The title is within touching distance. Just a single win from three matches will be enough for Leicester City to be crowned Premier League champions, a sentence that would have been met with strange looks and howls of derision had it been uttered at the beginning of the season.
Even after all this time – Leicester first topped the table in August and have not fallen lower than third since the start of November – it remains difficult to fathom the extent of their exploits.
If Claudio Ranieri’s side do indeed get their hands on the trophy in the coming weeks, it will not only be the most unlikely title triumph in English football history but also one of the greatest sporting achievements there has ever been.
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For Tottenham Hotspur, the reaction is one of regret rather than rapture. Monday's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion leaves their hopes of a first championship since 1961 hanging by a thread, Mauricio Pochettino's side now trailing Leicester by seven points with only nine left to play for.
Once the dust has settled, though, Tottenham can look back with pride and forward with optimism.
The fact that it is Leicester rather than one of the traditional powers leading the way probably heightens the sense of disappointment and increases the feeling of this being a missed opportunity, but a second-place finish would still represent a fine season for Tottenham, who have not ended a campaign in the top two in over half a century.
Their return to the Uefa Champions League next term after a six-season absence will mark another stage in the team’s development, while it would not be at all surprising to see them contend for the Premier League title again in 2016/17.
Pochettino is one of the brightest young managers around and appears committed to the project he has started at White Hart Lane.
There is a clear identity to his Tottenham side, a defined way of doing things that is the result of astute coaching and clarity of thought. This breeds stability and means Tottenham’s players should improve further as they continue to learn under their manager’s guidance.
The best measure of any coach’s performance is whether he is able to create a group that amounts to more than the sum of its parts. Pochettino has undoubtedly succeeded in that regard this season, which could also help Tottenham in the transfer market this summer.
Many of their players have been superb, but Tottenham’s strength lies in the collective rather than in individual stars, which makes it difficult to envisage Europe’s big boys forming a queue outside Tottenham’s training ground to try and prize away their leading assets in the coming months.
Toby Alderweireld and Hugo Lloris may attract attention from elsewhere but should be able to be persuaded to stay put, while the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli will surely come to the conclusion that it is still far too early for them to even consider a move away.
If Tottenham can then add a bit more strength in depth in the centre of midfield and up front, they should kick off the season in August with an even better squad than the one that will end the current campaign.
It should also be noted that this Tottenham group is the youngest in the division, which means, in theory at least, many players have not yet reached their peak and will only get better with more experience.
Against all odds, the Premier League dream is almost a reality for Leicester. For Tottenham, the reality is that this season’s title challenge does not look like being a one-off.
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