Tottenham Hotspur are flying high and sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table going into the international break.
Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have defied expectations to reach the summit after the first eight league games of the campaign.
At the end of last season, Tottenham were in dire straits. They had no manager, no director of football, no European football, and Harry Kane’s future remained in the balance.
Though Kane has left, Spurs now have an amazing new manager, a chief football officer, and have made some great signings that fit well in a rejuvenated squad.
With the international break now under way, it’s a good opportunity to take stock of what Tottenham have done so far, and also look back at how they’ve defied pundit predictions.
For instance, on BBC Sport, not one of their 27 pundits named Spurs in their predicted top four for the season (as of 10 August).
Tottenham legend Chris Waddle said: “They’ve not spent enough. They’ve got a side that can finish in the top half but, even if Kane stays, they’re nowhere near the top four.
I know they were in fourth place when Antonio Conte left last season, with 10 league games to go, but they never really convinced me.
“There was only the odd moment where they looked good, then their run-in was absolutely terrible.”
Spurs fans will no doubt be buzzing that Postecoglou and his charges are on the right track to making a mockery of such predictions.
Obviously it’s still very early in the campaign, but so far, Tottenham have certainly shown they have what it takes to challenge for the top four.
Spurs have a great keeper in Guglielmo Vicario and a much more solid defence, not to mention a decent attack and, for the first time since Christian Eriksen left, a top playmaker in James Maddison.
