Tottenham title push just doesn’t add up

THOSE who hope Tottenham can be turned into title contenders next season will be encouraged, no doubt, by the ground made up by Liverpool across one summer. Liverpool finished 25 points shy of Manchester City in 2017-18, and one point short a year later. So it still wasn’t enough — but it shows what can be done. Liverpool, however, had a clearly mapped path. Just by turning draws with West Brom — home and away — Burnley, Everton, Stoke, Watford and Newcastle (or their promoted equivalents) into wins, they could claw back 14 points. They had also lost at relegated Swansea. So 17 points were available from matches with the lower lights. Tottenham’s upgrade is rather different. They need to make up 28 points to overtake Manchester City and need to convert losses, not draws, to wins. And not against the mugs, either. Tottenham lost to every team in the top seven and all bar two — Everton and Leicester — in the top 11. Upgrade the final-day draw with Everton to a home win and Tottenham still need 26 points. Meaning they must convert nine defeats into wins. Even if we presume victory over Watford, Wolves, Burnley, West Ham and Bournemouth, that still leaves Tottenham needing to win against four of five elite clubs. Their mission is far greater than Liverpool’s. It would need one of the greatest improvements in the history of football and no doubt, as incredible as their Champions League run has been, Mauricio Pochettino (left) knows that, too.