Article by Michael HalepasWith 16 league games of the season left to play clusters of teams are beginning to appear more obvious. In other words, groupings of teams are becoming more clearly definable as title challengers, top four hopefuls and relegation candidates.
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I can imagine there are a good number of Yiddos thinking that a win against City in the next round of matches would keep Spurs in the title race for another round of matches at least. The club is 8 points away from 1st place in the league table which equates to a difference of three wins and we've all seen greater points advantages overturned in similar time periods before.
Whether this Spurs team would have either the ability needed for a win against City or the mettle required to grind out another 10-12 wins is open for debate. More realistic perhaps is a finish in that coveted 4th spot in the table. While it's always admirable to set standards high - only one team can hold a title at any one time and Spurs simply haven't shown the collective smarts, technical capabilities or desire that the top three clubs have.
I doubt there'd be many fans willing to bet their home on Tottenham winning this year's Premier League and would have to think that the majority of fans would struggle to stake much on Spurs finishing even in 4th spot.
After 22 rounds of league games, only 2 points separate the top three sides. These sides are averaging around the 2.2 - 2.3 points per game mark - if we assume that Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City are pulling away from the other 17 sides then it only really becomes feasible for one other team to join those aforementioned sides in next year's Champions League.
The current incumbents of places 4th - 6th are separated either by goal difference or by no more than a single point in the case of the Toffees. Liverpool (4th), Spurs (5th) and Everton (6th) are averaging about 1.9 points per game and are focusing on establishing themselves firmly in that last Champions League slot rather than beating all of the top three in a photo finish.
Of the teams looking up at us and the Scousers, only the Geordies and Man Utd wouldn't be crazy in thinking they still have even a slim chance of making top four. To achieve that feat they would require the same as the three teams above them would need in order to get on top of the pile - a three game swing. It may be improbable but it definitely isn't impossible.
Man Utd's title 'challenge' had disintegrated far earlier into the season than most in the media would have you believe. Without players like RVP and Rooney pulling on the red shirt, Moyes' boys are showing themselves as the average group of players they are. United' best chance of sneaking 4th spot relies on their world class front two returning to match fitness quickly as well as clever purchases in this present transfer window.
Newcastle have some quality players like Krul, Cabaye and Remy who each regularly save and earn points. Working against them however is an unavoidable truth - that being their manager doesn't have the minerals to pull it off. Newcastle United will not finish 4th this season.
The odds are on one of Liverpool, Spurs or Everton making 4th spot their own. That particular race has been tight all along and will most likely continue to proceed in the same vein.
In pursuit of that cause, Liverpool can rely on Suarez and Sturridge. Even with injuries to contend with, this pair of forwards has scored 33 league goals between them already. This fact should not be quickly overlooked - of the 20 teams in the Premier League, only Man City and Liverpool can claim to have two players in the top five of the goal scoring charts. Should Liverpool's ‘SAS’ manage to strike even 20 more times between them any other side will have done well to take 4th place ahead of them.
Liverpool's problem is that the top class talent is concentrated at the very spearhead of their attack and as a result they are beatable. It's the feature of their game which has slowly been eroding their chances of winning the title and it would be pointed at if the inevitably impressive goal haul of Messrs Suarez and Sturridge doesn't prove enough for the task at hand.
By contrast, Spurs' Soldado and Adebayor have chalked up a mediocre 10 league goals between them so far. That's not even a third of that scored by Liverpool's front two.
Spurs can feel a little more assured in that they have the deepest squad of all the clubs in the race for 4th place and if Spurs do end the season in the top four you'd expect it to have as much to do with their ability to call on those squad members who act as cover for the more first choice players as it will on the contributions of those more talented individuals. Spurs also have on their books a quality attacking player in Andros Townsend. Thankfully we should see him gracing the Premier League again in the next couple of weeks.
Everton have a decent squad and a solid first team playing under the stewardship of a talented manager adept at winning when he needs to. What Everton don't have is the strength in depth enjoyed by Spurs, nor a striker half as prolific a goal scorer as Suarez.
Everton also can't call on the experience that accrues with consistently challenging for a Champions League spot but despite that their challenge cannot be sniffed at. They're still in the hunt and can offer something that proves vital over the course of an attritional league campaign - a tighter defence than those teams fighting for the same prize.
To put this into context, only Arsenal (1st) boast a meaner defence on the stats. Neither Liverpool nor Spurs can claim to concede fewer than 1 goal per league game. To be more exact, Everton are conceding 0.91 goals per game over 22 games. Should that rate continue they will feel cheated not be rewarded with Champions League nights next season.
All these three teams have something going for them and should continue to compete for 4th position until the latter stages of the season. Whichever team takes it, there will probably be a small margin that separates the contenders in 16 games time.
One part we haven't touched on so far is that to be played by Tim Sherwood. To compete at the upper end of the league requires bottle and if anything, Spurs teams have come to be more closely associated with a severe lack of the important stuff. Regardless, one man in a position to play a role in the race for 4th spot is Sherwood. This shouldn't be smirked at - Sherwood is the only manager of any of the sides chasing 4th place who can be said to have captained a Premier League winning team. That may prove telling by the middle of May - if any man knows precisely what is required for a strong finish to a season, Tim does. Here's hoping.
COYS!
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Adebayor has scored 6 goals in 8 games, you cannot blame him for a "mediocre return" really. And in terms of goals conceded, take out two complete freak results against Man City and Liverpool and look how solid our defence has been by and large.
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