Tottenham’s record against top five can give them – and Arsenal – hope against Man City
“Lads, it’s Tottenham” was all Sir Alex Ferguson felt was necessary by way of a team talk before sending his Manchester United side out to face Spurs, according to the famous anecdote shared by his former lieutenant Roy Keane.
The story speaks to both Ferguson’s mastery of pre-match psychology and the long-running trope of the north Londoners being a soft touch; all style over substance; helpless when a superior side flexes its muscles.
Like the “Spursy” tag that has attached itself to the team more recently – and most accusations of sides “bottling it” or cracking under the pressure – it is a gross simplification, but that is also why it endures and is devilishly difficult to shake off.
Tonight the current Tottenham team have a chance to lend a lie to that characterisation when they host champions Manchester City in a fixture that will shape the climax to the Premier League season on Sunday.
Should Spurs conform to crude stereotype and lose, City will start the final day in the box seat to retain their title, knowing that they can lift the trophy for a record fourth year in succession if they sign off by beating West Ham at home.
But any other result will hand the initiative to Arsenal, who would start Sunday top of the table and able to guarantee a first Premier League crown for 20 years with victory over Everton at Emirates Stadium at the weekend.
City’s trip to Tottenham has taken on the tag of unofficial title decider among some observers, so hard is to see West Ham or Everton – neither with anything to gain or lose from their final match – proving to be a banana skin on the home straight.
And of course there is the twist that while any points for Spurs would improve their own hopes of qualifying for European competition, they would be an even bigger boost for their bitter rivals from down the Seven Sisters Road.
Arsenal striker Kai Havertz laughed that, for one night only, he would be “the biggest fan of Tottenham ever”, but there are plenty among the Spurs faithful who would feel the joke was on them if they helped Arsenal to the title.
For all of their tarring with a reputation for melting in the crucible of high-stakes contests, however, Tottenham have actually performed better than City in matches against other teams in the top five this season.
Ange Postecoglou’s men have taken eight points from those seven games so far – winning two, drawing two and losing three – and have scored twice or more on all but one occasion, a 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa.
City, meanwhile, have the worst record against their peers among the top five, averaging just one point per game after winning only once, 4-1 at home to Villa last month, and being held to four draws.
For Spurs, it has been a disappointing end to a season which promised much, but if they upset the odds this evening it will chip away further at the notion that the white flags at Tottenham are more than just a reflection of team colours.