Could Spurs be Chelsea’s closest title challengers?

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham are second in the Premier League table after win over West Brom

Argentinian boss Mauricio Pochettino has been building a very good team at Tottenham in the last few years.

Last season the side from north London were champions Leicester’s closest title rivals until their form tailed off towards the end of the campaign.

However, it seems Pochettino’s side are ready to mount another serious title challenge this season after the north London side swept aside midtable West Brom 4-0 at White Hart Lane on Saturday. Striker Harry Kane scored a hat-trick and looks to be back to his best.

No weaknesses in the first eleven

Tottenham do not seem to have any weaknesses in their first eleven. They are rock solid in defence and have the best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded just 14 goals so far this season.

At the other end of the field, they seem to have an attacking threat in every position. Kane, Dele Alli and the underrated Christian Eriksen are a massive threat to any defence. All three seem to be firing on all cylinders right now.

Tottenham’s recent good form going forward has seen Pochettino’s side score 14 goals in their last four Premier League outings. It’s not just the aforementioned trio that provides an attacking threat. Wing-backs Danny Rose and Kyle Walker are also a major threat going forward.

Even when the pair are only playing as full-backs they get up and down the field at an incredible rate. They definitely add to Spurs attacking threat down the flanks.

Backup would be a concern

Last season there was very little squad rotation for Tottenham in the Premier League. Pochettino struck to the same 16 or 17 players. That was understandable as the Argentinian would not want to change a winning side.

He also would not have wanted to alter the team’s positive momentum by dropping in form players. Towards the end of last season Spurs’ form started to dip and it may have had something to do with fatigue.

Tottenham’s starting eleven can match most teams in the top-flight on their day, as proven by their wins over title-rivals Manchester City and Chelsea. However, the concern for Tottenham is their backup players.

On Saturday Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen picked up an ankle injury that could sideline him for some time. Losing the 29-year-old would be a major blow. Spurs do have centre-back cover in the likes of Ben Davies, Kevin Wimmer and youngster Cameron Carter-Vickers.

However, they are not of the same standard as Vertonghen. Davies is a very good left-back and he has played at centre-back for both Spurs and Wales. He offers different qualities than Vertonghen. The jury still seems to be out on Wimmer, while Carter-Vickers is still inexperienced.

The same principal applies to the attack. When Harry Kane was sidelined through injury, Tottenham’s form nosedived. His perceived replacement Dutch striker Vincent Janssen was just not good enough. Kane’s boots are hard to fill, but Janssen has struggled to make any sort of impact at the north London club.

On Saturday, Janssen failed to even make the Tottenham bench. If Kane is injured again this season, then Spurs are unlikely to catch Chelsea at the top of the table.

Spurs still title outsiders

Despite recording six consecutive wins, Tottenham still trail leaders Chelsea by seven points. Pochettino’s men are second in the table, though, and are odds of 8/1 to be crowned champions this season.

In truth, Chelsea still look like they are in charge of the Premier League title race. The likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have clearly identified weaknesses at the back.

The pair’s defensive displays have slightly improved of late, but are still unconvincing in defence. Tottenham’s local rivals Arsenal have a tendency to look the real deal then shoot themselves in the foot when it really matters.

All in all, Tottenham look like the team that are most likely to challenge Chelsea if any team can challenge the Blues of course. However, the Premier League has proven in the past that things can change very quickly.

City were dominating the league earlier this season, while Arsenal also looked like a serious contender at one point. However, both endured slightly poor spells and fell behind Chelsea.

For now, though, everybody connected with Tottenham will feel that exciting times lie ahead for their vibrant young team.

Will Tottenham be Chelsea’s closest title challengers?