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Are Spurs ready to challenge for the Premier League title?

Are Spurs ready to challenge for the Premier League title?
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It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Tottenham Hotspur have underachieved in recent years. But with Antonio Conte at the helm, it feels like Spurs could achieve something special in the not-too-distant future.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham finished as Premier League runners-up in 2016-17 before losing the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League final to Liverpool. Time and again, they failed to get over the line.

However, Conte is a proven winner. After clinching three straight Serie A titles with Juventus, the Italian guided Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2016-17 before leading Inter Milan to the 2020-21 scudetto.

But can Conte take Tottenham to the next level? And could Spurs really compete with Manchester City and Liverpool next season?

Conte took the Tottenham job on November 2, 2021. Tottenham ended up winning 17 of their final 28 Premier League games, recording five draws and six losses in the process.

Thanks to promising runs in various other competitions, Conte has a win ratio of 58.33% at Spurs – having won 21 of his 36 games overall.

But, of course, you need more than just a good manager to win the Premier League title. You need good players, too. Thankfully, Tottenham have numerous top-class players in the ranks.

In Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Spurs have two of the best forwards on the planet. Kane bagged 27 goals and ten assists in all competitions last term, while Son netted 23 league goals to clinch the Golden Boot.

Let’s not forget about the impact that Dejan Kulusevski made throughout the second half of the previous campaign. The Juventus loanee notched five goals and eight assists in 18 Premier League outings.

It goes without saying that Conte will be eager to turn Kulusevski’s loan deal into a permanent move.

Tottenham also improved defensively following Conte’s arrival. Indeed, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris kept 13 clean sheets in 28 Premier League matches after the managerial change.

Better still, Spurs have wasted no time in strengthening their squad this summer – bringing in Ivan Perisic from Inter and Yves Bissouma from Brighton.

Perisic will provide goals and assists from wide areas, while Bissouma will bring tackles, interceptions and dynamism to the heart of Tottenham's midfield.

Of course, the gulf between Man City and Liverpool and the chasing pack is vast. But if Spurs can make a few more additions over the summer, they could close the gap.

Winning the 2022-23 Premier League title is a huge ask. But with Conte at the helm, there is no reason why Tottenham can’t challenge for silverware in the coming years.

Premier League
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Manchester City 88 37 27 7 3 60
2
Arsenal 86 37 27 5 5 61
3
Liverpool 79 37 23 10 4 43
4
Aston Villa 68 37 20 8 9 20
5
Tottenham 63 37 19 6 12 10
6
Newcastle United 57 36 17 6 13 22
7
Chelsea 57 36 16 9 11 12
8
Manchester United 54 36 16 6 14 -4
9
West Ham 52 37 14 10 13 -12
10
Brighton 48 36 12 12 12 -4
11
Bournemouth 48 37 13 9 15 -12
12
Crystal Palace 46 37 12 10 15 -6
13
Wolverhampton 46 37 13 7 17 -13
14
Fulham 44 37 12 8 17 -8
15
Everton 40 37 13 9 15 -10
16
Brentford 39 37 10 9 18 -7
17
Nottingham Forest 29 37 8 9 20 -19
18
Luton Town 26 37 6 8 23 -31
19
Burnley 24 37 5 9 23 -36
20
Sheffield United 16 37 3 7 27 -66

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