Tottenham Hotspur says it's for real.
Sunday, the most exciting team in the Premier League can prove it with an emphatic performance against Manchester United on Sunday morning (LIVE on Fox Soccer at 11 a.m. ET).
Sunday’s test is just the latest, but clearly the fiercest, in a year that has seen the club take a major leap forward. A win Sunday would leave them no worse than five points off the top. A loss could see them fall as far as sixth.
And Spurs, who have already lost five games this season, have been far better at the confines of White Hart Lane than on the road. The bottom line? If Tottenham is to make its case, the time is now.
Spurs are currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table, a remarkable spot considering the doubts about the team coming into the season. Even manager Harry Redknapp admitted that he wondered if the addition of Champions League games to what is an already packed English schedule would derail his side’s ambitions. Instead a series of smart signings and breakout play from three key men have made Tottenham a legitimate title contender.
There's no question about Spurs' rich history, but the club had slipped from its one-time perch as London’s “other club” thanks to the rise of Chelsea under owner Roman Abramovich. And, despite being the first English club to complete to double of winning the League and FA Cup in the same year (1961), it has been fifty long years since it won the top-flight crown.
Better yet, Spurs didn’t fall apart in back with the extended absence of key stopper Michael Dawson. Younes Kaboul and Benoit Assou-Ekotto have shown resilience and ability, and the sometimes-wild Heurelho Gomes has avoided the succession of howlers that once threatened to end his career as a 'keeper. At home, Spurs are very tough to score against; away they tend to cough them up, which has prevented them from fully being able to exploit their talents.
Sunday, Spurs will face a Manchester United side that historically grows in strength as the season goes on, and is visibly starting to gel. Still unbeaten in league play, Sir Alex Ferguson's team will come to London in search of a win that can serve notice of their intention to claim another title.
Wayne Rooney is starting to score again, Nani has been deadly both as a set-up man and scorer and the midfield is deep, talented, experienced, and capable of domination. Adding to the spice there's league-leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov ... Spurs fans haven’t forgotten that the Bulgarian just happened to leave their club to sign for United.
Yet, Tottenham have shown all season long that they are neither overmatched nor overawed. With a win Sunday, they can end any arguments about where they belong among the top tier of English football.
Jamie Trecker is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the UEFA Champions League and European football.
