Can Tottenham sneak into the top four?

With the departure of José Mourinho from the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, it feels as though a gloomy cloud has been lifted at the club. Suddenly, the sun feels warm again and the late spring sunshine brings the promise of even brighter days ahead. Although they suffered defeat to Manchester City in the League Cup Final, two wins from two league games under temporary boss Ryan Mason has instilled a renewed hope that Spurs’ chances of clambering into the top four are not quite done and dusted yet.

In hammering Sheffield United 4-0, the feel-good factor around the club was embodied in the players’ performances. It was a carefree display, in which open attacking football was the order of the day — in stark contrast to the dire tactics often utilised by Mourinho. A hat-trick for Gareth Bale, and a 16^th Premier League goal of the season for Son Heung-Min, proved decisive, and gave Tottenham scope to dream of returning to Europe’s premier club competition.

The challenge ahead

Make no mistake, it is still a big ask. At the time of writing, Spurs trail fourth-place Chelsea by five points with just four games remaining, and the English Premier League top 4 odds are not in their favour. Under Mourinho, you would have given them no chance, but there is a bit of a bounce at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under the widely popular Mason, and if they can harness that good feeling into continued excellence on the pitch, then who knows what could happen?

Looking at Tottenham’s run-in, the clash with Leicester City on the final day of the season could well have huge significance. If Spurs can stay in with a shout until then, and indeed if Leicester’s place in the top four is still not secured, then it will be a mammoth occasion at the King Power Stadium.

Right man at the right time

The timing of Mourinho’s departure seemed strange. In the midst of fan fury surrounding the plans for a breakaway European Super League, it was quietly announced by Tottenham that the Portuguese coach had been given his marching orders, and that Mason would be taking charge for the rest of the season.

The first shock was that Mourinho had been sacked with just days to go until the League Cup final against Manchester City. While City were the heavy favourites, Mourinho proved earlier in the season that he has the knowhow to get the better of Pep Guardiola, but the Tottenham hierarchy clearly felt that no time could be spared in their pursuit of better results in the season’s run-in.

The other shock was that Mason was the man tasked with handling first-team affairs until the end of the campaign. Having had his playing career cut short following a head injury, Mason has been on Spurs’ coaching staff for three years, but it felt like a risk putting a 29-year-old in charge of one of England’s biggest clubs.

So far, Mason has handled things admirably, and if they could pull off the feat of qualifying for the Champions League, chairman Daniel Levy would have a hard time replacing him in the summer.

Too much to ask?

If Tottenham do manage to put themselves right in contention for the top four over the next few weeks, then it will be interesting to see how Mason handles that pressure. When he took the job, he was on a bit of a hiding to nothing. The challenge will come if Spurs continue winning and become more fancied in the English Premier League betting tips. It’s a tall order, but right now Tottenham are a team of happy players, pulling together under the leadership of a very popular coach. It’s unclear how far that momentum can take them, but as long as they have a mathematical chance, Mason and his players will believe that Champions League football can return to north London.