You've got to look at what next season will be like. Not only will bigger clubs come knocking for Lloris and Kane if we don't finish in the top four, but other teams will be stronger. Chelsea won't be in the bottom half forever, despite everyone in football wishing they'd return there permanently. Liverpool will back their manager financially next summer. United won't stick with that fraud in charge for much longer. City will no doubt improve if the impending arrival of Guardiola is to believed. The league will only get tougher. But 2015-16 is a real opportunity for one side. At the moment, Leicester look like the ultimate benefactors of this topsy-turvy season, but we have to consolidate ourselves as a top four side while there's such an obvious gap.
Today's win against Sunderland showed our ability to bounce back after defeat in a similar manner to our win post-Newcastle loss. It wasn't always easy going - in fact, I thought we might even lose when Van Aanholt put Sunderland ahead against the run of play - but our resilience was there for all to see, particularly in the second half. Mousa Dembele in particular was instrumental in our victory, putting us ahead early in the second half. It's incredible how much of an important player the Belgian has become for us. I cannot reiterate enough how much praise Pochettino deserves for finally getting the best out of the enigmatic midfielder where so many managers have failed.
The ability to rotate our fullbacks is a good asset but I still worry about the fitness of our front four players. Kane, Alli and Lamela run themselves into the ground each week for the side. That's not to say Eriksen doesn't work hard, but the fact he starts almost every game affects his ability to control matches on a consistent basis. While he got two (albeit rather fortunate) goals today, he has struggled to get into games the last few months and would clearly benefit from some rotation. Trouble is, despite his patchy form this year, we do not have a player capable of linking the play as effectively that could replace him. Similarly, if we were to lose Kane to injury, our season would be over quicker than you could say "Son as a false nine".
Another worry of mine is whether or not we can keep up high levels of performance and attacking intensity throughout the back stretch of the season. Thanks to the multitude of fixtures and our pressing game, you can expect a dip in form come March or April that will be directly related to the exhaustion of our squad. That's what makes January investment so crucial, but we'll come to that later on. I'm wondering whether this young squad will have the mental strength to finish in the top four when I've seen arguably better sides on paper crumble towards the end of the season. Hopefully the intelligence of our manager - no doubt our best in years - will see us through.
One signing could make all the difference. An extra striker, the option to rest Kane, a couple of goals could be the difference between fourth and fifth. It is vitally important that Levy backs this manager. He has passed every task thrown at him with flying colours. Take a look at my previous piece; he sorted out the good from the shit, cleared out all the deadwood and brought through several exciting young talents. He's undoubtedly the right man to take us to the next level. I understand Levy's previous hesitations in January with regards to Redknapp potentially spending £15m on Kenwyne Jones, but Pochettino simply must be allowed to add to his squad this month. It could conceivably shape the future of this football club. 2016 is a real opportunity for us, we just need to take it.
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