Tottenham Hotspur updates: Season so far, festive fixture schedule and more

To some it’s called bottling, to others it’s crashing, but to Tottenham Hotspur, it’s being ‘Spursy,’ according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.

Tottenham’s recent game against Chelsea was one in a long list of ‘spursy’ moments for the club. Marc Cucurella twice slipped to gift the North London side chances, which they duly took to establish an early 2-0 lead.

One would expect a rout from then on, or possibly a more conservative approach, but Ange Postecoglou’s side was neither of those as Chelsea kept piling the pressure with chance after chance until they rallied back to lead 4-2. There wasn’t enough time left after Son Heung-min’s strike made it 4-3 as the game ended in favour of their West London opponents.

Spurs set a lot of unwanted records in the game, but one thing that must have gone through the club’s supporters minds was how they were going to navigate their way to European places amid a hectic run of fixtures in the festive period.

Before the beginning of the season, Ange Postecoglou said, ‘Usually in my second season I win things,’ and this has been consistent in his career. He achieved remarkable successes with Celtic and Yokohama Marinos.

His first season could understandably be considered as a rebuilding phase, as he rightly claimed, “The first year was about establishing principles and creating a foundation.”

Expectations are high this season, but the club are not living up to expectations so far and have been inconsistent. The last time Spurs recorded back-to-back victories in the Premier League was in September, when they defeated Brentford and Manchester United, and since then they’ve struggled to put up a decent run of results since then.

A top four finish is undeniably on their agenda, but they currently sit far off in 11th place, as they sit seven points below fourth-placed Manchester City.

Considering their current form, finishing in European places won’t be a bad expectation at the end of the season, but fans will be utterly disappointed after a lot of optimism and expectations at the beginning of the season.

Season so far

Tottenham’s 2024-25 Premier League journey has been intriguing. Ange Postecoglou’s side has amassed 20 points from 13 games, leaving them three points shy of the top four. Highlights include dominant victories over Manchester United and Manchester City, with a combined scoreline of 7-0. However, inconsistency has been an issue, as evidenced by five defeats, including losses to Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace.

The North London side have netted 31 goals this season, a tally surpassed only by Chelsea (35) and equal with Brentford.

However, despite their offensive prowess, inconsistent performances have plagued their campaign, leaving them in 11th place following a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.

It’s hard to predict what Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side will deliver right now. Will it be the dominant display that saw them dismantle City 4-0 at the Etihad, or the lacklustre performance at the Vitality Stadium, where disgruntled travelling supporters voiced their frustration at full-time?

Defensive frailties are the root of their struggles. Spurs have managed just one clean sheet in their last 22 Premier League home matches (a 4-0 win over Everton earlier this season). This poor run began with a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea last November. Alarmingly, since November 2023, no team across England’s top four divisions has recorded fewer home league shutouts than Tottenham.

Following Tottenham’s defeat to Arsenal in September, Postecoglou confidently reminded Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders that he “always wins trophies” in his second season at a club. While the 59-year-old set lofty expectations, the prospect of silverware for Spurs this season seems increasingly bleak.

Morale within the club has significantly dipped, despite their remarkable win against Manchester City at the Etihad less than two weeks ago.

A lacklustre 1-0 loss to Bournemouth last Thursday night marked their eighth defeat in 12 away matches, and there’s growing concern ahead of their next away game coming against bottom-placed Southampton.

Festive fixtures preview 

Tottenham will hope to recover from their domestic slump when they face Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday.

Postecoglou is expected to receive a hostile reception at the Ibrox Stadium due to his ties with Rangers’ arch-rivals, Celtic, where he won numerous accolades.

A trip to St Mary’s also awaits them soon after in the weekend as Postecoglou looks to overturn a run of inconsistent results in the Premier League.

Tottenham hold a superior advantage in this game as they’ve only lost once in their last eight matches against the Saints. Spurs have won four and recorded three draws in that run. Postecoglou will also hope to overturn a run of two consecutive draws at the St. Mary’s stadium when they visit on December 15th.

With two quick-fire away games coming up, Tottenham’s recent away form has been dismal, with seven losses in their last 11 Premier League trips (W3 D1).

Notably, they haven’t secured an away win after conceding first in the league since a 5-2 victory at Burnley in September 2023 (D2 L8 since).

Soon after the clash against Southampton, they’ll host Manchester United in the EFL Cup and Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but their form at home has also been underwhelming. Spurs have picked up just one point from their last three home league games, suffering defeats to Ipswich Town and Chelsea (4-3) and drawing 1-1 with Fulham. Additionally, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Roma in the Europa League. Therefore, fans with Tottenham vs Liverpool tickets will be fearing another defeat when the league leaders come to North London.

Nottingham Forest and a struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers side will come up next in Tottenham’s fixture before the end of the year. They’ll travel to the City Ground to face a spirited Nottingham Forest side on December 26, and Postecoglou will hope to make it three straight wins against the Tricky Trees after a 3-1 and 2-0 win last season.

They’ll end the year with a clash against Wolves, who sit in 19th place of the Premier League table at the time of writing. Spurs will hope to forget last season’s results against Gary O’Neill’s side, who recorded the double over them last season.

One of the games against Wolves last season was also one of Spurs most ‘spursy’ moments in the League, where extra time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina cancelled out Brennan Johnson’s third-minute opener.

At the time of writing, Tottenham are five points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa, and a string of positive results could see the North London club move up to European places.

They’ll begin the new year with a clash against a Newcastle United side that has been a thorn in their flesh in recent seasons.

They faced earlier this season with Newcastle recording their fourth win in five games against Tottenham. Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak scored after a Dan Burn own goal to secure a 2-1 victory.

The victory was the Magpies’ 26th win against Tottenham in the Premier League, their joint-most against an opponent in the league alongside Aston Villa.

Four months into the season, Tottenham fans remain optimistic about Postecoglou’s renowned second-season success; however, recent results suggest otherwise.

On the positive side, the North London club are still competing in all available tournaments and have the opportunity to secure at least one trophy at the end of the season—except for the Premier League.