The next four weeks appear certain to provide the greatest test yet of Tottenham’s young squad.

Despite their youth — Spurs have fielded teams this season with an average age of 24 or less — Mauricio Pochettino’s side have shown impressive resilience in the Premier League, which has left them only four points adrift of a top-four spot with a game in hand.

Victory over struggling Aston Villa tonight would move Spurs into fifth and increase optimism. Yet the challenges that follow ought to clarify whether this campaign really will be different, or one of unfulfilled promise and missed opportunities — like so many before.

In three days’ time, Spurs face Anderlecht in the Europa League, needing victory to get back on track after defeat in Brussels two weeks ago. On Sunday, it is Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, where Tottenham have won only once in 12 meetings since the Gunners moved to their new home in 2006.

The run of fixtures will test Spurs both mentally and physically, especially with key men like Nabil Bentaleb, Heung-Min Son and Nacer Chadli out injured. If Pochettino believes his team have been given a raw deal by the fixture calendar, he has refused to say so — perhaps because he knows they face just as demanding a challenge later in November.

Between home derbies against West Ham, on November 22, and Chelsea, on November 29, Spurs travel to Baku, Azerbaijan, to take on Qarabag — a round trip of nearly 5,000 miles.

Illustrated: Every Premier League No10 19 show all Illustrated: Every Premier League No10 1/19 Eden Hazard, Chelsea @okayboss 2/19 Andy King, Leicester @okayboss 3/19 Andre Ayew, Swansea @okayboss 4/19 Cameron Jerome, Norwich @okayboss 5/19 Harry Kane, Tottenham @okayboss 6/19 Jack Wilshere, Arsenal @okayboss 7/19 Sergio Aguero, Manchester City @okayboss 8/19 Marko Arnautović, Stoke @okayboss 9/19 Matej Vydra, Watford @okayboss 10/19 Mauro Zarate, West Ham @okayboss 11/19 Max Gradel, AFC Bournemouth @okayboss 12/19 Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool @okayboss 13/19 Romelu Lukaku, Everton @okayboss 14/19 Sadio Mane, Southampton @okayboss 15/19 Siem De Jong, Newcastle @okayboss 16/19 Victor Anichebe, West Brom @okayboss 17/19 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United @okayboss 18/19 Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace @okayboss 19/19 @okayboss 1/19 Eden Hazard, Chelsea @okayboss 2/19 Andy King, Leicester @okayboss 3/19 Andre Ayew, Swansea @okayboss 4/19 Cameron Jerome, Norwich @okayboss 5/19 Harry Kane, Tottenham @okayboss 6/19 Jack Wilshere, Arsenal @okayboss 7/19 Sergio Aguero, Manchester City @okayboss 8/19 Marko Arnautović, Stoke @okayboss 9/19 Matej Vydra, Watford @okayboss 10/19 Mauro Zarate, West Ham @okayboss 11/19 Max Gradel, AFC Bournemouth @okayboss 12/19 Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool @okayboss 13/19 Romelu Lukaku, Everton @okayboss 14/19 Sadio Mane, Southampton @okayboss 15/19 Siem De Jong, Newcastle @okayboss 16/19 Victor Anichebe, West Brom @okayboss 17/19 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United @okayboss 18/19 Yannick Bolasie, Crystal Palace @okayboss 19/19 @okayboss

Pochettino had hoped to rest his most important men for that game, but dropped points against Anderlecht and Monaco mean he cannot afford to do so. Whatever Chelsea’s difficulties at the moment, it will not be easy to face high-class players after such a short turnaround.

Form suggests the clash with Villa should be the most straightforward. Villa sacked Tim Sherwood, the former Spurs boss, last month after they slipped to the bottom of the table and they look set to appoint ex-Lyon coach Remi Garde as his replacement.

With six matches at home and in Europe this month, Pochettino will need to manage his squad carefully and it is significant that Ryan Mason is available again. The England midfielder was in good form before damaging his knee in the 1-0 win at Sunderland in September, which the 24-year-old described as “a serious injury”.

“I tore the muscle, there was swelling and I had bruising as well,” said Mason. “The swelling was massive and it was just a case of getting that down, because every time I tried to do something it swelled up again.”

Mason was one of Pochettino’s most trusted players last season but there is now greater competition in central midfield. Eric Dier and Dele Alli have performed strongly there, while Mousa Dembele produced a man-of-the-match display in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool. When Bentaleb has recovered from an ankle ligament problem, he will also stake a claim.

Spurs have far less experience than the other sides likely to be challenging for Champions League places but Mason believes their strength lies in their youth.

He said: “Everyone is hungry. Even the lads that aren’t playing are training hard and we are driving each other on. I think you can see that when we make substitutions. Nobody is down about not starting, they just want to come on and to affect the game — and that goes for the players that travel to games but aren’t even in the squad. Everyone is pulling in the right direction.

“Eric Dier and Dele Alli have done brilliantly — I think it’s clear for everyone to see. Eric came here as a centre-half but he’s come in and made that [midfield] position his own in his way, and Dele is a 19-year-old lad dictating Premier League games. It’s great for English football because they’re both young English players and it’s good to see.”

Alli won his first England cap in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia last month, while Dier is also thought to be close to a first senior call-up. With Mason, Kyle Walker, Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Andros Townsend also selected for squads by Roy Hodgson, there could be a significant Tottenham presence in the England squad for next summer’s finals in France.

“It’s brilliant,” Mason added. “There were four Spurs players in the final squad for the Estonia and Lithuania games and hopefully that can continue. As I have said before, many other managers in the Premier League should, hopefully, be doing the same because it is proof that English talent is good enough.”