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Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has said his former club may never have a better chance to end their wait for a Premier League title. Spurs have not triumphed in the English top flight since 1961 but Hoddle, who both starred at White Hart Lane as a player and also spent time as the club's manager, told ESPN FC that he would urge Mauricio Pochettino's side to believe they could finish this season as champions. "There is no doubt that Tottenham have the ability to win the Premier League title in this unpredictable season, but I ask the question whether they seriously believe they can do it," former Spurs midfielder and boss Hoddle, now a BT Sport pundit, said. "This is a one-off year, with Manchester United struggling and the champions Chelsea falling out of the top four in inexplicable circumstances. "I look at that Tottenham squad and there is no reason they cannot compete with Arsenal and Man City, and I guess we have to put Leicester in the mix for the title now. "If Leicester are in there, Spurs are certainly contenders as well." He added: "Manchester City and Arsenal are the favourites, but they are both dropping points regularly and that's why we see Leicester sitting at the top of the table heading into February. "Spurs are not used to being within touching distance of the top teams at this stage of the season, but they are there on merit and could be crowned as champions so long as they retain a belief that they can get the job done. "At this moment, we don't know whether that inner confidence is there within the Spurs players and I guess we will only find out whether they have got what it takes when we get into the back end of the season." Hoddle suggested Pochettino and his Tottenham players could also win the FA Cup, in which they play League One strugglers Colchester at the weekend. "It is a shame the way the FA Cup has been downgraded in importance," he said. "When I was a player, winning the FA Cup was almost more significant than winning the league. "The prestige of the competition was such that it was more exciting to lift the trophy at Wembley than win the title, but that has all changed. "Finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League has become the priority for all the top clubs now and they look at the FA Cup as something they will have a go at if they get to the latter stages. "I would argue that as a player, winning a trophy is more memorable when you look back on your career than finishing fourth. I appreciate the finances in the game are all important now, but players and fans like that day out at Wembley and being named as a winner. That will never change." Hoddle, who won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981 and 1982 and lost in the 1987 final, added: "The FA Cup has certainly been an important competition for Arsenal over the last couple of years as it has given them the silverware they were craving, and Pochettino and Spurs will be looking at this competition as a big opportunity to win something this season. "Coming from Argentina, I'm sure Pochettino knows all about his compatriots Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa winning the FA Cup with Spurs in 1981 and it is a competition that means a lot to the club. "I'm sure he would love to win it this season and they have been given a good draw against a struggling Colchester side in the fourth round on Saturday."
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