The driver who makes the quickest start does not always cross the line first but he can control the early pace of a Grand Prix. With three of their next four League fixtures at home, Tottenham have the chance to do precisely that.
Playing at Wembley, rather than White Hart Lane, will be a huge test of Tottenham’s strength, though the squad appear genuinely confident that last season’s difficulties are behind them. Fixtures against Chelsea on Sunday, Burnley seven days later and Swansea on September 16 — a week after a trip to Everton — will show whether they are right to feel as they do.
There can be few better times to face the champions. Eden Hazard is absent through injury, while captain Gary Cahill and midfielder Cesc Fabregas will also miss the game after they were sent off in Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat by Burnley.
The new players who have arrived are still trying to settle, while manager Antonio Conte is agitated because he would like to see more of them join his squad.
Chelsea, despite their quality, are troubled, and though Burnley’s victory at Stamford Bridge was highly impressive, they are not exactly an away banker, having won just once on the road in the League last term.
Tottenham’s lack of activity in the summer has made supporters anxious, while Danny Rose’s remarks last week posed valid questions about the wage structure built by chairman Daniel Levy, but yesterday’s win at Newcastle proved the players can handle such events without losing their concentration. Regardless of what happens to Rose, or which players arrive, it bodes well for the forthcoming matches.
The last time Spurs got off to a genuine flier was the 2009-10 campaign, when they won their opening four League fixtures under Harry Redknapp and qualified for the Champions League for the first time.
Spurs did better than that in each of the past two campaigns, finishing third in 2015-16 and second last season, yet their form in August was unconvincing — three points from four games in 2015-16, five from three in the campaign that followed.
Although a perfect start would not have made them champions either time, it would have meant they were ahead of the pack at the beginning, rather than having to work their way towards the front later in the season.
Like his team, Harry Kane tends to start the season slowly and accelerate gradually before finding a scoring rate that other forwards simply cannot sustain. Kane is still one short of reaching 100 goals for Tottenham after hitting the post and drawing a good save from Rob Elliot, while Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez believed the England forward should have been shown a red card for a heavy tackle on Florian Lejeune.
Yet all the money spent in the Premier League this summer cannot buy the understanding shared by Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, which borders on telepathy. After two full seasons playing together, the trio barely even need to look at one another to realise what is required, and it can be fabulous to watch.
After swift passing, Eriksen received the ball from Kane and guided it into just the space Alli had attacked, at the far post. Alli had had a quiet game but was not going to waste a chance like this and he volleyed past Elliot, 13 minutes after Jonjo Shelvey had been sent off for treading on Alli’s ankle. For the second goal, the trio combined again and this time Eriksen set up Ben Davies.
“It’s no surprise to see Christian playing like that, as he is one of the best in the League,” said Kane. “He gets into those pockets of space where he is so hard to pick up and he got two more assists.
“Both goals came from good movement and round-the-corner passes and that is what we are all about. It’s good to start developing that sharpness after pre-season.”
The chequered flag is a long way away but if they negotiate the first few laps well, Tottenham can look with optimism at the rest of the race.