, but didn't we think the same when they visited ours? Watford today never sat back, Newcastle might try and make it difficult like Norwich did, no absolute guarantees that Leicester will definitely win.

Going to hold judgement till at least after Man U, but Leicester still have 4 tough games, Wet Spam, Man U, Everton and Chelsea. They could very easily end up in defeats especially if they do get nervous.

 

[StartingPrice]

Latest title odds

Leicester 6/5
Tottenham 11/4
Arsenal 5/1
Man City 11/2
Man Utd 33/1
West Ham 150/1
Liverpool 250/1
Chelsea 500/1

So, Leicester have gone form slim favourites this morning to clear favourites now. Sounds about right. Their last six games all look tough, though, and as we saw today with Mahrez limping off, their squad has severe limitations that could be exposed. That said, if we don't do it I would prefer them to - Vardi being a ****, and some of their fans inbred buffoons, not withstanding. At least they aren't oil money or the Goons, and would be nice to see Ranieri sticking it to Abramovich

We remain second favourites - but our odds have lengthened. Sounds about right. Don't think our run-in is quite as tough as some folk are claiming, though. Not easy, but they seem to make the hardest case for us and then against the same teams make the easiest case for our rivals. Take West Brom, for instance: they are away to the Goons next, and then visit the Lane at the end of April. How exactly is that a walk in the park for the Goons but a difficult game for us? Chelsea have improved, yes, and Liverpool at Anfield won't be easy if they play like they did against Citeh (but that was a revenge match) and we don't get our mojo back. And we have United at the Lane - on the balance of the season we shouldn't just be conceding that one. But I think we've got our two hardest remaining fixtures out of the way - and aside form the three mentioned, we really should be favourites for the remainder. In fact, with our mojo in full flow we would be favourites in all of them, give or take. So lets get our mojo back.

The Goons remain third favourites - but their odds have lengthened significantly. Sounds about right, and how anyone is claiming we are out of it and then going on to say the Goons are 'well in it' is beyond me. Before kick-off, the general consensus was that today was a must win game for them - they didn't win. They have to make up 4 points on us due to our superior goal difference, or reverse that goal-difference. And 8 points on Leicester. And the notion that they have an easier run-in ignores the fact that their away form really still isn't great just as it wasn't last night - despite a draw today - and they have four very tough away games to play. Their home games may look easy (tell that to Swansea), but winning them alone isn't going to overhaul Leicester. So, either they will have to do better than the one point in two games (United and Us), over the next four away games or Leicester will have to collapse quite dramatically. But if Leicester aren't going to collapse dramatically when discussing our chances of overhauling them, then you can't just flip it and imagine they will when discussing the Goons. And if they do, we could just as well take advantage of it as the Goons - their run-in isn't that much easier and they have to make up points on us as well. So, they have rightly drifted in the odds.

Citeh could go above the Goons if they win their game in hand. Still seven points behind Leicester with nine to play. That means they, basically have to win 3 more games than Leicester in a nine game run. If they get their game together, probably deserve to be slightly ahead of the Goons in the odds, but not by much - and they still have to win their game in hand. If they hadn't lost to Liverscouse their chances would be better. But they did lose. And their fixtures aren't that easy - still have 2 of the top five (the Goons and United), but both at home, and Chelsea away. And a few other potential banana skins, too.

United won't get in a title race IMHO. Even assuming they win their game in hand, they would have to make up 10 points on Leicester in 9 matches. Not impossible but I can't see them winning four more matches than Leicester in a nine game period (they do of course host Leicester at OT).

Points of interest: Us and Leicester don't have to play any other teams in the top four. The Goons travel to the Etihad - so at least one of them will drop points. United play us, Citeh and Leicester - us and Citeh have home advantage, but their game together is a derby.

Odds look about right. We ain't outta this...but shit just got real. Need to kick on, now!

 

[Lighty64]

Can't really agree it's a moral victory because in all fairness we showed no sign of getting back into the game until they had a player sent off. We weren't being outplayed, but they were comfortable.

Before they had a player sent off, we had an attempt that was an inch from going over the line. What hurt us was Lamelas silly yellow card, he was playing so well I believe him taken off was due to the worry of a second and going down to 10men too

 

[StartingPrice]

At this specific moment in time, I'm more concerned with us just securing Champions League qualification. That would constitute a fantastic year for us, imo. We can't afford to get anything less than 6 points from our next two games and then see how the league looks then. I want us to give the Europa a really good crack too. See how we measure up against Dortmund.

Looking down rather than up, you mean?

Uh, uh...

...

 

[TriXed]

I think we all got caught up in this title talk and this week has really been a wake up call. It's not to say we need to worry because this Spurs side is something different.

1st half vs Spammers was the worst I've seen us play all season and 2nd half we tried but failed. We should have done Arsenal today but, alas, it wasn't to be.

The facts are, we are 5 points off 1st... FUCKING 1st boys! We have to focus on these last 9 (10?) games. Win as many as we can and come high as we can. I don't think we can win the league now but coming top 3 (which should be our aim) is an incredible achievement. A target none of us really thought was possible at the start of the season.

Champions league? We're having a laugh... with a few additions, I reckon we could go far, we did alright first time we were in it right?!

COYS!

 

[Hazardousman]

I have looked at the fixtures this morning and somehow convinced myself that we can still do this, I think Leicester may still drop points, I am hopeful that they will have a stutter and I think now that we have two very winnable games we will make up some ground on them, I could be wrong, I probably am, my gut is telling me we have blown it but in reality it is all still to play for, the players need to believe that though and I didn't get the impression from the Arsenl game that they do, we had noboby really being a leader, we just kind of gave up towards the end.

This team is better than that, it's Leicester for fucks sake, are they really going to be allowed to win the league uncontested? At this point we are the only realistic ones that can knock them from their throne imo, Look at their team, it isn't league winning calibre yet there they are, if they can do it why can't we? This is what our players need to realise, this year it is going to whoever stands up and throws their bodies on the line, we just need to believe we can do it, the last two games haven't shown that but we need to start showing it now.

 

[luptic]

For us to win the league we need to draw against Liverpool, Chelsea and Stoke and win all those remaining games. 76 points should do it, given the fact that Leicester will feel the pressure and start drawing games. Their last three is where it all changes. Failure to get 21pts from our last 9 games and you can rule us out.