Whatever your opinion of how Tottenham’s Premier League campaign has panned out over the first 30 matches, it is now almost irrelevant. Not because your thoughts aren’t important, but because in essence the season starts this Sunday.
Thanks to Tottenham’s indifferent form as of late – form that has seen the club earn just one point from a possible twelve on offer, it means that the club are for all intents and purposes taking part in a mini-league to see who finishes in either third or fourth place.
A schedule that comprises of just eight matches and it will be those that ultimately go a long way to deciding whether Mauricio Pochettino’s men are playing European opposition on either Wednesday or Thursday nights next season.
Of course, there is always the possibility of going on and winning the Champions League and if that were the case, then league placing ultimately becomes irrelevant. At the same time though, the North Londoners can ill afford to put all their eggs in a European shaped basket.
While with such little margin for error available between now and the final day of proceedings, it means that each and everyone of those last eight league outings, are ones that take on the mantle of ‘must-win’.
A scenario that means that Liverpool will have to be on red alert come this Sunday, as they prepare for the visit of Mauricio Pochettino’s men to Anfield and although the objectives may differ between the two outfits, the final outcome that they are hoping for is exactly the same.
Tottenham know that they cannot afford to drop anymore points after such a wretched set of recent results and from here on in, it is going to need big match winning performances from their big match players.
They’ll go into this upcoming clash with Liverpool as underdogs, but that will arguably be a role that suits them more and especially as the Merseyside men have more to lose if they don’t pick up a win on Sunday.
If Manchester City pick up all three points at Fulham the day before as expected, then it will only serve to add more pressure on to the shoulders of their nearest rivals and although Liverpool have answered all the questions asked of them so far, this weekend is set to be a tougher one.
The recent clashes between Tottenham and Liverpool have been memorable and you get the feeling that there is an undercurrent of rivalry from last season’s Anfield encounter still bubbling under the surface.
That game saw the visitors snatch a point at the death, after Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot – the award of which was highly contentious, as Virgil Van Dijk was adjudged to have hacked down Erik Lamela in the area.
Back then honours even was the payoff after an enthralling ninety plus minutes and should that be the case this time around, it will serve neither club any real favours. Both teams will undoubtedly go for the win, it might be just be Tottenham who get it.