Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Tottenham go into this home fixture against Burnley knowing that if results go their way they will be back in the top four by the end of the afternoon. That will mean that their arch rivals Arsenal will have to do them a favour but they can’t worry about matters at The Etihad as they need to focus on the job in hand.
That job being making sure that they dispose of a Burnley side who are still looking for a first away win of the season. What is quite staggering for Sean Dyche’s side is that of the 17 points they have earned already this season, 16 of them have come from the veritable fortress which is that of Turf Moor.
Maurcio Pochettino’s men come into this game off the back of a relatively routine 3-0 win over Hull on Wednesday night. That win coming off the back of disappointment at Old Trafford last Sunday when they were edged out 1-0 by Jose Mourinho’s United side. That game saw Spurs waste vital chances to get anything out of the game but the same couldn’t be said on Wednesday night.
A brace from Christian Eriksen and one from Victor Wanyama meant that Spurs stayed in 5th place and not only kept the buffer between themselves and United but also kept themselves on the coat tails of United crosstown rivals Manchester City. It was almost a hat-trick for Eriksen that night but his free kick was tipped onto the post by Hull’s David Marshall and Wanyama was on hand to prod home and complete a job well done.
Midweek action for Burnley saw them play other on the other side of London as they faced West Ham. A game which saw them on the losing side of a 1-0 result. Mark Noble’s goal was enough to give The Hammers the win but Tom Heaton will count himself unfortunate after saving Noble’s initial spot kick only to see Noble win the race to get the rebound.
That defeat and Middlesbrough’s win yesterday means that Burnley have slipped to 16th and are now just three points clear of the dropzone. 4 defeats from their last five means that the buffer of points they had between them and the team in 18th has just been eroded slightly and they will need to once again return some points on the board soon if they are to not be dragged down further.
That will be task which is easier said than done this afternoon as Tottenham will go into this game as heavy favourites and rightly so. If Turf Moor is a fortress than White Hart Lane is almost impenetrable and with Spurs tails up after that impressive midweek victory against Hull their tails are going to be up later on.
I can’t see anything other than back to back wins for Spurs as they look to not only stay on the fringes of the Champions League places but get right back in the mix. It would be great if they could get back into the top four for Christmas and what a great present that would be. Tottenham will certainly do their bit and I think Arsenal will as well. Home win here and also 4th place at the end of the day. Merry Christmas Spurs fans.
