Have Tottenham turned a corner or just defeated two weak sides?

Just what have Tottenham accomplished in the last week?

If you listen to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s recent wins over Swansea and CSKA Moscow show that Spurs are starting to find their form. On the other hand, less optimistic fans would point out the victories came over very weak opponents. As you might expect, the real truth lies somewhere in between.

Critics of Tottenham certainly have a point about the club’s weak opposition over the past week. Swansea are one of the worst clubs in the Premier League. CSKA Moscow are a middling Russia side whose manager left them right after the match. Neither opponent was a real match for Spurs in terms of talent.

It’s also unfair to criticize the players for their opponents. It’s not as if Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli make the schedule. Tottenham players only have the ability to play the provided opponents. As such, they can only be judged in the matches they’re able to play.

While I’m anxious to see Spurs take on a more competitive side in the form of Manchester United this weekend, I think there are obvious signs that the club’s play is improving. Yes, playing weak opposition helped some players find their footing, but the players themselves still had to perform.

It’s appropriate to highlight the play of two stars in particular here. Both Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen have looked much better in the last week. When those two stars are at their best, Tottenham’s attack is very difficult to contain.

The rise of Kane’s play is rather obvious and predictable. His body clearly benefitted from his injury-induced absence earlier this season. This week, he’s finally looked like the striker we grew accustomed to watching last season. He’s in a perfect sweet spot of being fully fit after his ankle injury, and properly rested at the same time. Kane should be, and is, playing great football at the moment.

The more unpredictable improvement as of late comes in the form of Christian Eriksen. Everyone knows the Danish attacker has tons of class. Unfortunately, Spurs fans also know that he can be maddeningly inconsistent. He started this season quite poorly.

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In sharp contrast, Eriksen has been excellent over the last week. Perhaps we should have predicted this improvement too. He’s simply too talented a player to remain average for an entire season. Plus, the return of Kane gives him a lot more space to operate. There might not be a player on Pochettino’s squad that depends as much on Kane as Eriksen does.

If Eriksen can keep up his form from the last week against more challenging opponents, then Tottenham will have a puncher’s chance at a Premier League title. An in-form Eriksen plus a healthy Kane give many Premier League defenders nightmares.

I’m not willing to say Tottenham have turned a corner yet, but I am sure they are playing better football than they were just a few weeks ago. Now the test is to keep up the good form against a better side this weekend.

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