The Saturday debate: Can Spurs crack the big four?

By Steve Anglesey in Mirror Football Blog

Published 20:08 30/10/09

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Every Saturday we'll be addressing the burning issue that you've been arguing about all week in the pub.

This week: Are Tottenham ready to break into the Champions League places?

YES says former Tottenham midfielder Micky Hazard

It certainly wouldn’t surprise me to see them in the top four this season. Obviously there is the big four that somehow they have to force themselves past but if they believe in themselves then I am certain that they can do it.

Harry has done a great job and got them playing in the Spurs style and they have won a lot of games and put up some great performances against the top clubs.

But how they get on against the top sides will decide whether they can break into the top four. They have lost to Manchester United and Chelsea, but beat Liverpool and now have Arsenal.

It’s not competing with the top four that will be important but beating the top four and once they get over that hurdle they will break into the top four.

That’s why today’s game is important. Arsenal are a great team and play fantastic team but this weekend is a strange game because as good as Arsenal are, they always look like they will concede goals.

Arsenal are at home and the odds are in their favour but somehow I can see Spurs getting a win because of Arsenal’s vulnerability at the back.

As long as Spurs retain the belief then there will always be a way back for them and there is a possibility that they can win this game. Spurs are playing super football at the moment, certainly better than the last few years and they have a real chance this season."

NO says former Arsenal stopper Nigel Winterburn

If you look at the team Spurs have at the moment, they probably belong in that group of three teams in 5th, 6th and 7th who are pushing to get into the top four.

If they can keep up and around that position then maybe they will have a chance of moving on. They are not far away but it certainly won’t be at the expense of Arsenal.

But being successful is all about consistency and belief and that’s why Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have stayed in the top four. It’s because they have the belief that they can succeed and that helps them win games when maybe they are not at their best.

Tottenham have a good squad. Jermain Defoe will be missed at the Emirates today (SAT) but Peter Crouch will probably come in and he is a very good player.

But the big question is, if they are in contention for the top four towards the end of the season, will, they be able to maintain their consistency when the pressure is on? It’s all right talking about it now but it’s a different matter when the realisation hits you that you could be playing in the Champions League next year. That’s when you find out whether you are good enough.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful to Robbie Keane or any other players who speak about their chances, but it’s easy to talk and it’s what you do out on the pitch that matters.

I played in an Arsenal side that won the league by winning 2-0 at Liverpool in 1989 and at the start of the season nobody would have said we were a better side than Liverpool. Favourites don’t always win things. You write down a list of your 20 players and match them up against another club’s 20 players, give them each a mark out of ten and say it looks equal.

But it’s out on the pitch where it matters and where you finish consistently in the league. It’s a team game and it’s how the team performs consistently that matters, not simply a case of deciding who has the best individuals.

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