A shock defeat at the London Stadium looks to have finally derailed Tottenham Hotspur’s title ambitions, potentially impacting on the teamsheets and motivation levels over the final two Gameweeks. In short, Friday was not a good evening for Fantasy managers. Here’s the Stock Check….
In Decline
Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen
While we can only really speculate on the damage inflicted by Friday’s defeat on the prospects of Spurs’ assets, we can assume that there will be some impact – perhaps a significant one.
Having provided us with such consistency and an array of big points hauls over the past months, the Spurs tri-force of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen failed to conjure a route through a resolute West Ham rearguard, ensuring that our Gameweek 36 started with a disappointing whimper.
The repercussions over the final Gameweeks could be severe.
The defeat means that Chelsea can effectively seal the title with two victories against Middlesbrough and West Brom, all before Spurs next kick a ball.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side could, therefore, face Manchester United for the first of their two double Gameweek 37 fixtures having already surrendered the title.
Clearly, this development forces us to re-assess our Spurs options, with so many of us owning two, if not three of aforementioned assets, or perhaps Ben Davies or Jan Vertonghen in defence.
We have to consider that Spurs will be left deflated, which could certainly influence their level of performance and expected Fantasy output.
Looking back to last season, we’re offered little room for optimism.
Having given up the crown to Leicester City with the infamous 2-2 draw with Chelsea, Spurs went on to suffer a pair of defeats in their remaining two fixtures. A 2-1 reverse at home to Southampton was followed by an unlikely 5-1 hammering at the hands of Newcastle United.
They slumped to those result despite having the incentive to finish above north London rivals Arsenal – that’s not a factor this time around; that is already assured.
Indeed, with second place almost guaranteed, it’s difficult to identify how Spurs will find motivation over their remaining three matches.
The fact that the United fixture is the final 90 minutes to be played at White Hart Lane may well offer one saving grace. Spurs will surely attempt to lift themselves for a final home outing and a fixture that saw them claim a 3-0 victory last season.
Meanwhile, United will arrive still distracted and perhaps leg weary from their European exertions, having perhaps given up hope of a top four finish and with a Europa League final in mind.
But Spurs’ prospects away at Leicester City and Hull City are more difficult to predict.
We can’t be certain on Pochettino’s teamsheet and, even if they do remain at full-strength, the drive for goals and victories has to be in question. We can only hope that they will be determined to avoid last season’s demise, with Kane perhaps at least driven by his quest for a second Golden Boot.
These concerns arise before we even begin to assess the likely effect on Chelsea. Two more victories would give Antonio Conte the luxury of targeting his team selection on the FA Cup final with Arsenal.
Suddenly, with one shock result, our season run-in has been thrown into potential disarray.
We can now only hope that Middlesbrough and West Brom can stall the inevitable and perhaps take comfort that very few Fantasy managers will be immune to the impact of Friday’s result.
