Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham handed unique opportunity to boost their Champions League dream
After losing against Everton, Tottenham lost a great chance to get closer to league leaders Liverpool this past weekend. Jarrad Branthwaite’s back-post nod gave Sean Dyche’s team a 2-1 lead heading into stoppage time, but in the ninety-fourth minute, they pulled even.
Tottenham has now set an undesirable record after giving up eight goals beyond the 90th minute this season—their highest total in a single Premier League campaign—thanks to the center-back’s late equalizer. Although it should be noted that Tottenham has also scored a lot of goals late to secure crucial points, most notably against Man City, Liverpool, and Sheffield United, it is still a cause for concern for Ange Postecoglou and his group.
After losing 3-1 against Arsenal, league leaders Liverpool also failed to put more pressure on those in front of them and lost out on some crucial points. Following Man City’s victory at Brentford on Monday night, Arsenal and they are now level on 49 points, two points behind Jurgen Klopp’s team. Aston Villa is in fourth place with 46 points, while Tottenham is in fifth place with 44 points.
Brighton & Hove Albion visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, and Tottenham has the chance to get back on track as soon as possible to bolster their Champions League chances. After a terrible encounter at the Amex in late December, where they were behind four goals after 75 minutes before rallying for two goals, Postecoglou’s team will undoubtedly be keen to put one over on the Seagulls.
Comforts at home might be precisely what Tottenham needs right now, especially as they try to stay up with their rivals in the rankings and position themselves to finish in the top four by the end of May. The next weekend, Spurs will host Wolves at N17 at home.
Despite the disappointing loss at Molineux in early November due to two extremely late goals, Gary O’Neil’s club has been producing some extremely impressive performances, such as their most recent 4-2 victory over Chelsea. Tottenham will not have an easy game against Wolves, who have performed well away from home this season.
Since the Blues are playing Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final that weekend, a new date for the London derby will need to be arranged. Chelsea, under Mauricio Pochettino, will be playing at Stamford Bridge six days after facing Wolves. In addition to having a rare non-playing weekend, Spurs will also be playing three straight home games, which is quite unusual for a league season. Their next home game is on Saturday, March 2, against Crystal Palace.
This season, Postecoglou’s team has performed admirably at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and in the upcoming months, it is hoped that the venue will solidify as a stronghold. Tottenham has played eight of its eleven league home games this season, losing the remaining three.
The defeats all came in November and early December at a time when Spurs were struggling to deal without some of their key players who were out due to injury and suspension. Spurs suffered their first Premier League defeat under Postecoglou, losing 4-1 at home to Chelsea. Despite dominating Unai Emery’s team in the first half and scoring a hatful of goals, Spurs fell 2-1 at home to Aston Villa.
Just over a week later, they would suffer another setback when West Ham won 2-1 in north London. Had those injuries and suspensions not all happened at once for Tottenham then their home record could look somewhat different right now and the same goes for their place in the Premier League league.
Having won three straight home games could be advantageous for Postecoglou and Tottenham during a season where consistency is crucial in deciding who will win the Premier League and make it to Europe. Assume maximum points from those games and Spurs, who now seem to be getting closer to having a fully-fit side, will have immense confidence and be well-positioned to attack the remainder of the season.
