The cold, hard figures were such that even Mauricio Pochettino could no longer deny it.
Having previously dismissed all suggestions that Tottenham Hotspur could win the Premier League this year, the Argentine admitted after Monday’s 2-1 win at Watford that “the numbers reflect that it is possible.”
With only two defeats to their name, the best defensive record in the division and just four points separating them from leaders Arsenal, Tottenham do indeed appear to be right in the title mix.
While that is partly a result of the current Premier League season lacking an outstanding team — Arsenal’s points tally of 39 after 19 matches is the lowest total of a league leader at this stage of the campaign since 2002/03 — Pochettino deserves huge credit for the role he has played in the remodelling and resurgence of Tottenham.
The sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for £85 million (Dh460.2m) in 2013 was supposed to usher in a new era at White Hart Lane.
While the club had lost a world-class talent, it was hoped that the money received from the deal would help Tottenham build a squad capable of qualifying for the Uefa Champions League for years to come.
Things did not work out as planned.
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Andre Villas-Boas was fired in December with Tottenham stuck in seventh; successor Tim Sherwood then steadied the ship and secured a sixth-place finish, but the top four was never really in reach.
A golden opportunity had been wasted. Of the seven newcomers who arrived that summer, only Christian Eriksen, Nacer Chadli and Erik Lamela remain.
Since taking charge 19 months ago, Pochettino has reshaped the Tottenham squad in his image, dispensing of those unsuited to his model of play and whose attitudes were deemed potentially harmful to the dynamics of the group.
The results have been overwhelmingly positive. The initial question last term was whether Pochettino’s Tottenham were any better than Sherwood’s.
While the latter’s points-per-game ratio was superior, it was clear what the team were trying to do under the former, something that could not be said about Sherwood.
Pochettino has indeed given Tottenham an identity.
Their game is based on energy and dynamism, with a focus on handing youth — the oldest outfielder to have played for the club this season is 28-year-old Jan Vertonghen — and British players a chance.
The biggest compliment that can be paid to Pochettino is that Tottenham are undoubtedly one of the best coached teams in the Premier League.
They may generally lack the individual stars that their rivals at the top of the table possess, but the Argentine’s outfit function extremely well as a collective.
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Meanwhile, the list of players who have improved under his guidance is lengthy.
There are defenders Vertonghen, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose to midfielders Mousa Dembele and Ryan Mason and attackers Lamela and Harry Kane. Whether Tottenham have the quality, know-how and squad depth to sustain a title challenge for the rest of the campaign remains to be seen, but the fact that they are even considered contenders is testament to the fine job Pochettino has done at White Hart Lane.
Even if they ultimately fall short in their pursuit of a first league crown since 1961, Tottenham are in a strong position to seal a return to the Uefa Champions League next season after a five-year absence.
Although Chelsea’s implosion and Manchester United’s struggles could not have been predicted in the summer, Pochettino and his side deserve credit for capitalising on their rivals’ woes in the first half of the campaign.
The key now is to do the same over the next 19 matches. Unlike Arsenal and Manchester City, who are under a certain amount of pressure to deliver silverware this season, Tottenham could benefit from the relative lack of expectation surrounding them.
As Pochettino himself conceded, the numbers reflect that an unlikely Premier League title is possible.
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