Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has questioned whether Tottenham Hotspur can truly be considered Premier League title contenders this season.
The Black Cats travel to White Hart Lane on Saturday for the weekend’s early kick off, and Allardyce has been quick to undermine his side’s opponents ahead of the first match of Gameweek 22.
“For the title? Perhaps Tottenham [are] not winning the title this time around – I’m not so sure they can hold their nerve,” the former West Ham United manager began, as per the Mirror.
Intriguingly, Allardyce then went on to draw parallels with the Liverpool team of the 2013-14 season, which burned so brightly—with Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge starring—but fell short of the Premier League title after losing their way in the final weeks of the season.
“Brendan Rodgers couldn’t hold his nerve with Liverpool to win the title a couple of years ago. When they needed to be resilient, or hold on to the result they’ve got, they didn’t quite do it and that can be that lack of experience which you need in order to win a title.”
However, ‘Big Sam’ went on to wish his weekend opponents well for the rest of the season, and urged them to seal the Champions League qualification that appears to be within their grasp.
“It would be nice if they did or got around there, but I think their main aim is to finish in the Champions League and if the title came around that would be one of those seasons they dream about,” Allardyce continued.
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“It would be great if Leicester and Tottenham finish in the top four.”
Spurs were defeated by top-four rivals Leicester in midweek, and head into Saturday’s match in fourth place in the table, having won nine and lost only three of their 21 matches to date.
Spurs could be leapfrogged into the top four by either Manchester United or Allardyce’s former club West Ham this weekend depending on results, while Sunderland will know that a win will take them out of the bottom three, at least provisionally before their relegation rivals Bournemouth and Swansea City play on Saturday afternoon and Monday evening respectively.