In his typical nonchalant manner, Claudio Ranieri has dismissed claims that Leicester City are the favourites to win the Premier League title. Instead, the Italian manager thinks that it is 2nd-placed Tottenham Hotspur who are in the best position to finish the season on top of the Premier League table.
League leaders Leicester City are the fan favourites to walk away with the Premier League title at the end of the season. However, Claudio Ranieri has once again attempted to take the pressure off himself and his players, and instead chose to pile it on the three other teams who are vying to knock the Foxes off their perch.
The Italian manager believes that the Foxes are the fourth favourites at best, claiming that they have a smaller chance than the three teams immediately below them on the table — Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City. He was particularly full of praise for Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs team, who are within touching distance of Leicester.
“Everybody is speaking about Leicester and nobody is speaking about Tottenham,” said Ranieri ahead of their mid-week match against West Bromwich Albion [via the Mirror].
“Tottenham in my opinion are the favourites, then Arsenal and City. Tottenham are the best team we have faced this season.”
Spurs are genuine title contenders
Although Leicester City’s rise to the top has been meteoric and has caught the imagination of the world, Tottenham Hotspur’s title challenge is no less worthy of celebration. Mauricio Pochettino has built a remarkable team that revolves around its home-grown players.
Tottenham have always fallen just short of the big prize, consoling themselves with a spot in the Europa League. However, they look like a title-winning force this season. Having won five games on the trot, Spurs are just two points behind Leicester City, and with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Toby Alderweireld playing the best football of their lives, a Tottenham title challenge is no longer a laughing matter.
