Five reasons why Tottenham Hotspur can finish in the top four this season

Spurs are fighting with Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester United for a Champions League spot.

With the Premier League season reaching its business end, the race for top four has intensified. This is because four teams are fighting for one spot in the top four. Manchester City and Liverpool have sealed the top two places. With Chelsea coming back to form again, it is highly unlikely that Thomas Tuchel’s men will finish without a Champions League berth. Now we have one spot open for four teams- Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham have the brightest chance to finish secure a place in the Premier League 2021-22 top four. Five reasons as to why we believe so are as follows:

5. Recent poor performances of rival teams

Teams such as Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham have had a poor run in their last few fixtures. This has handed a huge boost to Spurs chances. Ironically, they have dominated their opponents in these fixtures and gained added advantage. Arsenal, who are closest rivals of their neighbors from North London, have lost three of their last four Premier League matches.

On the other hand, Spurs has won each of their last four games. This also includes defeating another rival, West Ham United 3-1. Manchester United also have only four points in their last four PL fixtures from a possible 12.

4. Favorable fixtures

No fixture in the Premier League can be regarded as easy. But looking at the points table, one can make a judgement as to what result can be expected out of the fixture. But Spurs will be aiming for three points in their following remaining fixtures — Brighton (H), Brentford (A), Leicester (H), Burnley (H) and Norwich (A).

Antonio Conte's side also play Arsenal in Gameweek 36 at home, which will be a very entertaining match for the neutrals. If we calculate the average league position of all their opponents, it comes out to be 11. This is slightly better than Arsenal and West Ham who have the average as 10. Manchester United have an average of 9, the most difficult of all.

3. Impact of January window signings

Spurs had an excellent winter transfer window in 2022. They roped in Rodrigo Betancur from Juventus for £20m. They also managed to crack an 18-month loan deal (with an option to buy) for Dejan Kulusevski, again from Juventus. Both these signings have proved instrumental in giving Spurs that additional boost.

Kulusevski has scored three goals and provided six assists in 11 Premier League appearances so far. On the other hand, Bentancur’s composure on the ball along with his ability in transitions have been crucial for Spurs’s attack. Manager Antonio Conte has also reaped praises for the duo in his recent interview.

2. Excellent form of players

Important players such as Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have gained excellent form in the past few games. Spurs are heavily reliant on this duo and their form has peaked at the right time this season. In 2022, Harry Kane is ranked at the top in the Premier League for the following — Goals (8), assists (5), shots (55), shots on target (22) and through balls (11) (as of April 4, 2022).

Son Heung Min also has nine goals and three assists to his name in 2022. The nine goals also include an impressive hat-trick in Spurs' last game against Villa. They thumped their London rivals by a 4-0 margin.

1. The Antonio Conte impact

Lastly, one of the major factors why Spurs look strong to finish fourth is manager Antonio Conte. A genius mind, Conte has transformed Tottenham and make them look lethal. He also holds an advantage of experience of rival managers such as Mikel Arteta, David Moyes and Ralf Rangnick.

Conte has also won the Premier League with Chelsea which shows how much he understands the game. His two signings in Rodrigo Betancur and Dejan Kulusevski have already proved to be a masterstroke. In his classical five at the back formation, he has revamped the likes of Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon.

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