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Does Spurs pull off the upset and win the Premier League title this season?
Spurs fans are entitled to start dreaming of trophies this season 2023-24 after a near flawless start to date.
Six months ago, the team's future was uncertain and it finished in a disappointing eighth place in the Premier League. More than a Spurs manager was sacked and departed as well as a number of key players failed to provide good standards. Harry Kane was one of the few players in the team to shine last season and scored 30 goals, but Bayern Munich succeeded in joining him this summer.
Tottenham signed manager Ange Postecoglou, who was a big success for Celtic in Scotland, but his initial appointment did not satisfy the club's fans much. Postecoglou was not the big name that Spurs fans expected, and his lack of experience caused great concern, but the Australian proved to be the right man to lead the club to a bold new era.
Pre-season preparation showed that Postecoglou, ready to implement a new mindset designed to get the best out of Tottenham's most dangerous players, was also able to bring a range of new signings to suit his philosophy.
Although Tottenham finished top of the Premier League before the second international break of 2023-24, goal differentials from Arsenal and two points behind defending champions Manchester City, who are third, have not suffered any defeat yet, the general consensus is that Spurs will not be able to continue at this level and results.
Spurs' current form is no coincidence. The manager has succeeded in turning the team into the most complete yet in the Championship and they deserve to be potential contenders for this year's Premier League title.
"Ange Ball"
Spurs climbed to the top of the Premier League after a difficult 1-0 win over Luton Town, where Mikey van de Vine scored the winner early in the second half, and the team changed a lot from last season, Spurs were wasting points in a game like this but the players are doing their best for postecoglou.
The Spurs manager told TNT Sports after the game: "It's a credit to the players, the way they're convinced what we're trying to do we're really coherent as a group, which you see because not only are we winning games, but the flexibility we've shown has been great and the players want to change the fate of this club and that's what they're trying to do on the pitch."
Under Conte's leadership, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho, Tottenham have been a cautious team based on counter-attack and individual goal wins, but it has all changed since Posticoglou's arrival, encouraging their players to express themselves and risk under pressure and demonstrating the quality of the team and its ability to create plenty of opportunities.
During their thrilling 2-2 draw with the Gunners in the first north London derby of the season, Ange's ball was in control of the game, and the game was supposed to end with Tottenham's win, which was struggling until the very last moments, trying their best to win, not Arsenal's home side.
Watching Tottenham has been as interesting as it has been throughout Postecoglou's tenure, so far James Maddison, who joined this summer, said of the belief the coach cultivated in the team after the Arsenal game: "If we lose playing his way, it's his responsibility, and it gives you freedom on the field."
Magical Madison
Maddison, a distinguished Spurs player in the new Postecoglou era, moved into the team for £40m from Leicester City and the England international scored twice and provided five assists in his first eight league appearances of the season, his last against Luton.
Spurs won a corner by Kolosevski, for Madison and despite watching tightly, the 26-year-old managed to pass the ball to Van de Vine, scoring the winner.
Only the best players can create something from nothing, and Madison's prowess has added a new dimension to Tottenham's attack. He has created more opportunities than any other player in the Premier League this season, and he also seems to be taking a leading role. Madison's impressive form inspires those around him to raise their level, as the team's collective spirit is at its highest.
"As a kid, you don't play for anything that there's no politics, you play because you like to play football and do the things that you love, and you become the player that you become because of what you do and what you're good at," Madison said after joining Spurs.
"And that's never going to change for me, that's how I play and I'm never going to change, and that's why my journey went that way and I'm glad it's over at Tottenham."
This passion is what distinguishes Maddison from the majority of his rivals and there are no limits to what Spurs can achieve if they continue to shine.
Van de Ven's huge presence
Spurs have spent £43m on Dutch centre-back Van de Vine this summer and have made an immediate impact in the Premier League. The 22-year-old has shown maturity lying his age, forging a formidable partnership with Christian Romero.
Romero, recently described by Argentine teammate Lionel Messi as the best defender in the world, was always exposed last season with Spurs and his partnership with Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet failed.
While van de Ven completes Romero perfectly, as former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy told the BBC after the Luton game: "Tottenham have been looking for a central defensive partnership for a long time, now they have that and Van de Ven and Romero seem to be a real partnership and this duo are Tottenham's start to everything."
Spurs' rivals have been severely hacked by the team's defences thanks to Van de Ven and his strong structure also helps him win most of his physical duels, Van de Vin looks like a Rolls-Royce when he gets out of the defense and is also good at scoring goals every now and then. As it happened against Luton, it would be great to see how the player would develop under Postecoglou as the season progressed.
Son rises to the top spot
Son and Harry Kane have long been Spurs stars with 47 Premier League goals in eight years - the best partnership in the competition's history - and Kane would not have become Tottenham's historic top scorer without Son's support.
Although Son regularly shone, Kane has always been Tottenham's main star and although his departure led to the termination of a great partnership, he also gave Son the chance to take centre stage.
Postecoglou decided, Son was appointed Spurs' new captain and initially kept him in his regular role on the left side but the 31-year-old failed to score in his first three Premier League games of the season before being asked to lead the attack against Burnley on 2 September.
Spurs secured a 5-2 win and Son scored a fine hat-trick, scoring again during the north London derby two goals, scoring his sixth goal of the season in Tottenham's landslide win over Liverpool and Postecoglou said after the last game: "I think the way we play suits him."
It would come as no surprise if Son was secretly looking to win the second Golden Boot of his career, given the number of opportunities Spurs are creating at the moment, and Spurs are not missing Kane, which is due to Son being the central component of the new manager's system.
Two Flying Full-Backs
Spurs rarely used two full-backs last season, with Conte preferring a 3-4-3 plan, but Postecoglou stressed their importance since arriving at the club.
The Australian coach tends to play in a 4-2-3-1 manner, with his right-back and left-back moving up and inside when Spurs are in attack. They rush to midfield where Spurs take a very attacking 2-3-5 form that has reaped a lot of rewards so far in the 2023-24 season.
Destiny Odogi has been a revelation on the left, with the former Udinese star moving on for £20m and the Italian starring heavily for Spurs.
On the other side, Postecoglou was moving between Pedro porro and Emerson Royal, both underperforming in the 2022-2023 season but improving in recent months, especially Borough.
Porro told Sky Sports last month: "It's a system that really suits me and good for me. It's a new system I've never played before. I play on the pitch as a full-back, but I feel confident in this place and I feel really happy and I think you can see that when I play."
Spurs are now the most attractive team to watch in English football and the team coach said: "I want exciting football that people talk about, not only the end result but also the way I played", and no one has yet figured out how to stop Spurs "brilliant full-backs.
Steel Midline
Tottenham's midfield this season is solid thanks to Bissouma, and the 27-year-old's first season at Spurs was very disappointing as injuries halted his contribution, but he worked hard to get back to full fitness and Postecoglou showed great belief in his ability.
Bissouma was strongly criticized for his performance against Luton, where he received the second ultimatum and was fired, but his overall impact on the team over the past few months is undeniable.
Only two other players have completed more interventions than the former Brighton player in the Premier League this season, topping the list of short, more complete passes and no midfielder has been able to achieve a ball lead like Bissouma, underscoring the fact that he has rediscovered his confidence under Postecoglou.
Meanwhile, pape Matar Sarr proved to be the ideal figure for Bissouma, the 21-year-old is now one of the first names on the Postecoglou team's list, and was a major reason for the 2-0 win over Manchester United in August, scoring the first goal.
Postecoglou praised Masar after the game, telling reporters: "He has great energy, he also has quality, he is one of the midfielders who causes real problems, because whether he runs or not with the ball or without it, he runs forward and strongly he has a great temperament for his age."
Bissouma and Walr enjoy all the ingredients of world-class midfielders, and this pair has helped Spurs greatly to shine so far.
Spurs' advantage over rivals
Mourinho led Tottenham to the top of the league in November 2020 after a 2-0 win over Manchester City, and they had the best start to a season in 59 years in 2022-23, with the team picking up 23 points from their first 10 games.
The difference this time is that Postecoglou, made Spurs play much better football and there is a fighting spirit in the group now that has been sorely missing in previous years, and time will determine whether or not Spurs are really able to challenge City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
Tottenham's next rivals clash is very difficult and stressful, which gives Postecoglou's men preference. Tottenham are not playing in European competition this season. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the second round this season after playing substitutes and managing one or two games a week would be much easier than managing three or four.
If Spurs avoid their players suffering injuries, they will be able to continue at the top of the league and it is easy to book a place in the Champions League. "Things are going well but we are in October and we still have a lot of work to do."
After many years Spurs are finally heading in the right direction and it is not too early to consider them as the black horse of the 2023-24 Premier League Championship.
