Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham's next ten games will make or break his side's chances of winning the title this season.
Spurs sit fourth at the halfway stage and just four points behind leaders Arsenal, having lost only twice in the league so far.
Pochettino's side can close that gap with a win at Everton on Sunday but the Argentinean insists the next ten matches will be pivotal in the race at the top.
In that time, Tottenham play Leicester and Arsenal at home as well as facing trips to Crystal Palace, Manchester City and West Ham.
"We need to arrive in the last ten games with the possibility to fight for the objectives," Pochettino said.
"The next ten games will maybe mark the possibility of how we can finish in the table."
Arsenal and Manchester City remain favourites to be crowned champions in May but Tottenham's form has led many to suggest they can mount a sustained challenge.
They are chasing their fourth win on the bounce this weekend, having beaten Norwich and Watford over the festive period.
However, the three points against the Hornets came at a cost, with Mousa Dembele out for the 'the next few weeks' having picked up an injury.
For all the hype, however, Pochettino is adamant his players are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
"The good thing is we don't speak too much but we work very hard and I think it is most important how we behave inside," Pochettino said.
"We are very quiet. We believe in ourselves. We are very confident and in football a lot can happen. We believe.
"The only way we cannot achieve all that we can in football is if we stop working hard."
Tottenham currently boast the best defence in the league and central to that success has been the form of Eric Dier, above.
Dier spent 18 months on loan at Everton as a teenager but only played for the club's youth teams, before returning to Sporting Lisbon and moving to Spurs in August 2014.
"The only way we cannot achieve all that we can in football is if we stop working hard."
"We are very pleased because he has started to play in a position that was his real position," Pochettino said.
"When we decided he should start to play as a holding midfielder it's because we saw he had the qualities to play in that position.
"He got into the national team as a holding midfielder. Maybe in the future his best position is centre midfield or maybe it's centre defence or full-back.
"But he is very young and very comfortable in the position he is playing.
"If we analyse him, today he is one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League."
Dier has formed a rock-solid base in front of centre-backs Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
On Sunday the trio will be tasked with stopping Everton's Romelu Lukaku, who has 11 goals in his last 10 matches.
Alderweireld, above, has been one of Tottenham's star performers so far this season and Pochettino paid tribute to the Belgian's impact on the team.
"I think it's obvious Alderweireld after 19 games is one of the best defenders," Pochettino said.
