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Tottenham still need a win at Wembley to bolster title hopes

By Zac Wassink

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur and Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on September 9, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 09: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur and Ben Davies of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park on September 9, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham trounced Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday, but Spurs still need a win at Wembley Stadium to truly kickstart their season.

One could safely assume no Premier League club was happier to see August fade off into the sunset than Tottenham Hotspur, as Spurs officially began their September fixtures with an impressive 3-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.

Striker Harry Kane bagged a brace and put another scoreless August behind him. Davinson Sanchez looked like a lineup mainstay in his Tottenham debut. Spurs bossed the action from start to finish, and the visitors probably should’ve hit the back of the net no fewer than two additional times before the final whistle.

While it’s far too early for any side, regardless of positioning, to examine the table for more than a few seconds, Tottenham should feel just fine sitting at fifth after four league contests. Spurs are three points off both Manchester United and Manchester City, and they only trail Chelsea by two points despite dropping a home contest to the defending champions last month.

Away victories are always nice, particularly when they come at the expense of an opponent that spent big money during the summer transfer window. With that said, manager Mauricio Pochettino understands Tottenham need to do more than simply play respectably at Wembley Stadium, their temporary residence, as the final days of summer commence.

There’s no shame in any side, Tottenham included, dropping points at home to Chelsea, even if that result pained the Spurs faithful because of how well the hosts played that day. The current kings of England are again contenders and among the elite clubs in the league, and the Blues notching positive results against rivals shouldn’t surprise any supporter or observer.

The Tottenham starting XI that opened the season away to Newcastle United had the goods to earn at least a Champions League spot, and that was before Spurs acquired Sanchez, Serge Aurier and Fernando Llorente ahead of September 1. Assuming Aurier is able to adequately replace Kyle Walker, who made the switch to City following the 2016-17 campaign, Spurs should routinely be able to hang with any league team.

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The line that separates merely being able to face the top clubs in Europe on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and winning a league title or some other piece of hardware is wider than some realize, a truth Tottenham learned the hard way the past two seasons. Missed opportunities prevented Spurs from catching Leicester City in May 2016, and Tottenham came up just short in their pursuit of Chelsea and a trophy last spring.

Before Tottenham can even dream of enjoying a parade in 2018, Spurs must first win at Wembley. It’s as simple as that. Failing to put Burnley away at the national stadium on August 27 is a forgivable sin at the time, but such mistakes cannot be repeated over the next eight months if Spurs are to take the next figurative step in their supposed journey toward becoming one of the giants of England.

Curses don’t exist, regardless of what anybody within Tottenham or what those who follow Spurs believe, but the undeniable negative aura that hovers over the Lilywhites playing matches at Wembley will only go away when Pochettino’s army wins. It could be versus Borussia Dortmund this coming week. It could be against Swansea City in the middle of September. The opponent doesn’t matter.

Related Story: Tottenham better than they were in August?

Spurs must win at Wembley before the season gets away from them.

Any concerns about a lack of atmosphere at Wembley whenever Tottenham emerge from its tunnel were alleviated in the club’s first couple of home games of the campaign. Spurs haven’t been impacted by the size of the pitch. The only sign the squad has missed the friendly confines of White Hart Lane have been found in the scorelines. That needs to change before September 16 ends, regardless of how good it felt for Tottenham to turn the calendar with a dominant performance at Goodison.

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