Have Watford seemingly dug themselves out the hole they were in? It remains to be seen, but the Hornets are unbeaten in three and held last year's Premier League champions Chelsea to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night - securing a well deserved share of the spoils.
As a result, Quique Sanchez Flores' side are currently high on confidence ahead of their trip to White Hart Lane in order to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. However, they should be very wary of the threat an in-form Spurs offer.
Flores and his players, however, will approach the game in the same calm, collected manner that has so far provided a fairytale for a side that, post-season, was expected to flirt with the relegation places.
Despite that, it will be hard to banish the memory of the reverse fixture at Vicarage Road in December, where a late Son Heung-Min winner confided the Hornets to a frustrating 2-1 defeat. Can Watford find some comfort in revenge with a result on Saturday? We speak to VAVEL UK writer and Spurs fan Francesca Byrne to hear her thoughts on the upcoming game.
Tottenham seem to be having another of their "typical" seasons - in and amongst the big guns but without anyone seeming to think they can go a step further. Do you believe they can take the initiative and win the Premier League?
Tottenham are capable of winning the Premier League but I’m unsure whether they have the initiative to do so. The message out of the camp seems to be “take one game at a time”, and we’ll see where that gets us. Tottenham are definitely only looking up, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be able to make the real push needed to win the title.
"Spurs must pick up points when other teams drop them"
The key for Spurs is to pick up points when other teams around them drop points. It sounds obvious enough, but for some reason it seems that Tottenham develop a stage fright when they find themselves in this situation, and they have failed to capitalise both in recent seasons and sometimes even during this campaign.
Personally, I don’t think that picking up points against the bigger clubs who are also fighting for the title is a problem - as we proved last season and the early stages of this one. People have constantly spoken about the squad’s young age as a positive aspect coming from Tottenham, which it is, but it also means a lack of experience and maturity, which is so important when pushing for the title.
Spurs are undoubtedly having a good campaign. For you, who are the players that have impressed you and stood out this season? Who needs to buck their ideas up before the campaign comes to a close?
The players that have impressed me this season have been Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld. Dier and Alli have both stood out due how quickly they have adapted to their new position and the jump between League One and the Premier League respectively. They’ve both become key players in the squad this season, which is even more impressive considering their age. The way Mauricio Pochettino demands them to play means they must know the league, their positions and each other's game very well - all of which for me makes their quick development even more impressive.
"Toby Alderweireld has definitely been Tottenham's unsung hero"
As for Alderweireld, I feel as if he’s been a bit of an unsung hero within the squad. He’s come in and straight away our defense has gone from one of the worst to one of the best in the league. He’s always calm and composed at the back, meaning he hardly makes mistakes, which is always a positive. Obviously his relationship with Jan Vertonghen from their days at Ajax is a major key to this, as the two went through the academy together and started their senior careers together. On top of this they both play at international level for Belgium, which has allowed their partnership to develop quicker than most.
Mousa Dembele also deserves a shout out for his amazing form, but it hasn’t particularly surprised me. Dembele always had the strength and power to dominate midfields as he is doing at the moment, but he struggled with consistency; it just all needed to come together and it has this season.
I don’t honestly feel like anyone needs to buck up their ideas, as the whole squad looks committed and willing to try as hard as they can week in and week out. This is down to Pochettino’s strict attitude towards commitment and having a squad he is happy with and knows will work hard. The only player who doesn't seem to fit this mould is Federico Fazio, but he’s currently on loan at Sevilla and looks on his way out.
What are your thoughts on Dele Alli? Is he the real deal? It seems so. Could he perhaps fall victim to the media attention and additional hype associated with young English players?
I do believe Dele Alli is the real deal purely down to how much skill and technique is in his game. Just look at the goal against Crystal Palace. His movement and vision is clearly not down to luck, so I don’t believe it will disappear any time soon. With the players and staff that he has around him, his future can only get brighter from here.
Of course, there is a chance that the media will over hype Dele Alli - and maybe already have - but I doubt he will be affected by it, especially with Pochettino (and Harry Kane, who went through a similar situation) around to guide and nurture him. Alli is said to be a grounded person, so again I doubt the attention will be a issue.
What have you made of Watford this season and where do you think they can finish in the league table?
"Watford have shaken up the Premier League"
Watford have been very impressive this year; it sometimes becomes easy to forget that they were only promoted this season. For me, they’ve been one of the teams that have shaken up the Premier League a bit. They’ve pulled off the 4-4-2 formation extremely well and knocked the idea of possession football, which was so dominant, out of the window.
They’re also very close to the all-important 40 points that secures survival, and haven’t featured in the relegation battle at all this season. In the end they willy likely finish mid-table, as they have perhaps come off the boil a little in recent months.
Who do you consider as the biggest Watford threat to Spurs taking all three points at White Hart Lane on Saturday?
I think the biggest threat Watford will pose is through the form of their attacking duo Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. The two have worked so well together this season and have posed a constant threat throughout, including when Spurs visited Vicarage Road.
The hard work and determination which is engrained in their respective haracters has been so influential to Watford's success. Futhermore, they get on very well and know each others' game very well, which is always a huge plus. In addition, another threat of Watford’s is that they can counter very well if they need to, so Tottenham have to be wary of this.
What exactly do Spurs have to do on the night to get the win against a highly competitive side? Is it a case of breaking down a Watford team that are very tight defensively, or should the focus be handling their prolific goalscorers?
Tottenham have to stay tight and disciplined at the back to keep Ighalo and Deeney from scoring, but it's also important for them to not allow Watford to get into a good flow of play. They can do this by winning 50/50s, but if they fail to do that they must win the second balls.
"Spurs must press Watford"
Watford have the ability to break up their opposition's play and Tottenham should not be fazed by this, but instead must press Watford to regain possession. Due to Watford's tight defense it will be imperative that Spurs are clinical with their chances and get on the end of rebounds.
Finally, what is your score prediction for the game?
I think Tottenham will come out on top this weekend, due to the form they are currently in. Spurs have scored 16 goals in their last five games in all competitions and Watford have experienced a dip in form, so coming to White Hart Lane will be difficult for them.
However, as I mentioned earlier, they are a very determined team so you can never say never with them. I think the game has the potential to be high scoring if both teams are on their game, but at the same time they both have very tight defenses, which will prove a challenge for both attacks. I’m going to go with 2-1 to Spurs.