Why Belief Must Be Strong That Tottenham Can Win the Premier League in 2016/17

Tottenham will be genuine contenders for the Premier League in 2016-17 and may very well be favourites by the time the new season opens. 

Finishing in second place behind the runaway narrative machine that was Leicester City is no disgrace. 

After all, at least 17 other teams will finish further behind the Foxes than Spurs. 

Their success in this campaign has come as a shock to both outsiders and the club itself. 

Mauricio Pochettino is in only the second year of a five-year plan intended to yield results once Tottenham move into their new stadium in 2018. 

Instead, they’ve earned the right to send off White Hart Lane with Champions League football next season. 

It remains to be seen whether the 2015-16 season will be seen as a fleeting chance or the beginning of something of a title window. 

The idea of a Tottenham Premiership victory was laughable when this season began.

By Christmas, it still seemed unlikely, but Spurs had cracked the top four and were one of the form teams in the division.

Now, with Leicester City already crowned, Tottenham are widely considered to have missed a genuine chance.

To finish ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and the Manchester clubs and yet fail to win the league is, in this era, unlikely. 

However, that attitude obscures the progress Pochettino’s team have made and the relative strength of their position going into next season. 

Consider Spurs’ likely levels for the title in 2016-17. 

While Leicester have proved there are no certainties in the Premier League, it should be safe to assume Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool will have the greatest influence on next season’s title race alongside the defending champions. 

Man City have appointed one of the world’s finest managers in Pep Guardiola, but he will need time to overhaul an ageing, unbalanced squad and adapt to an unfamiliar style of football. 

Manchester’s red half is hamstrung by Louis van Gaal’s stifling presence. Should Jose Mourinho be recruited to replace him, he too would take time to build a title contender from the limited squad already at Old Trafford. 

Chelsea, too, have a new manager and a deeply flawed playing group. Antonio Conte will undoubtedly make the Blues better than they have been this season, …

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