Tottenham’s next four Premier League opponents have 36 points between them, and if Spurs handle Leeds, Ipswich, Sunderland and Fulham the way they have handled their last three games, Arsenal will walk into the loudest home derby N17 has heard in years.
That is the prize on offer between now and Saturday 5 December. Tottenham are ninth on 12 points after nine games, four behind Chelsea in fourth, and they are finally playing like a side that expects to win rather than one hoping not to lose.
It wasn’t long ago that the mood was very different. Spurs went their first six league games without a win, the last of them a draw at Manchester United, and spent a spell at the bottom of the table. Then came the training camp in Marbella and three wins in a row over Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
Why the fixture list suddenly looks kind
Look at where the next four sit. Leeds United are 12th on 11 points, Ipswich Town 14th on 11, Fulham 15th on nine and Sunderland bottom with five. Not one of them is in the top half.
Here is how the run looks right now:
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Their position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 7 November, 12.30pm | Leeds United | Away | 12th, 11 points |
| Saturday 21 November, 3pm | Ipswich Town | Home | 14th, 11 points |
| Sunday 29 November, 2.05pm | Sunderland | Away | 20th, 5 points |
| Wednesday 2 December | Fulham | Home | 15th, 9 points |
| Saturday 5 December | Arsenal | Home | 1st, 24 points |
None of these are easy games, and nobody at Spurs should pretend otherwise. Elland Road is a hard place to go, and Leeds have drawn a lot of tight games this year. But this is the sort of stretch where good sides pile up points, and Spurs have spent the last three years failing to do exactly that.
Have Spurs actually got better, or just luckier?
Our honest view is that the performances haven’t changed as much as the results. Spurs were playing decent football in the opening weeks against Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle. They just weren’t putting their chances away, and when the table showed them at the bottom, the noise around the club drowned out what was happening on the pitch.
What has changed is the reward. The Chelsea win was the one that silenced the doubters, and the Palace game showed a team that now dominates the ball and wins it back quickly when it loses it. Last season, losing possession too often meant players dropping off and letting the opposition walk through. That doesn’t happen now, because the press is cohesive and everybody runs.
The numbers from the Palace game back that up. Sandro Tonali covered 12.2km and Mateus Fernandes was next on 11.5km. Tonali also hit a top speed of 33km/h, bettered only by Mathys Tel’s 34.8km/h. We have already written about why De Zerbi’s new midfield pair look like the base of this side, and in a run like this one, that engine matters even more.
The international break could help RDZ
Leeds is the last game before the international break, and that gap may suit Spurs better than most. De Zerbi said before the Palace win that Tosin Adarabioyo and Lucas Bergvall could be back before the break, while Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio are not expected until after it. Wilson Odobert is still working his way back from his ACL injury.
So by the time Ipswich come to N17 on 21 November, the head coach should have more options than he has had all season. That gives him the chance to rotate through a run that includes a Sunday trip to Sunderland and a Wednesday night at home to Fulham, three days before Arsenal arrive.
It also opens a door for the kids. A comfortable afternoon at home to Ipswich is exactly the type of game where a teenager can get 15 or 20 minutes, which is why so many fans have been excited by the 18-year-old who lit up the Palace cameo. We would not throw him in at Elland Road, but home games against bottom-half sides are where pathways get built.
Why the north London derby atmosphere starts at Elland Road
Spurs fans have had little to shout about at home for the best part of three years. The mood inside the stadium has simply mirrored what was happening on the pitch. Now there is hope again, and you can feel it.
That is why the next four matter so much. Positive results, ideally wins, against Leeds, Ipswich, Sunderland and Fulham would send Spurs into the Arsenal game on a proper wave, with a crowd that turns up expecting to win rather than bracing for the worst. Mikel Arteta’s side are top on 24 points, so they will arrive as favourites. A home crowd that believes can close that gap a little.
The first step is Saturday lunchtime in Yorkshire, and our full Leeds vs Tottenham preview explains why stopping Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the key to it.
Verdict: 10 points from 12 should be the target
We don’t want to get carried away, and three points from every game is still the only thing that matters. But on current form and with players coming back after the break, Spurs should be aiming for at least 10 points from these four games.
Do that, and Tottenham would go into the derby on 22 points at the very least, with the top four in sight and a stadium ready to bring the roof down. Slip up against sides in the bottom half, and the old doubts will be back before Arsenal even get off the coach.
