After struggling for the best part of the last four years, Tottenham Hotspur look like serious contenders in the 2023/24 Premier League.
Tottenham headed into the most recent international break joint top of the table but have moved clear since the Premier League resumption thanks to two excellent wins.
This is the furthest into a league season that the north London side has been at the summit since December 2020, when they were top after 12 matches with Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho in charge.
Flying start
After this flying start to the season, Tottenham are 10/1 odds to win the league title, as compared to 50/1 at the same time last season.
Many bookies will be picking this as well, if Spurs keep up their good run, and fans can access a review of these bookies and offers they come with on Cheekypunter, which also gives a guide to the best football online betting sites available.
In all their good tidings, credit has to go to one man; Australian manager Ange Postecoglou.
The Spurs boss has not only steadied the north London side’s ship, he has also strengthened their resolve and the Sours fans can dare to dream.
Lower profile
Signed after a successful spell with Scottish giants Celtic, Postecoglou didn’t come with the profile of the few managers that occupied the role before him.
This position had previously been held by Nuno Espirito Santo, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, all with higher profiles and serious Premier League pedigree.
Postecoglou has shown that you only need to focus on the team dynamics and collective willpower to perform, with this arguably his highest profile job as a manager.
The fact that he takes up the team right after the departure of Harry Kane – Spurs’ most outstanding player over the years – and he does well with it, says a lot.
The Australian now has a new record after guiding his team to a 2-0 win over Fulham in the latest round of matches. He set the record for the most points earned by a new manager in the Premier League after nine matches (23) when he led the team to beat Fulham.
Previous record
This record was previously jointly held by Guus Hiddink and Mike Walter who managed 22 points in their first nine matches as Chelsea and Norwich City managers respectively in the 2008-09 and 1992-93 seasons.
Postecoglou’s time at Sours has been made easier by quality players too, some who existed there even before but were rarely used. Yves Bissouma for example, has emerged as a top midfield option for Postecoglou, after struggling for playtime under Conte.
However, the signing of James Maddison has also been key for Spurs and the England international settled in well and easily. He is a regular contributor to Spurs goals and always a threat when on the pitch.
All these factors have made Postecoglou’s time easy while a big favour for them is that they have no European football this season, and thus extended time to rest unlike their fellow title contenders.
Editorial credit: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com
