LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur congratulates Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur on scoring the openiung goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane on September 20, 2015 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Is Tottenham now a title contender?

We are now 13 games into the 2015/16 Premier League season and one thing is clear, the title race is as wide open as ever. If there was a rule that defined the current season, it would be that the only consistent thing about this season has been inconsistency. Just when you’ve thought you’ve had this season figured out, it’s turned itself upside down again.

Of course every rule has an exception and the exception to this rule is Tottenham Hotspur. While everyone has been infatuated with Chelsea’s meteoric collapse, Leicester City’s rise from nowhere, or Manchester City and Arsenal dominating opponents, Spurs have quietly been remarkably consistent this season.

With 24 points through 13 games, Spurs are currently sitting 5th in the league, just two points behind title ‘favorites’ Arsenal and Manchester City. Spurs have lost just one game all year and that came on the opening day of the season against Manchester United, a 1-0 loss thanks to a Kyle Walker own goal. They’ve conceded just 11 goals this season, tied for the second fewest with Arsenal, and only Manchester United have conceded fewer. So why has no one been talking about Spurs this season?

The answer of course is because of the way they started the season. Spurs opened up with the aforementioned loss to United and followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Stoke in which Tottenham actually found ways to not win that game. This was followed by back to back draws with Leicester (away) and Everton (home), which in hindsight are both very good results given the form both those teams have been in.

To go along with the dropped points, last years starlet Harry Kane wasn’t scoring anymore. New signing Son Heung-Min looked really good early on, but then immediately picked up an injury. It just seemed like no matter what happened Spurs weren’t going to put it together that year.

Nevertheless Spurs have stuck around and now find themselves right in the heat of things as we approach November. Since dropping points against Swansea, they’ve quietly begun storming up the table but where did this come from?

The key for Spurs has been they simply haven’t lost. By picking up at least a point in all but one of their matches they ensured that they never slipped too far down the table. Spurs also have one of the youngest teams in the league, the oldest player to have played for them this season is Jan Vertonghen who is just 28.

When dealing with a young team often times, it takes a while for things to click. That’s exactly what’s happened with Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino. It might have taken a year and a few months but things are finally clicking and the results could not be better.

Harry Kane is back to doing Harry Kane things. Son-Hueng-Min is emerging as the playmaker Spurs desperately needed and his runs have created the space that Harry Kane has desperately needed. Behind them, 19 year old Dele Alli is quickly emerging as one of the best central midfielders in the league. Combine him with the center back, turned holding midfielder Eric Dier and Spurs not only have a formidable midfield, but they’re holding on to what’s very possibly England’s top midfield pair for years to come.

With Spurs sitting just two points behind the title favorites, why aren’t people mentioning Spurs in the title conversation? Are the teams ahead of them that much better? Arsenal are beyond injury ravaged and could struggle going forward. If Manchester City were as good as everyone says they were, wouldn’t they be running away with the title the way Chelsea did last year? Manchester United? I’m the biggest United homer you’ll find and even I’m not completely buying into United’s ability to win the title.

The key will come over the next month of the season. The way the Premier League schedule works, it’s easy to start off hot. Teams play one or two games a week and get breaks throughout the first half of the season. Then the festive period comes in December and the games not only come quick, but they are constantly coming with no breaks until March. That’s when the weaker teams tend to fall.

By the end of this upcoming month, we’ll have a better idea of whether or not Spurs have the depth to sustain a legitimate title run. At this point it’s still too early to call them title contenders, but at the same time, I’m certainly not laughing at the thought of it anymore either.

About Pauly Kwestel

Pauly is a Producer for WFAN in New York and the CBS Sports Radio Network. He has been writing about the beautiful game since 2010 and can be followed on twitter @pkwestelWFAN

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