It doesn't take a genius to work out that the Premier league title is as good as done and dusted at the halfway point in the season. Manchester City have dropped just two points and are 15 points clear of neighbours Manchester United in second place. City would have to suffer an unimaginable dip in form for any of the chasing teams to catch them.
But the race for the minor places is well and truly up for grabs. Just six points separate United in second place and Arsenal in sixth. With just three Champions League places up for grabs, there is still plenty to play for. Tottenham lie fifth, level on points with Arsenal but well ahead of them on goal difference; a position that probably is a fair reflection of their season so far.
That Spurs have struggled to find their fluency of last year is undeniable. In the early months of the campaign, they misfired badly at their new Wembley home and it was only their away form of four wins on the bounce that kept them in the hunt. Since then Tottenham have blown hot and cold. Thrilling victories against Liverpool and Real Madrid have been offset by dour, laboured stop-start performances against the likes of Crystal Palace and Brighton at home.
The away form has also dipped. Critics who reckoned manager Mauricio Pochettino's one big weakness was that he couldn't get his team to play well against the top clubs were given plenty of ammunition in the away defeats to Arsenal and both the Manchester clubs. It wasn't just the losses themselves that hurt, it was the manner in which they delivered. In all three games, Spurs appeared to lack confidence and were unable to play to anything like their potential.
But in the last two game Spurs just might have turned the corner. Playing against a resurgent Burnley side that hadn't conceded more than a single goal per game since losing to Manchester City back in October, Tottenham were rampant. They scored three through a Harry Kane hat trick and might have scored three more if their finishing had been a little more clinical. And on Boxing Day Spurs put five goals past a demoralised Southampton at Wembley.
Harry Kane's exploits this season have made him Spurs' standout performer thus far in 2016-17.
At times like these, it's tempting to talk of individuals, and there certainly have been standout performances. Kane's two hat tricks inside a week that took him past Alan Shearer's Premier League record of most goals in a calendar year was testament to a player at the top of his game. But what makes Kane so special isn't the goals he scores but his reaction to the ones he misses. While many strikers brood over missed opportunities and visibly lose confidence, Kane has the ability to compartmentalise. Missing a chance is, for him, just an occupational hazard. Something he can forget about within minutes so that he can focus on making the most of the next chance that comes his way.
It's also worth pointing out that Dele Alli was back to something like his best against Southampton. There was little of the sulky petulance that has characterised so much of his season; instead we were treated to a high-octane display of both graft and guile that was rounded off with a sweetly struck goal. Spurs looked all the better for Alli's return to form. Kane appeared less isolated up front and the midfield acted as a far more coherent unit. If Alli can reproduce this level of performance in the the second half of the season, then Spurs will be formidable opposition.
One could also pick out Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Eric Dier and Heung-Min Son, but that would be to miss the point. It has been the change of tempo and team coherence that have really made the difference in the past two games. At last Spurs are beginning to achieve the consistently high levels of the previous season. The players now look to believe both in themselves and each other. They are pressing hard from the first whistle and putting opponents under the cosh. Their build-up play, which has at times been painfully slow and laboured -- not to mention entirely predictable -- has become lightening quick. In the past two games, Spurs have turned defence into attack like quicksilver. That speed of interchange is impossible to defend against, even by teams intent on keeping ten men behind the ball.
Only time will tell if this was an illusion and the next week should provide more evidence as to whether Spurs have turned the corner. In the space of three days, Spurs go to Swansea and then play West Ham at home. Both games are eminently winnable. Swansea are propping up the table on just 13 points while West Ham's brief revival stalled at home to Newcastle. Spurs meanwhile have few injury concerns. Kane will have recovered from a brief illness, Erik Lamela is almost fully match fit and Victor Wanyama is back training with the first team.
The stars are beginning to align for Spurs. It's time for them to take full advantage and display their ruthlessness.
John Crace is one of ESPN FC's Tottenham bloggers. Follow him on Twitter @JohnJCrace.
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Source: espn.co.uk