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Tottenham, not Leicester City, are the real Premier League fairy tale

By Rucker Haringey

Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Dele Alli (R) celebrates scoring a goal with team mate Engish striker Harry Kane (C) during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on August 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / GEOFF CADDICKRESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo credit should read GEOFF CADDICK/AFP/Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Dele Alli (R) celebrates scoring a goal with team mate Engish striker Harry Kane (C) during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on August 22, 2015. AFP PHOTO / GEOFF CADDICKRESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo credit should read GEOFF CADDICK/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Forget Leicester City, Tottenham should be the real Premier League darlings

I’m sick and tired of hearing about what a terrific fairy tale story Leicester City are. For me, Tottenham should be the real romanticized story of the Premier League.

Of course I’m a Spurs fan so my opinion here is completely biased. I just can’t wrap my mind around why every neutral football fan in the world is fully behind Leicester in the title race. Do these fans actually watch both the Foxes and Spurs play on a weekly basis?

It’s not that Claudio Ranieri’s bunch aren’t a good story. Progressing from a great relegation escape last season to the title chase this year is nothing short of amazing. They deserve all of the credit in the world for that epic transformation.

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I even understand the certain attraction to Jamie Vardy. The idea of a non-league player becoming one of the Premier League’s top strikers is romanticism at its best. I even enjoy watching Vardy play. His deft finishing ability and electric pace make him quite easy on the eyes.

His prolific scoring has completely blinded everyone to certain off the pitch questions about the English forward. Let’s not forget that just last year the English press was openly referring to him as a racist. Whether or not that’s an exaggeration, it was still rooted in some measure of fact.

That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t ever receive praise for his play, but it does remove him from the fairy tale category. Somehow I can’t see a Disney movie about Vardy adhering faithfully to his life story.

Tottenham deserves to be the fairy tale on their own merit though. In contrast to Leicester, Spurs play some of the most attractive football in the Premier League. While the Foxes sit back and thrive on the counter attack, manager Mauricio Pochettino has his squad embodying the very spirit of attacking football.

Spurs hunt in packs and absolutely suffocate their opposition on a weekly basis. They are much more enjoyable to watch than first-place Leicester.

Even more importantly, Tottenham have been a better team than Leicester on the year. Spurs have the best goal difference in the Premier League which is a much better indicator of true dominance than just point total. Spurs dominance deserves to be more appreciated by neutral fans.

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I realize that unless Tottenham are able to overcome Leicester for the Premier League title then they won’t ascend to the title of Premier League fairy tale. They can only achieve that lofty rating if they hoist the trophy at the end of the season. That doesn’t make it right though. Tottenham are more deserving of neutral fans’ love than Leicester City.

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