Tottenham Hotspur invite Liverpool to North London on Thursday night - marking the halfway stage of their campaign.

They currently sit fifth, just a point behind the holding champions.

Ahead of the clash, Spurs have played a game less than Jurgen Klopp’s men, a win would see them leapfrog the reds into fourth.

Stuttering form in their season so far has meant their credentials as title-challengers have been somewhat discredited.

As far as progress goes, the success of Jose Mourinho’s appointment will be determined based on silverware. His managerial career is built solely on trophies and that is the job he has been brought in to do.

The Carabao Cup final, scheduled for late April against Manchester City, will be the perfect opportunity for Spurs to end their drought, potentially using it to give them momentum in the season run-in.

A last-32 tie against Wolfsberg, the lowest rank team left in the Europa League, should mean Tottenham are able to progress comfortably into the next round.

Stranger things have happened in the world of football though - a result is never guaranteed.

Following Monday night’s FA Cup triumph against Wycombe Wanderers, Mourinho faces Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton in the fifth round. A tough test Mourinho failed the last time the two sides met, on the opening day of the season.

Hackney Gazette: Tottenham Hotspur's Erik Lamela and Wycombe Wanderers' Josh Knight battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Adams Park, Wycombe. Picture date: Monday January 25, 2021.Tottenham Hotspur's Erik Lamela and Wycombe Wanderers' Josh Knight battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Adams Park, Wycombe. Picture date: Monday January 25, 2021. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Having taken over from Mauricio Pochettino with the club in 14th last season, Mourinho had Spurs in a respectable sixth position by the half-way stage, on 29 points.

However, this was a staggering 23 points behind the run-away leaders who even had a game behind.

A difficult campaign of mixed results saw Spurs finish in that sixth spot, just about securing a place in the Europa League.

Tottenham’s best-ever season in the Premier League era saw them finish second to Chelsea, in the 2016/17 season.

At the mid-season mark in that campaign, they were fourth with a respectable total of 39 points. Importantly, this was only 10 points behind the eventual champions, but closing the gap proved too much of a challenge.

Although Mourinho’s current total of points is only 33 points, less than Pochettino’s total at the same stage in 16/17, he is crucially only seven points behind the league leaders and could potentially close that gap to just four with a victory against Liverpool.

Hackney Gazette: Tottenham Hotspur's Japhet Tanganga (left) and Wycombe Wanderers' Fred Onyedinma battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Adams Park, Wycombe. Picture date: Monday January 25, 2021.Tottenham Hotspur's Japhet Tanganga (left) and Wycombe Wanderers' Fred Onyedinma battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Adams Park, Wycombe. Picture date: Monday January 25, 2021. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

In one of the most fiercely contested seasons we have had recently, the top half are tightly packed together, with the title-race looking impossible to call.

Spurs are within touching distance and the campaign is perfectly poised, it is up to Mourinho and his men to make the most of it.