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Former West Ham striker Carlton Cole has mocked Tottenham by claiming that even if they beat Liverpool this afternoon, there's no chance of them being in the title race because there's no 'evidence' of them doing it in the past.
Ange Postecoglou's side have remained unbeaten in the Premier League this season, coming back from a goal down twice against bitter rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby last weekend to secure an impressive 2-2 draw. They've also notched wins against Manchester United and newly-promoted sides Burnley and Sheffield United, leaving them in fourth.
However, they could rise to second if they beat Jurgen Klopp's side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with only Manchester City's 100 percent winning record between them and the top of the table. It comes after brilliant performances from both captain Heung-Min Son and James Maddison, but both have had injury worries over the past few weeks.
Despite the fantastic start to the season, Cole was adamant that Postecoglou's side weren't ready to vie against Man City for the title, even if they pick up all three points at home today. It'd mean a win would leave them just four points off the pace if City continue their winning streak against Wolves.
TalkSPORT host Adam Catterall asked: "Well, what about Spurs, are they a title contender?" to which Cole responded: "Come on... I'm not having that. I don't even think Spurs fans are saying they are!"
"Spurs vs Liverpool then, yeah? Let's say they beat Liverpool," Catterall countered, "and they looked the better team away from home last weekend against Arsenal where they should've picked up three points. That's four points from two top teams. Are you in the race?"
"No, no, no, I don't even think they're thinking like that at Spurs right now," Cole claimed. "When do they even start to think like that? I don't think it's after the Liverpool game, even if they beat them."
"What about Liverpool then, because they're not playing at their best, are they? They've been leaving the door open this season for teams to come and them a bit of grief but that's not happened yet. So let's say they turn over Spurs away from home, are they in the title race then?"
"Yeah, they are, I think," Cole replied. "There's a little race on then, a little jog. A half-jog. I believe in Liverpool, I've seen the evidence. What kind of evidence is there for Spurs? What kind of race have they ever been in?!
"No disrespect, but I've never seen them in a race! There's no evidence. Nobody records the 6th-place, 7th-place times. If you're doing a 100m race, who bothers caring about who came 6th or 7th?"
Catterall couldn't contain his laughter as he asked: "So even if they win tomorrow, they're not in the race?"
"No, no chance," Cole exclaimed. "Arsenal are, of course. I've seen evidence of them as well. Last year, I've seen evidence they can muster up the courage. Right now though, there's no race for anyone else."
