Filed under: Tottenham, Premier League, Football
Harry Redknapp was talking about a Premier League title challenge for Tottenham last season until around February time, when their Champions League campaign caught up with them.This time around they have been hampered by the London riots leading to their opening game against Everton being postponed, then the fixture computer matching them with Manchester United and Manchester City as their next two opponents.
Zero points and eight goals conceded while others had played three matches meant Spurs were playing catch-up. Not quite as bad, but they were on their way to a start similar to the "two points from eight games" that led to Redknapp being appointed three years ago.
Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor arrived before the transfer window closed and after four wins from as many league game, including the victory over Arsenal, Spurs are at the right end of the table again.
"I just felt after two or three weeks, I could see what was coming," Redknapp said. "I never went home and worried about it because I was confident.
"We had Adebayor coming in, we had Scott Parker. We had Sandro coming back. I knew we'd suddenly be a much better team."
Redknapp even believes they should not just be aiming for a top-four place that would bring a return to Champions League football. They could set their sights higher.
"We keep talking about finishing fourth but who knows. We may finish third or second - it's not impossible," he said recently.
Why not? From the teams that finished in the top four last season, Arsenal are - by some distance - the most vulnerable to dropping out.
They lost their captain Cesc Fabregas and lost their playmaker in Samir Nasri. If the performance in the 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane is anything to go by, their defenders lost the ability attack long balls down the middle.
Elsewhere, the consequences of the Carlos Tevez row at Manchester City could still impact on their season, while Chelsea have been impressive recently without having the aura of previous campaigns.
Spurs could find themselves chasing champions United soon if they continue their current form. In their 4-0 over Liverpool they showed how much Kenny Dalglish's team have to improve to topple them.
Redknapp has a better squad this season, and it is not just because of Parker and Adebayor signing for them.
Players with little hope of getting in the first-team squad were loaned or sold, meaning the smaller squad has less disruption. Alan Hutton, Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios were the ones offloaded.
For the settled team that remains, it appears it is now or never in terms of challenging United.
Redknapp's progress in three years at White Hart Lane means he is favourite to land the England job when Fabio Capello leaves at the end of the campaign.
Should that happen, changes mean it would difficult to maintain their momentum. At the moment everything is going Spurs' way and they have to take advantage.
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