The Premier League has been full of surprises this season, the most notable of them being Leicester City. They are currently top of the table after almost being relegated last year! It indeed is a fairytale for the Foxes.
Everyone expected Leicester to be in the relegation fight this season and their odds of winning it at the start was 5000/1. But after beating Machester City comfortably at the Etihad last weekend, many have now marked them as favorites.
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But there has been another team that have quietly stirred up a title challenge of their own. Tottenham Hotspur have been impressively accumulating points in the last few months and are well placed at second above bitter rivals Arsenal.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been playing some great football this season and many of their players have been hitting form at the right time for the Lilywhites.
With both Leicester and Spurs facing their biggest test yet at the weekend against Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, we take a look at each of the teams’ title credentials
Leicester City
Leicester can create history by becoming only the sixth team to win the Premier League and join an elite group of clubs and here’s why we think so:
No Pressure:
Unlike some of the top clubs like Arsenal and Manchester City there isn’t any real pressure on Leicester to win the league title. Nobody expected them to even finish in the top half at the beginning of the season and nobody would blame them if they still don't win it from here.
They find themselves in a position of comfort their rivals can’t afford. This has allowed them to go and express themselves and just play football without having to concentrate on ambitions or silverware. That in itself is a big weight off their shoulders.
Work rate and Counter-attack:
Leicester this season have been the masters of the counter-attack. They have scored the most counter-attacking goals of any team in the league.
A team is most vulnerable to a counter-attack and Leicester have used the speed of Vardy and Mahrez to great effect this season, with their midfielders immediately releasing their forwards as soon as they win possession.
Teams have been unable to deal with the high intensity that Leicester are able to maintain throughout the 90 minutes. A good example of that was the Manchester City game, where Leicester exposed the failings of their backline, scoring a superb counter-attacking goal.
Unfamiliarity of the 4-4-2
Leicester have once again proven how effective the 4-4-2 system can be when applied properly.
Jamie Vardy is by default one of the front two in the formation with the other striker’s slot being rotated between Shinji Okazaki and Leonardo Ulloa.The formation is best utilized when one of the forwards drops into midfield temporarily making it a 4-5-1 when the opposition are in possession.
This allows a team to outnumber their opponents in crucial areas of the pitch. Thus, when Leicester have had the ball this season they have been able to outnumber the full backs and put in crosses in the box.
Since it’s a 4-4-2, it allows for more players to attack the ball in the box. firstly because there are two strikers rather than one who keep both centre-backs busy, and secondly, runners from midfield can now find themselves with space thus creating an overload in the area.
No cup distractions
Leicester were knocked out of both the League and FA Cup this season, as well as not having European commitments. That means they have only one competition to focus on which is the Premier League.
For most games they will have at least a week’s rest when other contenders might have to play up to two per week. There are 13 games to go in the Premier League and those are the only games that Ranier’s side will be playing.
On the other hand the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal might have to play up to 25 games in the coming months depending upon how far the teams progress in each competition.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have been a resilient side this season enjoying their longest unbeaten run in their history. Hers’ what makes them such a success
Solid in Defense:
Tottenham have been to beat this season because of their defense. In the past they haven’t always hade a stable back four and have been guilty of conceding too many times, but this year they seemed to have addressed that problem
Their defensive duo of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderwerield have been rock solid at the back, conceding the least number of goals in the entire league which currently stands at 19.
The two Belgians at the back are also good passers helping Spurs start attacks from deep with their long balls.
Young and Talented
Pochettino has been very encouraging of youngsters wherever he has managed, a policy that has reaped great rewards this season with Tottenham’s squad being the youngest in the Premier League having an average age of 24.7 years.
One of those youngsters Delle Alli has become the star of their midfield this season.In his 19 appearances for the club in the Premier League, he has scored 7 and assisted another 5. He scored a brilliant goal in a recent game against Crystal Palace, once again showing the quality he possesses.
Tom Carrol, Eric Dier, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane only add to the list of impressive performances this season.
Strength in Depth
Tottenham have a good first team but they also possess a strong bench. They have several options in midfield if they do need to change it around. The likes of Nacer Chadli, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason are all good options for Spurs if and when they need to replace a first-team member.
In attack, they have Son Heung-Min, the Korean international who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen this season. They also have young Clinton Njie, who has impressed whenever he’s played.
The likes of Chadli and Son have featured regularly in the FA Cup as well as the Europa League and have performed admirably. Pochettino can be reassured that if ever he needs to call upon his bench strength they will be up for the task.
Familiarity of the Top 4
Tottenham have always been one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the League over the last few seasons. They have only finished in the top four on two occasions but they have been in around the top 6 for the last six years.
This year they mostly have a top four spot tied down barring a dramatic collapse of form. But now having broken that barrier they now have the motivation to go all the way.
Thier confidence will only get better with each game. And with the experience of knowing how to pick up points and finishing in the European places year after year means, they know how to sustain a high level of performance.
The Failings of Arsenal and Manchester City
These two teams are were considered in the category of title favorites in August but they haven’t been backing that up enough ever since. Arsenal have failed to take their opportunity when others have faltered and City are just not consistent enough.
Arsenal seem to be experiencing their usual new year hangover and Manchester City have been a shadow of a side they’re capable of being without their captain Vincent Kompany. They will have to pull their socks up this weekend as the top four face each other for only the sixth time on the same day in Premier League history
So who has a better shot at the title? Tottenham have definitely outdone themselves this season. They started with the hopes of finishing in the top four and now have achieved the tag of title contenders. They are without doubt a well-drilled side under Pochettino.
But Leicester have been blowing critics’ minds with their performances. Everyone is waiting for them to slip up but that just doesn’t seem to happen. Instead, they have now affirmed themselves as title favorites by beating the original title favourites Manchester City in their own backyard.
If it is a race between the current 1st and 2nd placed teams I have a funny feeling Leicester might just outlast Tottenham simply because they have done it in the past 23 games and show no signs of fatigue. Tottenham will definitely finish in the top four but Leicester look like the real deal and could go all the way
