Is this Tottenham’s year?

If you’d have asked me in August of last year whether Tottenham have a genuine possibility of winning the Premier League, my response would’ve been of laughter. Fast forward six months and it now seems like a reality for the long suffering Spurs supporters.

They currently sit in second position two points behind the surprise story of the season, Leicester City. In fact their last defeat was to the Foxes on 13 January and they are currently on a 5 game winning streak, that could be extended on Sunday afternoon as they welcome Swansea City.

So what is the main factor to Spurs’ impressive season so far? Harry Kane? Hugo Lloris? Dele Alli? All three have been instrumental to Tottenham’s remarkable campaign however I think manager Mauricio Pochettino deserves all the plaudits as he has found the perfect balance with his talented squad and utilised them at his disposal.

This was evident on Thursday, in the Europa League round of 32 when they brushed aside Italian outfit Fiorentina 3-0 with a second-string side. Ryan Mason, one of the goalscorers in the game said: “We’ve rotated again and you can see the fresh legs. Everyone was buzzing to be on the pitch.”

Spurs spent just over £49 million in the summer transfer window of last year. The majority of those signings have added depth to the squad, only Toby Alderweireld has been a mainstay of Spurs’ starting XI.

For me though, Pochettino’s best bit of business was 12 months ago with the under the radar signing of Dele Alli from MK Dons for an initial fee of £5 million, quite a modest fee in comparison to the usual over-inflated prices of English talent. I don’t think many (myself included) could have foreshadowed the progression of the 19-year old who made his debut for England in the 2-0 defeat of Estonia in October of last year.

He has made the jump from League One to Premier League seem effortless. His goal against Crystal Palace is definitely a contender for goal of the season and he is a frontrunner for the PFA young player of the year accolade.

Even Spurs fans must be considerably shocked at their club’s performance this season. Historically known as a cup team with 8 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 UEFA Cups/Europa League and 1 UEFA Cup Winners Cup. They haven’t won one in 8 years since they defeated Chelsea in the League Cup (then known as the Carling Cup) and haven’t won the league since 1961 under the successful era of Bill Nicholson.

Another notion attached to Spurs over the past couple of years is their inability to close out games, especially against so-called weaker teams who would relish the chance to go and get a result a White Hart Lane. This has only happened once this season, with them losing 2-1 to Newcastle.

Spurs fans can also get one over their north London rivals, Arsenal as they will be hoping that the Gooners are not celebrating St. Totteringham’s Day for the 21st consecutive year. The club’s motto is Audere est Facere, that translates into English as to dare is to do. This statement couldn’t have been more significant as the club seek to return to their glory years.