Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Tottenham Hotspur could finish in second place ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
Neville did point out that while he expects Tottenham to end up with a third-place finish, they could pip the Reds if Jurgen Klopp’s side fin d themselves impacted by injuries or a poor run of form.
The Spurs board have backed Antonio Conte in the summer transfer market with six new arrivals with Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet and Djed Spence all arriving in north London, while it has been claimed that they could make yet another addition in the form of a creative midfielder (Evening Standard).
Neville believes the likes of Perisic, Bissouma and Richarlison have improved Antonio Conte’s squad in terms of their quality and will have to rely on the Reds slipping up if they are to finish any higher.
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said: “I have got Spurs finishing third in my head because of Perisic, Bissouma and Richarlison. And they have added to what they have already got. They won’t finish above Liverpool, but they could.”
“If Liverpool just somehow wobble and get an injury to a Van Dijk, then Tottenham could (finish second). They are the only club, I think, that potentially, and it’s a high risk with Liverpool, could get there.”
Our View
Neville’s viewpoint certainly makes sense, although finishing above Jurgen Klopp’s side would undoubtedly be a difficult task. They have looked quite good in the recent Community Shield win against Manchester City, and only a plague of injuries can disrupt their flow looking at the current situation.
Hence, while a second-place finish is a possibility, especially with Antonio Conte at the helm, securing the third spot is a more likely scenario. Chelsea, who finished above us last season, are going through an uncertain phase despite Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling’s arrival.
The Blues have added Marc Cucurella (Fabrizio Romano) and Carney Chukwuemeka (Daily Mail) recently to their ranks, but they are still far off from having a well-rounded team. Their attack has struggled considerably, while they have not yet fixed the lack of personnel in defence so far.
Arsenal cannot be underestimated either, as they are a force to reckon with indeed. The lack of depth coupled with injuries was the cause of their downfall in the previous campaign, but they have made some significant improvements so far in this summer transfer window.
However, Conte has a knack for exceeding expectations in domestic competitions with his renowned ability to get the best out of his players. He turned things around at N17 with just Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur last January. Hence, one would wonder about the improvements he can make with the signings that have been facilitated so far.
