After a woeful few months full of injuries and some abysmal results, glimmers of light are starting to shine in this team.
For the first time in what feels like forever, there is hope on the horizon.
One player who knows a lot about not giving up is Djed Spence. His impressive performance against Ipswich Town brimmed with creativity, courage and perseverance. No room for doubt or time for haters here, this is the reward of years of hard work and learning the lessons – even when some teachers deliberately make it difficult.
In fact, Spence's own redemption arc could turn out to be a perfect prelude for the wider team's salvation this season. After all, there are still prizes left to play for.
Although it is tempting to think the league is insignificant now, it is more than worth keeping an eye on because a European football spot could be secured for next season.
We have an extremely healthy goal difference compared to a lot of teams around us and, as our players returning from injury, other teams are starting to suffer from losing theirs. A late surge up the table is more than possible.
More excitingly though, and perhaps more importantly for the future of this manager and his team, is the prospect of lifting the Europa League trophy in May.
No competition at this level is ever easy, but looking at the teams left in the Europa League, we have to believe we can beat them. We certainly have to try.
So yes, Spurs are daring me to dream. In turn, I am daring Spurs to do.
Four reasons why Spurs have improved published at 10:58
10:58
Arguably the high point of a miserable season for Ange Postecoglou came in the Manchester rain in November as his Spurs side obliterated champions Manchester City's two-year unbeaten run at Etihad Stadium.
The subsequent three months of struggle saw Tottenham win just one league game in 11 matches and plunge down the table.
However, they enter Wednesday's rematch with Pep Guardiola's side in their best spot since that 4-1 victory at City after three straight Premier League wins.
But what's changed for Spurs? Here are four reasons life suddenly seems a bit rosier.
Schedule
That Manchester City win came after a two-week international break. Since then, Tottenham played every midweek until after the FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, 9 February.
The cliche goes that constantly playing Sunday-Thursday wrecks seasons. Given Tottenham's extensive injury list, that old adage has proved accurate.
And, how interesting that given two free midweeks, Spurs have cleaned up the following weekends by beating Manchester United and Ipswich Town.
Personnel
Guglielmo Vicario missed 12 league games after that win at City and Spurs shipped 24 goals in that time. His calming presence has meant only one goal let in during the past two games.
A huge positive from the injuries has been the flourishing of Djed Spence. With left-back Destiny Udogie fit again to start at Portman Road, Spence switched to his more natural right-hand side and is keeping Pedro Porro out of the side. These are simply options Postecoglou has not had.
It has been a strange season for vice-captain James Maddison, starting just 16 games. But a goal and assist in the two recent wins since his comeback from injury have also helped lift Spurs.
And don't underestimate the importance of Brennan Johnson. Missing since the defeat at Arsenal, he bagged two goals at Ipswich to add to his impressive 14 in 34 games this season.
Clearly, he is an important part of how Postecoglou wants his Spurs team to operate.
Pressure
On Sunday, 26 January, a dismal defeat at home by Leicester City dropped Tottenham to 15th in the table and contemplating the abyss.
With the league season untenable, pressure built on subsequent cup games with Liverpool and Villa and it told, as Spurs were dumped out of both competitions.
However, after finding a way to beat Brentford in the Premier League, that particular pressure valve seems to have been released.
Relegation is not even a remote possibility anymore and Tottenham can play with freedom.
Image caption,
The above average position map shows how withdrawn Richarlison (9) was against Leicester City
Image caption,
Against Manchester United, the entire Tottenham team were pushed further forward
Tactics
Postecoglou has been accused of intransigence – and has at times even welcomed such a label – but there has been variety in recent performances.
The arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich has enabled Postecoglou to push his strikers forward in the past two games compared with where Richarlison had operated prior to that.
That has pinned opposition centre-backs and established a foothold further up the pitch.
Having the threat of the France striker in behind has stretched the play as well, giving Son Heung-min on one side and either Dejan Kulusevski or Johnson more space down the other.
A progressive Maddison pulled the strings against Manchester United but Kulusevski was deployed differently in midfield on Saturday.
Postecoglou has been able to shuffle his pack and tweaked his tactics accordingly.
Gossip: Spurs begin talks with Bentancur over new dealpublished at 07:33
07:33
Tottenham have opened talks with Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur over a new deal, with the 27-year-old's current contract set to expire at the end of next season. (Mail, external)
Could Spence top his comeback off with an England debut?published at 11:24 24 February
11:24 24 February
Sam Ashoo Final Score reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Who doesn't love a good redemption story? The protagonist in this one is Djed Spence. The right-back was Tottenham's standout performer on Saturday, yet again balancing tough tackling with gliding, twinkle-toed runs down the wing.
Spence's move to Spurs looked destined to be a failure. He barely featured under previous managers and even Ange Postecoglu admitted making it "difficult for him" earlier this season.
But the former Nottingham Forest player is now rapidly becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet.
His ability to drive forward opens up space for the right-sided attacker, which was Brennan Johnson at Ipswich.
The problems posed by Spence allowed Johnson freedom to drift inside, scoring twice in the first half and ultimately killing the game before the half-hour mark.
His first Premier League goal, and the celebrations in front of the away fans that followed, capped a perfect afternoon for Spence.
The next chapter of the story? Quite possibly an England debut next month.
Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham - the fans' verdictpublished at 09:18 24 February
Paul: Too many changes every game and Kieran McKenna needs to find a settled first XI. Defence is weak though and we are not scoring enough so that is a recipe for relegation. A step too far this season after two amazing seasons but proud of the club and we will bounce back next year.
Tony: Ipswich have to play with a back three, if only to accommodate Leif Davis at left-back. There is an argument to use a traditional left-back in both away and home matches but needs must. We have a good right-back in Axel Tuanzebe once he is back in the fold. Once Sammie Szmodics is back, it will strengthen the left but Omari Hutchinson is far more effective on the right.
Oscar: £130m spent to attempt to stay in the Premier League is an obscene amount of money and proves you need more than money to create a winning team. This is a disjointed squad with McKenna not knowing how to manage them all. Ben Godfrey would run through trees at Norwich and Everton and their fans loved him. Here he looks clueless - that has to come from the coaching team.
Alex: For all his good work, Liam Delap needs to pass. Should have been two up in the first five minutes and then twice we allowed Son Heung-min too much time. Criminal. Have to question the team selection.
Spurs fans
Richard: Nervy start, and never comfortable until the third goal, but winning becomes a habit. High energy from Destiny Udogie, great finishing from Brennan Johnson and Son was close to his impactful best. Three more first-teamers to come back. Let's think positively.
Andy: Wow - a run of three wins in a row! But I don't care about the league table anymore. What's important is that we have most of our players back with plenty to choose from as we go into the serious phase of the Europa League knockouts. It's good to see us being sharper and putting chances away, which we will need to if we are to get that trophy. I now feel it is well within reach.
John: A win is a win. But Ipswich had 17 shots and five on target. It's a lottery how Spurs play. Both teams have loads of shots and it just depends who gets lucky. Sorry Ange - nothing has changed.
Paul: From the abyss, we have seen Djed Spence and Archie Gray step up and be counted. We have a long way to go to compete with the elite, but what a foundation. So, it's 'One small step for Ange - one giant leap for Tottenham'.
Gossip: Tottenham look to sell Solomonpublished at 06:59 24 February
Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham: Third straight league win for improving Spurspublished at 18:28 22 February
18:28 22 February
Alex Brotherton BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
It's been a tough season for Tottenham Hotspur, but Saturday's win at Ipswich Town was the latest sign that things might be falling into place for Ange Postecoglou's side.
A third consecutive league win - the first time they have achieved that since December 2023 - was a well deserved product of Spurs' resilience and attacking efficiency.
A few months ago Spurs would have capitulated during an early Ipswich storm, but Postecoglou saw his side grow into the game and take their chances when they came.
Son Heung-Min was superb on the left flank and caused the hosts problems no-end, while Brennan Johnson rediscovered his scoring form of earlier in the season.
In goal, Guglielmo Vicario provided another reminder of how sorely he was missed during Spurs' run of seven Premier League games without a win.
With the likes of Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven set to return from injury in the coming weeks, Spurs look to be in a good position to finish the season strongly.
'We have to move up the table'published at 17:29 22 February
17:29 22 February
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, speaking to Sky Sports: "They're one of the hardest-working teams in the league.
"You know you're going up against a battle and a contest - we had to do that today. First half, we could have done better. We allowed them some moments, but in the second half we dug in.
"That allowed us to execute and play our football.
"When you come to a place like this, the crowd creates some energy - we had to weather that storm.
"We were always a threat. Sonny [Son] was unplayable in that first half. So great to get Brennan [Johnson] back. He scores so many goals for us in those areas."
On players returning: "The fact that we can throw people on from the bench who can contribute. I could give Madders [James Maddison] and Pedro [Porro] a rest today - everyone gets a boost.
"From our perspective, these last two weeks have given us a breather and reset our football. I'm pleased the boys have embraced it."
On Europe: "Look, it's a couple of games now, but for us, where we were was unacceptable. It wasn't for lack of effort from the players.
"We have still got Europe, but we feel like we can make an impact, and we have to move up the table."
Ipswich 1-4 Tottenham - send us your thoughtspublished at 16:59 22 February
Sutton's predictions: Ipswich v Tottenhampublished at 11:24 22 February
11:24 22 February
Ipswich got a great battling point against Aston Villa last week but wins are what they need in their situation at the bottom of the table.
They beat Tottenham earlier in the season to get their first victory of the campaign and another one would be absolutely massive for them.
I really hope they do it - not for me, but for my daughter's teacher, Mr Fields who is a big Tractor Boys fan. But this game is big for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou too.
Having James Maddison back fit obviously helps Spurs, and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also played really well against Manchester United on his return from injury too.
So, while my first thought was that Ipswich could get some joy from playing on the counter-attack, I am going with a draw.
Postecoglou on Romero and Van de Ven injuries, and the Europa League drawpublished at 14:37 21 February
14:37 21 February
Joe Rindl BBC Sport journalist
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Ipswich Town (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
There are no new injury concerns and Postecoglou is hoping to give more minutes to Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Destiny Odogie over the next two matches. All five of those players returned from injuries in last week's win over Manchester United.
"Pedro [Porro],[Dejan] Kulusevski, these kind of guys, we've got an opportunity with the players we've got back to still maintain good levels of performance, but also give them a little bit of a rest," Postecoglou added.
He also said Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven could be available "around" the international break, adding: "Richarlison and Dominic Solanke are not too far behind."
He was also asked about the Europa League last-16 draw and called Tottenham's opponents AZ Alkmaar "tough". "They're a familiar opponent and we played them here at home," he said. "We knew they were likely opponents. They did really well against Galatasaray."
Asked whether his team were targeting the Europa League, he said: "Europe is at the forefront of our minds. There are 13 games to go and we're not happy with where we are in the league. Our form has been very inconsistent."
On facing Ipswich, Postecoglou pointed to a need to add to momentum, stating: "Obviously our last two Premier League games, Brentford away and Man United at home, have been two important results for us to kind of try and arrest the form in the league, but you need to keep doing that and backing that up. Tomorrow's an opportunity to do that."
He added: "It's not easy when you're playing against a team that's fighting like Ipswich are but it is an opportunity for us now to get another strong performance, get another positive result and hopefully provide a bit of a foundation for us to kick on."
Only Everton (63%) have scored a higher share of their Premier League goals this season in the first half of games than Ipswich (61% - 14/23). Meanwhile, Tottenham have conceded a higher share of their goals in the opening 45 minutes than any other side (57% - 21/37).
Gossip: Spurs eye Iraolapublished at 07:47 19 February
07:47 19 February
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is top of Tottenham's list if they decide to replace Ange Postecoglou, who has been in charge since June 2023 but is under pressure following a poor run of results. (Talksport), external
