Can Tottenham Hotspur win the title?
Tottenham have gotten off to a rocky start under manager Enze Postecoglou this season. As they cruise along, there are positive signs.
Spurs are unbeaten in 10 games and sitting atop the English Premier League (EPL) table. They haven’t won the title since the 1960/61 season. It’s a similar trend to that time, and fans are getting excited about what could be.
“Spurs play with energy, enthusiasm, and creativity that overwhelms the opposition,” said the British publication The Guardian. They don’t look out of place as title challengers. They are unstoppable at the moment.”
Wenger, who led the team to an unbeaten EPL title, said: “Tottenham will compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City for the EPL title. I really think it will be those four teams.”
Postecoglou added: “Let the fans dream. That’s why we are football fans. I can say that Tottenham supporters have suffered a lot. We’re not going to let that stop us.”
“Unless someone wakes them up, the dream will continue. We’ll see,” he added, reiterating his desire to compete for the title.
Tottenham insist they have all the ingredients to win the EPL.
“I came to Tottenham to succeed,” Postecoglou said. “I came to Tottenham to succeed, and this club has all the basic elements to succeed,” he said, expressing a sense of purpose.
“There is a hunger for trophies because I think Tottenham should feel the joy of winning,” he added.
“Tottenham are trying to build something to realize their ambitions. We don’t really care about what people outside think. We are a big club and I think we should be in a position to challenge for trophies every season,” he said, adding that the club is determined to get back to the top.
Sports media platform thescore analyzed Tottenham’s chances of winning the title with its editors.
Anthony Loporolo said: “Harry Kane is gone. However, they have found goalscorers elsewhere, which means they actually have a chance,” he said, noting that Son Heung-min’s performance could be enough to challenge for the EPL title.
“Not playing in Europe will also help,” he added, noting that Tottenham finished last season at the bottom of the table, missing out on the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s a great opportunity for our key players to build up their fitness,” he said.
At the center of Tottenham’s rise is Son Heung-min. He’s been playing up front this season, leading the team to an unbeaten start to the season.
He started his goal streak in the fourth round against Burnley. In the 16th minute of the first leg, with Tottenham trailing 1-0, Heung-min equalized after a passing play with Manor Solomon that saw the goalkeeper come out and find him in space.
Then, Son Heung-min’s show began. In the 19th minute of the second half, after receiving a pass from Solomon, Heung-min surged forward and scored his team’s fourth goal and his second of the season with a direct shot.
Son wasn’t done scoring. In the 22nd minute of the second half, he found space behind the Burnley defense and found the back of the net again after receiving a pass from Foro. It was his first hat-trick of the season.
It was Son’s fourth career hat-trick against Burnley this season, following those at Southampton (2020/21), Aston Villa (2021/22) and Leicester City (2022/23).
Son also shone in the North London derby against Arsenal. He rattled the Arsenal net in the second minute of the first half, only to have his effort ruled out for offside. Then, in the 22nd minute, a brilliant pass from the right flank found Johnson with a threatening shot that was saved by the keeper.
Son Heung-min, however, responded. He opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a deft touch to deflect a pass from Madison after a scramble in the box. It was his fourth goal in the EPL this season.
The scoring didn’t stop there. In the 10th minute of the second half, Maddison broke through on the counterattack after pressuring Jorginho and stealing the ball. He played a pass to Son Heung-min, who was one-on-one with the keeper, and he capitalized. It was the fifth goal of the EPL.
Heung-min scored seven goals in the North London derby against Arsenal. That’s more than Robin van Persie, Gareth Bale, and Thierry Henry, who have five.
Son’s multi-goal performance against Arsenal took him to 150 career goals in a Tottenham shirt.
He then opened the scoring against Liverpool to reach the milestone of 200 European goals.
Son found the back of the net for the Reds in the 35th minute with a simple touch after receiving a cross from the left flank by Origi from Maddison’s earth-shattering pass.
Son also scored against Fulham. In the 36th minute, after a simple dribble after receiving a pass from Heung-min, he curled a right-footed shot into the back of the net. It was his 152nd goal for Tottenham.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring against Crystal Palace in the 21st minute with a simple finish after receiving a pass from Maddison and Brennan Johnson. It was his eighth goal.
Son Heung-min has been compared to his idol Cristiano Ronaldo this season as a frontline striker.
Ronaldo was a flanker, but after switching to the striker position, he has maintained it.
“He has the ability to finish with both feet,” said Sky Sports in the UK. He is following a similar path to Ronaldo, who switched from a flanker to a frontline striker.”
“Tottenham have a dedicated player in Son who scores goals and creates space for his teammates. The Kane move is paying off. He’s doing more in front of goal. He used to have less than 10% touches, but this season he’s close to 20%.”
“All six of Son Heung-min’s goals under Enze Postecoglou have come from outside the box. It’s a useful example of a positional change.”
Postecoglou echoed the sentiment, saying, “Heung-min is similar to Ronaldo. He started as a winger,” he said.
“He’s a really good goalie. I always feel that his movement is excellent. It’s a bit more complicated to play up front than on the flanks, but he’s clever enough to handle it.” 캡틴토토 주소
Gianluca Nesci added: “Why not? No team in the EPL has more expected goals (xG) than Tottenham right now. They’re doing a great job on offense and defense.”
Others disagreed. “It’s not going to be a championship. But it will be a good season. We don’t have a lot of offensive talent besides Son Heung-min. We need to stay healthy and injury-free. In defense, Cristian Romero and Mickey van der Vaan have formed a great partnership, but they are irreplaceable,” citing the lack of a Plan B.