What a difference a few weeks makes at Tottenham Hotspur.
Back on October 20 they were sitting bottom of the Premier League and without a win all season. Flash forward almost three weeks and Roberto de Zerbi’s side are in a far healthier position thanks to an unbeaten October.
They go into Saturday’s trip to Leeds United looking for a fourth straight victory and given it is an early kick-off they could be as high as fifth in the standings should they prosper at Elland Road.
It’s some turnaround and ex-Spurs man Alan Hutton believes his old club have definitely turned a corner in recent weeks.
“It just shows you how quickly things can change in football,” Hutton, who spent three years at Spurs, said. “They were definitely struggling towards the beginning of the season, but it feels like they’ve turned a corner.
“I always thought De Zerbi would get it right, I like him as a manager. To win three games in a row and be unbeaten in four shows you where they are at right now.
“It’s just taken a little bit of time to get them going, get everything gelling and working the way he wants according to his philosophy. It was a comfortable victory over Palace. (Jean-Philippe) Mateta getting sent off early definitely helped. But when you think of the amount of chances they created, you’re probably looking at it saying they maybe should have scored more. That’s probably the only negative thought from that game. Overall, they’re really trending in the right direction now.
However, one area of concern remains for Hutton and that is up front. Dominic Solanke has just two goals across all competitions this term and only got six across the whole of last season.
Hutton believes bolstering the forward line and bringing in competition for the ex-Bournemouth man is vital.
“Solanke played some excellent games at Bournemouth and scored a number of goals which ultimately got him the move to Tottenham,” Hutton adds. “But then the pressure is on your shoulders because you are the main guy.
“You’re the guy that’s been brought in to score the goals for a lot of money, and it’s just not quite clicked for him. I think he is capable, but we’ve not seen it up to this point. I feel they need other options, they need competition in that area, somebody to push him.
“I don’t think he’s got that right now. Like I said, for a number of seasons that’s been the problem for Spurs, they need somebody up there that’s going to guarantee you goals if you want to really compete at the top end of the table.”
*Hutton was speaking in association with OLBG, who offer the best betting sites
