Tottenham Hotspur: 8 Factors in a Potential Premier League Title Challenge

Tottenham Hotspur are no strangers to a certain level of hype in recent times. But, when you go 10 games unbeaten (winning nine of them), that hype goes up a whole other level—to the point where Spurs are now being discussed as potential title challengers.

It should be noted that few at Tottenham, or outside of the club, are getting over-excited just yet, but Harry Redknapp's assertion in the past couple of years that his team could be capable of winning the league looks more realistic than at any point so far.

Although he is remaining cautiously optimistic, for now, and is well aware of the threat posed elsewhere, Redknapp clearly likes what he is seeing out of his team and was optimistic after Spurs' 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

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It is a possibility, it is not impossible. I don't want to say that we are going to win the league as everyone will get carried away. We are on a real good run and, if we continue the form that we are in now, we will win the league, although that will be very difficult.

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Maintaining such form is, of course, easier said than done. As well as so much to consider in-house, there are also considerable outside factors that can influence whether a title challenge is legitimate or just an early season pipe dream.

Incorporating both, here are eight factors that may well play a role in whether or not Tottenham Hotspur will be challenging for the Premier League title come May.

The Busy Christmas Period

The Premier League season isn't decided by the hectic (and very enjoyable) Christmas period, but after five games beginning on the weekend of Dec. 11, a whole lot can have gone on that will have a massive baring on your campaign.

For one thing, with the games coming thick and fast—not to mention the cold weather—if the luck doesn't go your way, you might find your squad a few players down with injury.

What is not avoidable is that with such fine point margins in the league table, for better or worse, you will have a good idea of what you need to do for the remainder of the season.

Spurs' festive campaign begins with Sunderland at home before Chelsea visit the Lane three days before Christmas Day. Tricky trips to Norwich and Swansea mean things don't get any easier from there before West Brom cap off the league portion of the season on Jan. 3.

Though there are two more remaining fixtures before the Christmas schedule begins, there is no doubting this run of fixtures offers a genuine test of Tottenham's title credentials.

Finding a Way to Win the Big Ones Away

If Tottenham are to mount a serious title challenge, they will face some tough, and likely very tense, tests on the road post-Christmas.

Spurs visit Manchester City on Jan. 22, and then in February, they face Liverpool on the 4th and Arsenal on the 25th. Stamford Bridge and Chelsea beckons on Mar. 24.

Last season, Tottenham put in two of their best displays at the Emirates and Anfield, taking three points in each game at grounds where they have struggled previously. That might have lifted a psychological burden, while wins over both Arsenal and Liverpool already this campaign demonstrate they are more than capable of beating them.

To go on the road and get positive results against potential title rivals again would be a huge boost to a prospective title campaign.

The visits to Manchester City and Chelsea will offer different challenges. As things stand, City are the team to beat, and having dismantled Tottenham once already, they will be confident in beating them on their own turf.

Spurs ended long-held winning droughts against Chelsea in the past decade, but Stamford Bridge still holds something of a curse over them. Whether both clubs are still in the title hunt by late March, or (for the benefit of this article's scenario) Chelsea are looking to salvage their season, it will be a feisty derby for sure.

The January Transfer Window

With the January transfer window not far away, Bleacher Report will be among the many media outlets soon reporting on the latest rumours. According to Harry Redknapp, he has no plans to be involved in the craziness.

“There is absolutely no point in going out and signing players if they can’t improve the team," said Redknapp. "And, as it is, I have enough strength in depth in my squad.”

Such comments will be taken with a pinch of salt knowing that Redknapp has previously said as much, only to go back on it soon enough. But, there is some sense to what he says there.

There is very little genuine top quality available in January, and if it is, it will come at a hefty price tag.

The most important work that might be done by Spurs in the transfer window is in deciding what players are available to leave.

Heurelho Gomes and Roman Pavlyuchenko are both reported to have expressed a desire to leave in search of regular first-team football, with the latter, in particular, keen on making sure he is part of Russia's Euro 2012 squad.

As Redknapp himself said, it is difficult to bring in players who will improve his team, so Spurs would be wise only to let the aforementioned pair out on loan, if at all.

Pavlyuchenko has shown before, especially in his late season form in the 2009-10 campaign, his ability to come in and score goals. While Tottenham's forwards are performing well now, it only takes a couple of injuries or the poor goalscoring form that cost them so dearly late last season to leave a team struggling for fire-power.

It is the threat of injuries that would be the greater concern in goal. Neither Brad Friedel nor Carlo Cudicini are young, and while the American, in particular, is known for his superb consistency, the risk of being short a quality goalkeeper is not one worth taking.

Squad Rotation

There are times in a football season when a player might lose form, and it is the job of the manager to decide whether to back them until they turn it around or give someone else an opportunity.

This might sound like the obvious, but the importance of these decisions should not be underestimated.

After a tricky January last season, Spurs brought Niko Kranjcar back into proceedings and benefited from an instant impact. He came on to score a late winner against Bolton before scoring again in a great display up at Sunderland.

While Steven Pienaar was understandably brought in at the Croatian's expense to offer a better defensive presence in the Champions League at Milan, that Kranjcar was not returned to the starting line up after was baffling.

Instead, after a spell injured on the sidelines, Gareth Bale was put back and then kept in the team when he was lacking in fitness and struggled to regain his form.

It didn't need to be a permanent solution, but for a while, at least Tottenham's play was crying out for the different type of creativity Kranjcar offered. Instead, they stuttered as Bale, lacking in freshness, was just running into walls.

Right now, Spurs are benefiting from the same players playing together on a near-weekly basis. But, there will be a point when, even just for a week or two, one of the bigger names might have to make way for the greater good.

Will the Goals Keep Coming?

The point was made on the previous page of the need to know when to refresh things at certain points of the season. As Tottenham fans well know from a difficult late-period last season, finding goals when they are lacking has not always been so simple.

As of writing, Rafael van der Vaart, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe have all been performing well this season, and crucially, all have been scoring plenty, too—so much so that Roman Pavlyuchenko has not had a look-in in the Premier League yet.

Last year, it was not solely the strikers' fault. In some games, it was a failure to provide decent service, and Spurs also did come up against some strong defensive displays.

But, any title challenge is reliant on teams taking their chances, and naturally, the onus falls on the forwards.

Spurs beat West Brom last time out, with the difference being the comparative ruthlessness they showed in front of goal. It will have to continue even in those games when the changes aren't falling as frequently.

Managerial Interference Part 1: The January Tax Evasion Trial for Mr. Redknapp

As good as things have been professionally for Harry Redknapp this season, personally, he has had some troubles.

Heart surgery to unblock coronary arteries took him out of action for a couple weeks. And although that should hopefully be of benefit to his long-term health, the stress of a January trial for tax evasion won't be.

Accused with former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric of cheating the public revenue relating to alleged payments to a Monaco bank account, Redknapp has long maintained innocence over any wrongdoing.

The case is expected to last two weeks from Jan. 23. It is unclear yet as to the level of Redknapp's involvement in court.

Home and away fixtures against Wigan Athletic and Liverpool, respectively, will place in that period—the latter, in particular, a test that Redknapp will not want to be absent for.

A court case is a tricky issue to speculate on, so this is a factor that is classed as wait-and-see more than most.

Managerial Interference Part 2: Speculation over Redknapp Taking the England Job

This being a season before a major international tournament, it is inevitable there will be some issue that threatens to disrupt England's preparation for their Euro 2012 campaign. With Fabio Capello departing post-tournament, it is reasonable to assume speculation over his replacement might well ramp up even before the domestic season has ended.

As a favourite to replace the Italian, Harry Redknapp will likely be the subject of many such media stories.

The hope would be that Spurs' players would handle any speculation about their manager's future by being professional and getting on with the job at hand. But, a title challenge (especially for a side previously inexperienced in such high stakes late in the season) can be a fragile thing, damaged by the minutest of problems.

When Alex Ferguson announced plans to retire in 2001-02, Manchester United's form noticeably suffered for a period. It is something of a cautionary tale for Spurs, whether they are in the hunt for the title, cementing a Top 4 place or preparing for a cup final.

Whether or not he knows, by that point, of any interest from the Football Association, you have to think Redknapp is a shrewd enough operator to make it clear to his team it is not an issue they have any reason to be thinking about.

As tempting as the England job might be for Redknapp, he would not want it at the expense of a first league title in either his playing or managerial career.

The Rest

The Top 7 of the Premier League currently contains (and will do so for at least a few weeks): Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Newcastle have certainly been the surprise package of the season so far, and it will be interesting to see if they can remain in this top group. But other than them, it seems safe to say the others mentioned will be the teams competing for Top 4 places and, possibly, the Premier League title.

As was the case last year, it is something of a down year for both Manchester United and Chelsea. Both still have plenty of talent, but they are also going through transitional periods as younger players begin to compete with established veterans for first-team spots.

It means now is as good a chance as any for the rest to do something. City certainly look to be the most likely candidate to win the title, with a superb and deep squad to choose from. But, they are no guarantee, with most of their players never having been in such a position, and inexperience can have an impact, too.

If they are the stand-out side by a margin at least, then there seems to be a lot more equality between the rest (though, of course, in different ways). This is good for Spurs in that they, just as much as anyone, could benefit from all these teams trading blows.