Draw against City gives Spurs the edge vs. the top six

Tottenham Hotspur snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat today at the Etihad Stadium, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a cheeky 2-2 draw against Manchester City. Considering how the team played overall, that’s a reward that’s good enough on its own, but it’s a point that could play an even more important role down the road.

While getting wins against the mid and bottom of the Premier League table is equally important, if you are a club that wants to have a chance of contending for an EPL title you need to also get points against the teams at the top. With today’s draw, Spurs are looking pretty good in that regard.

Take a look at this tweet from James Yorke, posted Saturday:

James says it better than I can, and he correctly points out that Spurs have done themselves a great favor by eking out a draw today. Only Liverpool have a more favorable schedule against the so-called Sky Six in the second half of the season than Tottenham do, and thus far they’ve earned a home draw against United.

Spurs, by contrast, still have to travel to Anfield on February 11 (which will be a massive game), but then welcome Arsenal on April 29 and host Manchester United in the last ever Premier League match at White Hart Lane. You’d have to think, considering the narrative surrounding both of those fixtures, that if nothing else Spurs would have at least an emotional edge on their opponents.

This, of course, guarantees nothing. However, relative to their competitors for top four, Spurs have placed themselves into a very good position for a very high final table position as they head through the second half of the Premier League. You would have to still call Chelsea the odds-on favorites to lift the trophy at the end of the season, but if they should falter, Spurs already look like one of the clubs best situated to capitalize.