Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool fixtures will define Tottenham’s campaign over six weeks – is this a title challenge or just another ‘Spursy’ season?

It’s been a tremendous start to the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, no one can deny it.

They are sitting second in the table, just one point behind early leaders Leicester City but fans will have a sense of dread about their upcoming fixtures.

The next six weeks could well be the defining run of their campaign – it’s make or break time for the north Londoners and first up is Man City – live on talkSPORT.

Tottenham could be shock title challengers under Jose MourinhoAFP or licensors

Under Jose Mourinho, in his first full season at the club, Spurs have entertained their own fans and a host of neutrals as devastating strike duo Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son dispatch their opponents, one way or another.

In the Premier League, they are unbeaten since the opening day of the season when they were defeated 1-0 by Everton, whose new-look midfield dominated proceedings in N17.

Since then, the only points dropped were in the draws with Newcastle, due to a controversial injury time penalty, and West Ham, where they threw away a 3-0 lead in added time.

Victories against Southampton and Manchester United showed how deadly they can be, while triumphs over Brighton, West Brom and Burnley displayed a dogged side to their game.

Tottenham’s next run of seven Premier League games will be a true test. Not only of their ability but of their resilience.

Many have questioned their mettle over their years, supporters are sick and tired of all the ‘Spursy’ comments.

Now is the time, under a new manager, to show they now have the backbone to enter a title race this season.

City visit on Saturday having put in some Jekyll and Hyde performances so far.

They were thumped 5-2 by Leicester, and struggled against West Ham and Leeds United, but have also turned on the style with some comfortable performances, particularly in the Champions League.

Traditionally, Spurs have struggled against City over the last decade.

Their last match might have been a win – courtesy of Steven Bergwijn and Son but prior to that it had been just five wins in 21 matches.

Bergwijn celebrates his first goal for Tottenham which came in their last match against Man CityGetty Images - Getty

Losing against Pep Guardiola’s men isn’t the worst of results, there is no shame in being defeated by a team who has been so dominant in recent years.

But how Tottenham respond to such an event occurring is what really matters with London derbies against rivals Chelsea and Arsenal the following two fixtures.

There is no time to lick wounds or feel sorry, they must dust themselves down and go to war again, and you imagine Mourinho will expect no less.

Mourinho will have to rally his troops if they do lose against CityAFP or licensors

When talkSPORT said the run would be a defining series of fixtures in the campaign, it was not a lie.

After those three tricky clashes does come a comparative breather with Crystal Palace but they’re also no pushovers, especially with Wilfried Zaha back among the goals.

Then comes a match with Premier League champions Liverpool, who will remain a tough challenge, even with their defensive injury issues.

And just to finish it all off Leicester visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before they travel to Wolves on Boxing Day.

The draw with West Ham was a classic case of ‘Spursy’ but now they must step up when a defeat comes their way and respond with resilenceAFP or licensors

Intense doesn’t cover it, especially when you throw in three huge Europa League group stage games and a League Cup quarter-final with Stoke City on December.

A couple of setbacks and, in what already looks to be a tight race at the top of the table, Spurs could slip out of contention early on.

The old ‘Spursy’ refrain will be thrown at them, even if the run of fixtures is a perfectly reasonable justification if a promising title challenge comes crumbling down.

However, come out of this run with Son still shining, Harry Kane continuing his excellent performances and Gareth Bale firing on all cylinders then the Premier League might just have found the team to beat this season.

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You can listen to Tottenham v Man City on Saturday, November 21 at 5:30pm, live on talkSPORT