Dimitar Berbatov has spoken out about Tottenham's consistency and pressure, as the top four race continues. Antonio Conte's side are currently fourth in the league, three points ahead of Arsenal, who do have a game in hand.
Since the Italian's arrival, there have been major improvements to individual performances, but also the team displays. The Lilywhites need to have a strong final month or so of the season, to help them secure Champions League football for the next campaign.
Just a few months ago Tottenham were on an inconsistent run of form and sat seventh in the league. Now they have found some consistency and are six points ahead of seventh-placed Manchester United.
READ MORE: Tottenham's next six Premier League fixtures compared to Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and West Ham
Arsenal have not finished above Spurs since the 2015/16 season and the rivalry between the two north London clubs means they have competition when they play each other, but also the desire to finish above one another. However, in an exclusive interview with football.london last month, ex-Tottenham striker and Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov gave his verdict on the rivalry and pressure.
"We always say about Spurs, in the start of every season, ‘now is their season, now they can do something’ and in [that] way we put even more pressure on them to win something. I prefer to leave them in the shadow and quietly work their way up and maybe surprise people along the way," he admitted.
"Many times they were disappointed in a way that it was their season when they start and then slowly but surely their form dips and they go sixth at the end of the season or seventh or maybe the big achievement was to be above Arsenal in the Premier League, which I find it's not so good to be.
"You need to be close to the top where the big teams are, City and Liverpool at the moment because Spurs have everything. Probably the best stadium in Europe, training ground unbelievable, now one of the best coaches in the world and they have talent on the pitch as well. So let's hope they will find that consistency and produce great games."
The comments from the 41-year-old were at a time when Tottenham were trying to get out of their 'win one then lose one' sequence and improvements have been made since then, but their aims remain the same. This has perhaps been a bit of a 'surprise' to some, which Berbatov acknowledges.
Conte is a proven winner so there wasn't much doubt that he would be able to improve his new side. However he has helped Spurs climb the table in a short space of time, which has been helped by other results that have gone their way too.
This does mean that Tottenham are now under some pressure to keep winning their games, in order to try and remain inside the top four. On paper, the Lilywhites have some very winnable fixtures, but that doesn't mean any game will be easy.
Berbatov admitted that he hoped Spurs would find 'consistency and produce great games', which they have done with displays and results against the likes of West Ham and Newcastle. However, now it is about maintaining the consistency, despite the pressure they find themselves under.
The ex-Spurs striker's answer was in response to a question about Tottenham and silverware - something they haven't secured in 14 years. football.london asked Berbatov how his former side could get back to these winning ways and his response was as mentioned above.
Conte's side are now not in the 'shadows' but very much at the forefront of the top four conversation. Spurs have already been helped by Arsenal and Man United dropping points in various games too.
Leicester have now reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League and each leg of the round will be played either side of their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a further potential boost for the north London club. Do they have what it takes to find consistency whilst under pressure and get back to playing in the Champions League next season?
For more from Betfair Ambassador, Dimitar Berbatov and to get the latest football tips, head to https://betting.betfair.com/football/football-tips/
