Tottenham Toil Again in Throwback Meeting with Last Season’s Title Foe Leicester

WHITE HART LANE, London — The big disappointment of Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City’s Premier League title duel in 2015-16 was they did not meet at more drama-conducive times.

The 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium in August set the tone in respect of establishing a parity and some of the key players—the goals were scored by eventual player of the year winners Riyad Mahrez and Dele Alli. Leicester’s 1-0 win at White Hart Lane in January was certainly significant, serving as a reminder they were on the right path, as referenced by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the time:

Pleasure to play behind this guy @robert_huth What a header from the big man!massive effort from all the boys again pic.twitter.com/nVxKJ10XaM

— Kasper Schmeichel (@kschmeichel1) January 13, 2016

A springtime shootout to settle things, though—perhaps taking the place of the eventually pivotal fixture between Tottenham and the deposed titleholders Chelsea—could have really been something. Heck, even a clash in the midst of the hectic Christmastime schedule might have given the race the memorable, defining contest needed to establish a classic rivalry (the snowy, Boxing Day match between the two was wasted in 2014-15 really).

After the latest 1-1 draw between the two on Saturday—Ahmed Musa cancelling out Vincent Janssen’s earlier penalty, his first league goal—you suspect that overarching contest may prove a standalone one. Tottenham and Leicester as a budding, consequential rivalry appears to have already had its heyday.

This is not to write either off completely.

Tottenham have certainly shown their title credentials this season. As champions, Leicester have earned the right to be in the discussion until it is mathematically impossible.

But with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool looking so strong, just being contenders may have to suffice for these two. Being the pace-setters or lead players again is looking like a long shot.

And Leicester, despite being 11 points off the top of the league, are fine with that.

Their fans are rightly revelling in reminding everyone they face—and probably themselves in pinch-me moments—they are the champions of England. Those who travelled down to north London unsurprisingly took considerable delight in reliving Spurs’ losing out, taunting them with references of that night at Stamford Bridge and their 55-year-and-counting wait for a third top-flight title.

Nothing but the most disastrous of seasons will detract from the Foxes’ ongoing joy at their monumental achievement.

So long as they get close to where they want to be—not to mention enjoying their Champions League experience so far—they should be competitive enough they do not feel too bad if they do not repeat as champions. Such was the unexpected nature of their achievement, it feels worth a handful of championships won by more prestigious clubs.

Manager Claudio Ranieri summed it up as well as anyone could in his post-match press conference.

“No, no, no—we don’t have pressure,” the cheerful Italian said. “Why? We won something unbelievable! We don’t have a pressure. The pressure is on the other teams. They must win the title we won!”

Tottenham are not as desperate as some rivals. Unlike the heavy-spending Manchester United or an Arsenal outfit looking to get back to previous heights achieved under boss Arsene Wenger, there is not the same expectation of success.

Still, that half-century wait and the closeness to ending it last year has created its own kind of burden. Their fans may not be demanding a league crown, but that does not mean they and the players and coaches do not want it badly.

Heading into the game, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was keen to stress that, save for having specific strategic demands, Leicester’s visit was “a different game, another season and everything is different.” Thoughts of revenge for last season would have no impact on their performance.

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