February Is THE Month for Spurs

After a disappointing goalless draw at Loftus Road saw Tottenham drop two points, all Spurs fans focused on the results in the Everton and Arsenal games. With Everton playing at Goodison and Arsenal up against an injury-riddled and uninspired Manchester City side at the Emirates, it looked like this week would be one of gloom.

But it worked out. Everton dropped points at home as Ashley Williams, Chico Flores and Michel Vorm were too hard to beat even though Everton had all their stars at their disposal. Elsewhere, Arsenal were reduced to ten men and Manchester City took advantage and dominated the game, coming out with three points in the bag. Spurs fans breathed a sigh of relief, the draw at Loftus didn’t prove too disappointing after all. So what comes next?

A look at the upcoming fixtures of Spurs reveals two things. First, February is the most important month for Tottenham in the race for top four. They’ve got stable fixtures, ones that should get them three points each week. Second, March and April are going to be two of the most trying months for Spurs, and some might argue that April is the important month but it’s more than likely that points will be dropped.

Spurs Manager Andre Villas Boas knows how important the next few fixtures are.

Spurs will play host next week to the Red Devils who are in ‘red’ hot form. While many will argue that they managed to beat United at Old Trafford without the bossy midfielder Dembele, they’re a completely different kettle of fish at this time of the year. It’s an unpredictable game, but after that, Spurs have fixtures against Norwich, West Brom, Newcastle and West Ham. While many will argue that these aren’t pushovers, they are surely sides that Tottenham will look to get 3 points each from before March rolls around.

Everton on the other hand have fixtures against Southampton, West Brom, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Norwich City. All of these games in the eyes of David Moyes are winnable, except perhaps the visit to Old Trafford. Arsenal travel to Stamford Bridge next week, then host West Ham, Liverpool and Stoke all at the Emirates, before traveling to Sunderland and then playing Villa at home again. Admittedly, slightly more daunting task. So what could this mean for the race for the top four?

Here’s what I think, each team could possibly take away and end up with as they enter March:

Tottenham Hotspur:
Man United (H): 1 point
Norwich (A): 3 points
West Brom (A): 3 points
Newcastle (H): 3 points
West Ham (A): 3 points
Total League Points: 53

Arsenal:
Chelsea (A): 0 points
West Ham (H): 3 points
Liverpool (H): 1 point
Stoke City (H): 1 point
Sunderland (A): 3 points
Aston Villa  (H): 3 points
Total League Points: 45

Everton:
Southampton (A): 3 points
West Brom (H): 3 points
Aston Villa (H): 3 points
Manchester United (A): 0 points
Norwich City (A): 3 points
Total League Points: 49

While this gives Spurs a formidable lead over arch rivals Arsenal, their very first game in March is playing host to the Gunners followed by a trip to Anfield. After hosting Fulham, Spurs will then travel to the formidable Liberty Stadium before they face Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City in back to back fixtures. This is exactly why February could not be a more important month for them, for if they’re able to keep up the form and notch at least 13 points before March, a few dropped points later shouldn’t be too expensive.