There has always been a hype around White Hart Lane, Tottenham being the media darlings they are, but the press seem slightly more frenzied than normal this season as Spurs sit two points off leaders Manchester City going into the business end of the season. Despite lofty league positions over the last few seasons, most people would have laughed and shook their head like Harry Redknapp if you told them Spurs would be in contention for the title this year but can they really go on and win it?
Granted their goal difference at the moment is significantly inferior to City's and United's at this point and the former also have a game-in-hand, but with a run-in of Norwich, Bolton, QPR, Blackburn, Aston Villa and Fulham, Spurs will probably finish the strongest of the three. Also, both Manchester clubs are still in the Europa League which provides games they could do without at this stage. United play Ajax in mid-February whilst rivals City have drew FC Porto – Mancini's squad is large enough to maintain success on both fronts, with some gentle rotation, but Sir Alex Ferguson probably has one of the weakest squads he's ever had in his time at Old Trafford.
Of the trio, City and Spurs have the best squads whilst United's now does not look spectacular after a couple of years with no serious capital investment (who'd have thought we'd be saying that a few years ago?). With Bale and Lennon providing pace on the wings and Modric creativity down the middle, it's easy to see why Spurs are playing arguably the best and most attractive football in the league this campaign. Add to that a midfield dynamo in Scott Parker and stars such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael Van der Vaart and Spurs' team looks impressive to say the least.
City boast three of the most promising centre forwards in world football in Aguero, Balotelli and Dzeko and the supporting midfield cast is not too shabby either – a selection of David Silva, Nasri, Milner, Johnson and Toure Yaya providing the creativity and pace. With this being said, you have to wonder which of United's players would get into the first team at Eastlands or White Hart Lane. Vidic, Rooney, Evra and no-one else? A written list of United's midfield and strikeforce looks average and evokes no excitement anymore. Young, Valencia and Nani are all threats from the middle of the park but the likes Carrick, Giggs, Scholes and Ji-Sung Park is starting to look ropey and weathered these days.
There are a few big games coming up in the next few weeks which will no doubt cast the writing on the wall and the engravement on the trophy. United have away trips to Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs amid their next seven Premier League games with a visit from Liverpool thrown in for good measure. How Sir Alex Ferguson's squad copes with that fixture list is massive, especially considering they have a two-legged Europa League tie against Ajax and Liverpool in the FA Cup in the same time frame as well.
Obviously Tottenham's trip to Eastlands on the 22nd January is an important date for your calendar. It would be interesting to see Spurs get something there, from the neutral's point of view, and it would make the title race that little more exciting.
Even if Redknapp's men do not win the league this season, it poses an interesting thought for the future. The dissolution of Sky's beloved quartet (United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea) has all come about so quickly that it's hard to take in. Arsenal have lost Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Nasri and Fabregas in recent times with Wenger looking unwilling, at times, to snap up adequate, proven replacements to take their place. Liverpool's finances were up the creek so much the bank thought it right to take club off the owners hands – a club in turmoil and headed in the complete wrong direction until John Henry acquired the debt and has provided a mini-revival at Anfield, especially since the £50 million cheque, courtesy of Chelsea, cleared at the bank. And, finally, Chelsea themselves have struggled to replace their ageing players, Torres has not lit up Stamford Bridge since his arrival and the squad, that looked so deadly a few years ago, has now evolved into a less powerful beast.
The emergence of both Spurs and City as genuine title contenders could very well signal a new dawn in English football. Of their title ambitions, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said, “I've never said to anybody that we ar e going to win the league. If we can get a Champions League position again, it will be great for us.”
“I only answered the question of if it is possible,” he continued. “And, of course it is possible.”
