The English Premier League Top Six: Stating Their Case for the Title

Tottenham Hotspur: Who Needs White Hart Lane?

1) The North Londoners led the league in scoring and defense last season, notching 86 goals while allowing just 26. It’s the first time since Manchester City in 2011-12 that an EPL side has topped both categories. (City, if you recall, won the league crown for the first time in 44 years that season, edging Manchester United on goal differential. Oh, and there were some mild last-minute heroics that contributed, as well.)

2) Spurs’ 2016-17 goal differential of +60 is the fourth-best in the Premier League era and the greatest since City’s +65 effort of 2013-14. It’s also +100 better than Sunderland’s differential from last season. Think about that for a moment.

3) Two-time Golden Boot winner Harry Kane is coming off a 29-goal domestic campaign -- his third straight year with 20-plus league goals -- and he just turned 24 years old this summer. Christian Eriksen’s 15 assists last year were second in the EPL, and he’s still only 25. Dele Alli’s 18 league goals were the most of any EPL midfielder…and he’s all of 21. Case in point; this team is young and is still getting better.

4) Despite heavy interest from elsewhere in England and around the continent, Spurs retained all three of the players above as well as lynchpins Eric Dier, Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and everyone else not named Kyle Walker.

5) The aforementioned Walker may or may not be overrated, while his right back replacement Kieran Trippier might be better anyway. (…And yes, Walker cost Man City $65 million. Welcome to the world of club football, circa 2017.)

6) Since becoming a Premier League manager with Southampton in 2013, Mauricio Pochettino’s teams have finished 14th, 8th, 5th, 3rd and 2nd. If that upward trajectory continues, Spurs fans will be celebrating this May like it’s 1961 all over again.