LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier doesn’t see any side running away with the Premier League title this season and says the genuine contenders will only be known after the packed year-end schedule.
Tottenham, who finished third last season, were knocked out of the League Cup by Liverpool on Tuesday but remain the only unbeaten team in the top-flight. Spurs are fifth, but just a point behind leaders Manchester City, after nine games.
“There’s a long way to go,” Dier said. “I’m sure it will be very tight sometimes and I’m sure there will be gaps at other times. It’s a bit premature to be talking about this ... the Premier League chops and changes and I’m sure it will come down to the wire.”
Dier said there would be a clearer picture of which teams would be competing for the title after English football’s hectic winter schedule.
“There are a lot of teams up and around challenging, like ourselves. I think you will be able to tell after we go into this very busy period now,” the 22-year-old added.
“From our experience last season, once you come out of the busy Christmas period, that’s where you can gauge better where everyone is.”
Spurs host champions Leicester City, who are 12th, tomorrow.
A few months after duelling for the league title, Tottenham and Leicester have yet to rediscover last season’s killer consistency and both have a point to prove in the clash at White Hart Lane.
With the Foxes flailing in mid-table, having won three of their opening nine games, and Spurs having drawn their last two league encounters, both will crave a morale-boosting victory in north London.
For Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs, victory will refuel a title challenge that has stuttered with draws to West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth in their last two league matches.
A defeat to the Reds, albeit with a much-changed side, in the League Cup in midweek, left them without a win since the start of the month when their title credentials looked rock solid after a 2-0 home victory over City.
For Claudio Ranieri’s champions, tomorrow’s encounter will give them an opportunity to win back-to-back league games for the first time since April and fire up a title defence that has looked forlorn in the opening months of the season.
Heavy defeats to Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, added to a narrow opening-day loss to Hull City, have left them nine points off the pace and looking a shadow of the side who relentlessly pursued wins against the odds last season.
When the two sides last met in the league at White Hart Lane in January, Leicester’s 1-0 victory – courtesy of Robert Huth’s late header – was seen as a sign that Ranieri’s side had the mettle and stomach for a title challenge.
Having lost all four of their away league games this season, another defeat would be taken as further proof of their demise since they lifted the trophy in May.
With only one point separating the top five teams, a number of sides will have their eye on climbing to the summit over the weekend.
City are heading the pack, courtesy of a better goal difference over Arsenal and Liverpool.
Yet Pep Guardiola’s side visit West Brom tomorrow looking to win their first match in seven in all competitions after they were knocked out of the League Cup by rivals United 1-0 on Wednesday.
United manager Jose Mourinho shrugged off a mini-crisis with Wednesday’s victory and will now look to win his first league match in four and rebound from last weekend’s dismal 4-0 defeat at Chelsea when they host Burnley tomorrow.
Arsenal, who are unbeaten since the opening weekend of the season, visit Sunderland tomorrow when Liverpool, who have also not tasted defeat since August, play at Crystal Palace. – Reuters