Although Tottenham Hotspur have found themselves inside the top four of the Premier League table for the majority of the season, the Antonio Conte-managed side have failed to secure a signature victory against a top eight side throughout their 2022/23 campaign with the exception of Brighton in October.
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Their inability to win the prominent fixtures on their schedule was evident again earlier this month when they took on league leaders and north London rivals Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs were poor – letting in two goals inside the first 36 minutes which all but ensured the game was out of reach for the home side when they went into the dressing room at the half time.
Not only did Harry Kane and company look disjointed on both ends of the ball, their demeanor and attitude were seriously lacking for large portions of the match when compared to the Gunners. Arsenal were often first to the ball, challenging the 50/50 contests with more grit and determination than their opponents – which ultimately showed in the final 2-0 scoreline.
“About the performance, I’m not disappointed. I’m not disappointed because we knew the game could be really difficult because Arsenal are a really strong team, and also tonight showed they deserve to stay top of the league,” Conte said.
“They deserve to be title contenders. In my opinion, Arsenal and City, they are the only two teams that can fight for the Premier League in this season. Now we have to move on.”
As a result of their form in January, Tottenham are outside the top four in the table for the first time this season (at the time of writing), and are at considerable risk of missing out on qualifying for the Champions League for the third time in four years.
Unsurprisingly, Conte’s in the hot seat to keep his job, currently sitting at odds of 10/1 in the betting odds on the premier league to be the next manager to be let go. Fortunately for the men in white and navy blue – their schedule in February and March is much easier on paper than the murderer’s row of Arsenal, Manchester City and Fulham they were forced to face in January.
Although next month kicks off with another difficult match-up against Manchester City, their following seven league fixtures include Leicester City, West Ham United, Chelsea, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Everton – all of which are winnable games.
If Tottenham can go on a significant run during that period and win the majority of the aforementioned games over the coming months – not only will they have a good opportunity to secure Champions League football again next season – but it could also bode well for Conte if he hopes to be offered a new contract and remain employed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, with their Champions League round of 16 leg against last year’s Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt just around the corner – if they can perform well at the European level and progress to the quarter-finals – it won’t be all doom and gloom at Tottenham.
