If there’s one thing that Tottenham Hotspur are currently, it’s consistently inconsistent in both their performances and results over the last few months.
A win over league leaders Manchester City, which is no small feat, was overshadowed by losing four Premier League games either side of the victory.
It was something that threw both Antonio Conte’s future and the club’s top four ambitions into doubt, with an FA Cup loss to Championship side Middlesbrough also hardly aiding the cause either.
The defeats caused the Italian coach to question his viability for the job going forward in an astonishing press conference after slumping away at Burnley.
He said: “No one deserves this type of situation – the club, me, the players and fans, but this is the reality.
“I came in to try to improve the situation in Tottenham but maybe in this moment, I don’t know, I’m not so good to improve the situation.
“It’s very frustrating because I know we’re working hard, working a lot and trying to get the best out of every single player.”
Since then, the cup loss aside, league form has picked up, albeit to relegation candidates struggling at the foot of the table.
Spurs have been back to their clinical best, smashing Leeds 4-0 before Monday’s 5-0 drubbing of Everton at home.
It leaves the Lilywhites in seventh, level on points with West Ham and two points behind Manchester United with two games in hand on both.
The real concern though will be with north London rivals Arsenal, who currently occupy fourth and are three points ahead, though they have played a game less.
It keeps their chances alive and former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher believes the side are in with a shout of top four.
He said on Sky Sports: “When you have players at the top end of the pitch, you are going to always be in with a shout. Kane and Son, but we can’t keep changing our opinion on Spurs week in week out.
“Sometimes they will have a great result like tonight, but let's not forget that last week they lost to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
“Tonight was a great night for them and gives them an outside chance of achieving a top four position."
Former Spurs striker Teddy Sheringham also believes the side have a chance, though he admits rivals Arsenal are the ones to catch.
He said: “Of course they can [finish in the top four]. West Ham have got a tough draw in the Europa League so they may put more focus on that. Manchester United have their problems as we saw yesterday.
“Arsenal are the form of the team which it pains me to say, but as we saw yesterday, they look like the form team at the moment that will take fourth place, but football can change very quickly.”
It could result in a tense end to the season in the race for a top four finish, especially as teams continue to drop points heading into the final few weeks.
It perhaps puts more emphasis on the North London Derby, which is still set to be rearranged for the future after the original fixture was postponed.
Should one of the two sides walk out with a victory from the match, it could be the deciding factor for Champions League football next season.
