Can Tottenham actually win the Premier League? Of course not, but ask Ange Postecoglou and the Spurs manager would not discourage the question, even though he would be the first to point out that it’s still only October. It is Postecoglou’s belief, and the Australian would say it is also his responsibility, that football fans are allowed to dream. Spurs supporters have had little reason to get carried away in recent years but after making their best start to a top-flight season since 1960-61, the last time they won the league, now is as good a time as any.
Postecoglou could not have asked for a better start: as the Premier League returns following the October international break, Tottenham sit top, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. Postecoglou’s side remain unbeaten, winning six and drawing two of their opening eight matches. From the misery and perpetual sense of chaos that took hold of Spurs last season, Postecoglou has revived the doomed pulse of the club and its fanbase. That, above the early look of the Premier League table, has been his greatest result so far.
Whether Tottenham’s fast start can last is one of the questions that will define the next chunk of the Premier League campaign. There are only four rounds of fixtures to be played before the next hiatus, for November’s internationals, and Tottenham’s upcoming run – against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Wolves – is favourable. Based on their early season form, there is reason for optimism that Spurs may be able to enjoy their view from the summit for a while longer.
Yet, a year ago, it was possible to say the same. Having beaten Arsenal to fourth place the previous season, Tottenham started the new campaign under Conte with seven wins from their opening 10 matches, a good enough return to sit one point off the top by mid-October. Given Tottenham went on to win just three of their next 10 and Conte’s fractious relationship with the club finally came crashing down within six months, the foundations were nowhere near as strong as they initially appeared.
Are Tottenham flattered to be in a lofty early position again? Postecoglou’s side have already played and beaten the Premier League’s bottom four, including the three newly promoted sides. One of those wins required a 99th-minute winner at home to Sheffield United. Another tight victory, against Liverpool, came after the visitors had the opening goal incorrectly disallowed by VAR, had two players sent off, while Reds defender Joel Matip put a 96th-minute winner into the wrong end. Tottenham were the benefactors of the “well done, boys, good process” derby.
Yet Tottenham have also earned some fortune, and it is becoming clearer with each week of Postecoglou’s influence that Tottenham may not have picked up those points last season. While their opening fixtures have been kind, Spurs have also shown resilience and spirit in winning away at Luton with 10 men, after Yves Bissouma’s red card, and equalising twice to earn a point at Arsenal, a fixture at which they had crumbled in previous seasons. It was a performance that led James Maddison to declare Spurs are shedding their “Spursy” tag.
Ange Postecoglou has won back-to-back manager of the month awards— (Getty Images)
And much like the element of “Spursiness”, Tottenham’s impressive start has been rooted in the intangibles, in heart and feeling. The fact the departure of Harry Kane has not yet felt as significant is another sign of how Postecoglou has managed to bring the divided sides of what appeared to be a broken club together. While Kane has gone, there is a freshness about Spurs. Through the impact of signings such as Maddison, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario, the relationship between players and fans has been repaired.
What has stood out about Postecoglou’s team has been backed up, too, by the numbers. Last season, Tottenham were often passive and frequently easy to play against. Even though they carried the threat of Kane, Spurs would appear to pass through games without showing any urgency or ambition; opposition teams would find it alarmingly simple to play through a static, immobile midfield.
But under Postecoglou, Tottenham have become one of the most active teams in the division, progressive with the ball and disruptive without it. Spurs lead the Premier League in shots on goal, passes into the penalty area, forward dribbles, but also in tackles won and interceptions. If it reflects that Tottenham now press higher up the pitch than last season, when they barely engaged under Conte, Bissouma has been the key piece in a revamped midfield a year after being frozen out by the Italian.
Maddison, meanwhile, has helped ease the post-Kane transition, a role he appeared ready to step up to when he took the No 10 jersey previously worn by the club’s record goalscorer. Spurs will never be able to replace Kane, but Postecoglou has so far been able to negate his absence through Maddison and a resurgent Son Heung-min, who looks back to his clinical best after moving to a central forward role. Maddison, though, has been integral as Tottenham’s creator-in-chief, with five assists so far this season.
James Maddison has helped spark Tottenham into life this season— (Getty Images)
If some of Maddison’s early statistics seem unsustainable – the England international also leads the Premier League in a number of other areas, such as key passes and shot-creating actions – the same could be asked of Postecoglou’s side at this stage. Tottenham, really, shouldn’t be near the conversation of title challengers, but timing has played a part. The win at Luton, which moved them top, came as Manchester City lost their second Premier League game in a row at Arsenal. If it’s a sign of what’s to come from City this season, it was a result that widened the pool of potential challengers to include Spurs.
The manner in which City eased away from Arsenal last season, however, showed how inch-perfect title contenders must be as long as Pep Guardiola remains in England. Tottenham, who finished eighth last year, are coming from an even lower floor than Mikel Arteta’s side, albeit with a more dramatic transformation under Postecoglou. As a side who are still developing together, Spurs should be allowed some inconsistency, even if they are yet to show it.
The early evidence this season suggests they are one of the four strongest teams in the top flight, alongside last season’s title rivals and Jurgen Klopp’s refreshed Liverpool. In the past, signs of promise around Spurs have often been followed by a swift yet crushing crash back to earth. But now as Tottenham head deep into October with two winnable London derbies next week, starting with Fulham on Monday followed by a trip to Crystal Palace on Friday, Postecoglou can continue to show why this Tottenham is different.
