Betting tips / Andrew Atherley / 12 January 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Tottenham are becoming about as balanced a side as Andrew Atherley could imagine, with not just well-known attacking riches but also a mightily effective defence in place.

With Tottenham Hotspurpossibly being in a three-way tie at the top of the Premier League table by Saturday teatime, perceptions are changing fast about the side.

Tottenham's odds are shrinking in many areas: they are as short as [1.69] for a Top 3 Finish, and punters are having to work harder to find the value. But perhaps they can still benefit from one perception that is proving difficult to shake off -- the notion that Harry Redknapp's side, for all their attacking fluidity, are not so good at the back.
Back-to-back home games this week offer a fine opportunity to show that the Spurs defence should be taken seriously.

With leaders Manchester City not playing again until Monday, it is possible that Tottenham will be tied with the two Manchester clubs on 48 points by the end of the Wolves match. Redknapp's side are [12.0] for the Premier League title and will shorten further if they take the maximum six points this week. There could be a quick back-to-lay opportunity there.

Gareth Bale, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor have been the headline-makers for Spurs, with at least one of that trio scoring in 15 of their 19 league games, and among the admirers is Sir Alex Ferguson, who believes Tottenham are playing the best football in England and acknowledges they are genuine title contenders.

Arguably, however, the difference this season has been made by the less heralded players because it is in defence, more than in attack, where Tottenham rank closely with their two Manchester rivals.

Redknapp's side have conceded just 20 goals - the same number as Manchester United and only four more than Manchester City - and have tightened up considerably since they started the season with 3-0 and 5-1 defeats by those rivals.

The defensive record at home is most noteworthy, particularly against the type of opposition they face in both games this week. Seven of the eight goals conceded by Spurs at White Hart Lane have been scored by big-six teams, with Tottenham keeping a clean sheet in four out of five at home to the rest of the division.

With Spurs having won every home game against teams from outside the big six, that raises the possibility of backing them to win to nil against Wolves. Perception will eventually catch up with the changed reality, but right now Tottenham clean sheets still offer good value.

Pick of the Stats
Chelsea v Sunderland
The last seven meetings, and 16 out of 21 overall in the Premier League, have had over 2.5 goals

West Brom v Norwich
The Baggies have the worst home record against top-half teams, with just one point out of 18, and Norwich have lost only one of six away to teams below them

Recommended Bets
Tottenham clean sheet v Wolves at [2.06]
Norwich off +0.5 on Asian handicap v West Brom at [1.83]