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Football does strange things to people, particularly on the internet. This week one F365 reader, for example, asked about the Portuguese for 'w*nker', in response to Sandro having the temerity to suggest that Spurs should be looking a little higher than just sneaking a top four slot.
"Everybody talks about United, City and Chelsea, but never Spurs," said Sandro.
"We have just won a hard game at Sunderland and Manchester City could not beat them here. We are not content to be just a top-four side. We are looking up the table.
"But no-one is talking about Spurs as champions and that suits us. I hope it carries on like that until the end of the season and then bang! We are there. We believe we are as good as the top teams."
And you know what? He might be right - Sandro, not our friend the commenter. Maybe not this season, but perhaps next. Because Spurs are a truly impressive team, and if they improve in one or two easily identifiable areas, they could be truly special.
The first and probably most obvious issue is their lack of depth in the attacking third. Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor are obviously both exceptional strikers (when the mood takes the latter), but they have little beyond them. Clint Dempsey was presumably signed as a utility forward, able to fill in as a striker, a winger or attacking midfielder, but a top-class side should not have a Jack-Of-All-Trades as their first reserve - another genuine striker would be handy.
Dempsey's presence also exposes another weakness - a lack of back-up for Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale. Gylfi Sigurdsson filled in for gravity enthusiast Bale against Reading, but while the big Icelander can be a real goal threat, a winger he is not. Spurs were sometimes so narrow against Reading that it was ridiculous, especially with right-footed Kyle Naughton at left-back. Spurs are at their best when attacking with pace down both flanks, as it's too easy for teams to concentrate on just stopping one winger when either Lennon or Bale are absent.
Again, they basically have nothing in reserve in this area. Sigurdsson and Dempsey are not wide men, while Andros Townsend is raw, at best. Tottenham's current success (they have won seven of their last nine) relies on the continued health of Defoe and their wingers.
While their win over Reading was pretty comfortable in the end, it did highlight the second main problem in Tottenham's side. 3-1 is a perfectly acceptable scoreline, but - and I cannot overstate this - Reading are utterly rotten. Spurs were so dominant that 3-1 was actually slightly disappointing, and nowhere near as emphatic as it could/should have been. Really, on the balance of play, the final score should have required brackets.
This is largely because they struggle (and have done for a while now) to break down sides worse than them, intent on trying to contain Spurs. They had 34 shots on goal against Reading, but 24 of those were from outside the area, something that is only slightly more exaggerated than their ratio over the season - 55% of their attempts have been from 18 yards or more, which is the highest in the Premier League. This indicates that they're either a bunch of show-ponies who crave the spectacular, or they have to rely on long-rangers due to not slicing sides open. The latter is the more likely theory.
Mousa Dembele does his best in trying to pass through defences, but he often looks rather lonely in that respect. As has been evident since the start of the season, Spurs could do with/need another creative presence in midfield, preferably one comfortable playing just behind a striker. They basically need a slightly quicker version of Rafa van der Vaart.
It doesn't look like that will happen soon, mind. Andre Villas-Boas indicated after the game that January would be a quiet month at White Hart Lane, with few coming in or going out. While it's true that the mid-season transfer window is not always the best time to pick up a bargain, if they want to push on from their already excellent position, a man to cut open defences would be more than useful.
The basis of an excellent team is there, mind. Spurs have a largely young, exciting squad with a similarly minded manager. They're just one or two players from being really quite special.
Nick Miller - follow him on Twitter
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