Here we are about to embark on another international break and it seems an ideal opportunity to assess how the teams who are chasing the top four pack are progressing after two months of Premier League action.

SPURS:
Things started badly, got worse and seem to have corrected themselves somewhat. Martin Jol, having to deal with a board who seems desperate to replace him, has been defiant and determined in the face of poor showings on the pitch and injuries off it. Their last two matches, the 4-4 draw with Villa and 2-2 draw at Anfield epitomise the roller-coaster season his side will experience.

Like a car without breaks, anything could happen, but it’s not too late for the vehicle to get back on the right road. After all they are only a win or two from getting back into mid-table and at least some of their tougher fixtures are out of the way. One win in nine tells a story, but they do have home matches against Blackburn, Birmingham and Wigan coming up and they are all eminently winnable.

Prediction: Will make up ground, and could still secure another UEFA Cup slot. But will that be enough to appease the board? Probably not!

ASTON VILLA:
Martin O’Neill’s saviour status at Villa Park is beginning to take shape. Their attacking flair and defensive and midfield solidity makes for an effective machine that is tough to beat and but for a late equaliser at White Hart Lane they would be joint fourth right now. An abundance of young talent makes for exciting times ahead.

Ashley Young, Luke Moore and Gabriel Agbonlahor would all be front page news if they were playing for any of the top four, and maybe the lack of attention will serve them well. Personally I have to admit that in the past I wasn’t that keen on watching the midlands side play but I have been impressed over the last 18 months at the kind of side they are forming.

Prediction: Good times ahead, and maybe, just maybe, they can achieve the top four finish.

WEST HAM:
Alan Curbishley is beginning to prove many, including myself, wrong. I considered him a manager more likely to keep sides up than move them towards the higher echelons of the Premier League. I have seen enough this season and the tail end of last to suggest he may have what it takes to use the Hammers new investment and put it to good use.

Still prone to inconsistency but on their day a match for many, as the Gunners found out recently in a game that West Ham should have got something from. There is a danger that the side continues to not get what they deserve from matches. They need to be far more ruthless in front of goal, but with a fully fit and in-form Dean Ashton they can turn those losses into draws and draws into wins.

Prediction: Definite UEFA Cup placing, and more to come in the near future.

EVERTON:
Under David Moyes perennial top-sixers Everton have stumbled of late. Three defeats in four, two against their direct competition, and an off-form Andy Johnson have left the Merseysiders unsure of where they are heading. Seemingly always just a player or two short of being a really good side, with a squad that always looks a little too short to mount a serious challenge to the big boys.

What they do have is a great deal of fight, but such is their inconsistency of late their next four fixtures could go either way. The Toffees have Liverpool and Chelsea to take on and in between supposedly ‘easier’ games against Derby and Birmingham and it would be tough to say how many points they can cement from that quartet of fixtures, and this sums up Everton for me.

Prediction: A lot depends on how they spend in the transfer window and that could be the difference between a mid-table finish and a European spot.

NEWCASTLE UNITED:
Sam Allardyce is doing the kind of job many had expected and every Toon Army member had hoped for. Such is the resurgence of other sides, like Villa and Manchester City, that people have not given the former Bolton boss the plaudits he deserves. Investing wisely in the summer, his side has been beaten just twice in two months, albeit the loss at Pride Park was a pretty dire display.

When or indeed, if, Michael Owen fully recovers from injury I can see the Geordies making a proper push toward the top four. However they have many other world class performers, not least Steven Taylor. Other solid players have put in great starts to the season, with Nicky Butt and Alan Smith giving whole-hearted displays and Charles N'Zogbia seems to be finally living up to his potential.

Prediction: Good times ahead, could be the best finish in years and perhaps an FA Cup run.

MANCHESTER CITY:
It appears that the opinion of Sven Goran Eriksson in the eyes of the British public is changing, not least in the blue half of Manchester where he can do no wrong. It would be unfair to place the balance of the Eastlands success solely on the investment in new players and their Thai chairman. Eriksson has bought wisely and drawn on the young talent already available to him thanks to the academy graduates.

The memory of Stuart Pearce’s ultimately poor reign seems like a distant nightmare now to the City faithful and the colour and vibrance given off from the new signings, Martin Petrov and Elano in particular, alongside the stellar performances from Micah Richards and Michael Johnson, have replaced the dour times of recent years. Christmas had past by the time City managed to clock up six wins last season, and yet here we are nine games in and already a half dozen victories in the bag, none more pleasing than their derby success.

Prediction: Without wanting to get too carried away, but if more investment is brought in to bolster the squad, then I think it is possible that Sven’s men could sneak into the top four.

Apologies to other hugely improving sides including Blackburn and Portsmouth, who in my opinion are both punching way above their weight and this is down chiefly to great leadership from their respective coaches.

Can you spot any other potential top four finishers? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.