Tottenham title bid may be a stretch, but Spurs should finish in the top four

It was a case of one step forward and two steps backs for Tottenham last season, as Spurs' hopes of winning the Premier League title eventually crumbled into a third-place finish behind champions Leicester and north London rivals Arsenal.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were hugely impressive for the majority of the 2015/16 campaign as a young team packed with England stars looked to chase down Claudio Ranieri's Leicester in the most extraordinary title race of the Premier League era.

However, a packed fixture schedule took its toll on an inexperienced squad as Spurs' bid collapsed in the final weeks of the campaign to allow Arsenal to leapfrog them into second on the final day of the season.

Pochettino has strengthened this summer with Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen arriving to bulk up the midfield and attack, though it remains to be seen whether the Argentine's young squad can recapture the swagger of last term after a draining Euro 2016 to mount another assault on the title.

Standard Sport's Tottenham correspondent Tom Collomosse dissects Spurs' chances this season...

It would be a stretch to think Spurs could challenge for the title again. But if their key men stay fit, there is every chance of a top four finish.

Mentally, no. Harry Kane and company will be glad to be back where they feel comfortable and where they know what is required of them.

But all five have missed a huge chunk of pre-season and given Pochettino’s training methods, they may find it difficult to meet his demands for nine months.

Victor Wanyama is a fine buy who can step in for Eric Dier, nail down a place on merit or — as will happen for the first four league games — fill in for the suspended Mousa Dembele.

We know less about Vincent Janssen despite flashes of industry and creativity in pre-season, but at least now there is proper back up for Kane.

Alli can learn much from Kane. Kane was sensational in 2014-15 and, under far greater pressure, backed it up last season.

Alli’s temper will be tested throughout the campaign and he is now a star of the League, rather than the exciting newcomer.

Only time will tell if he can cope.