Tottenham may have fallen away at the latter stages after the team were unable to bridge the gap to eventual champions Leicester at the summit, but there is no taking away from what was a fantastic season at White Hart Lane. Coming so close to ending a fifty-five year wait for a league title is testament to the work carried out by Mauricio Pochettino who got the team playing superb football throughout the campaign, and although a few stumbles along the way ultimately proved costly, a lot of progress was made. 2015/2016 may have been a season in which none of the so-called big guns imposed themselves and dominated the top four, but it takes nothing away from the quality that Tottenham showed to put themselves in a wonderful position. It should hopefully provide a benchmark for the team to establish themselves as serious title contenders on a regular basis.
Allowing arch enemies Arsenal to leapfrog us into second in the final stretch was not enough to dampen the spirits at White Hart Lane, as very few expected Tottenham to come so close to winning the Premier League title. Pochettino and the players will not only have gained invaluable experience from what they achieved, but also take away the lessons and come back even stronger in the upcoming 2016/2017 campaign. It is easy to forget that the manager has brought together a relatively young squad packed with talent and ability, with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier becoming integral players for club and country through their fantastic rise to prominence.
The level of talent and quality at the manager’s disposal can only provide great encouragement for the fans to believe that Tottenham can establish themselves as a top four team. Although, it could be more difficult than ever before to challenge at a time with Pep Guardiola (City) and Jose Mourinho (United) taking charge in Manchester. Leicester proved that clubs do not need to have a star-studded team and millions in the bank in order to be successful. Showing the right application, desire and work-rate can go a long way to achieving the best results, and Pochettino has a lot of faith in his team to believe they have the quality to go two steps further and win the title.
Playing in the Champions League will be a proud moment for everyone connected with the club, but it remains to be seen how Tottenham will handle competing on four fronts. Trying to replicate the success in the Premier League and become established in Europe will undoubtedly be Pochettino’s priority, and although every fan would love to see the team lift one of the domestic cups, Tottenham are in a strong position to compete for greater prizes. Pochettino has moved quickly to add even more strength in depth, with Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen representing strong signings; there are plenty more irons in the fire, with a deal to sign Marseille winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou close to completion, but although the likes of Nacer Chadli and Ryan Mason may move on to pastures news, finding the right balance between quantity and quality should stand Tottenham in good stead for the challenges that lie ahead.
Getting off to a strong start could prove to be important, especially with many of Tottenham’s title rivals making big changes at managerial and player level. Travelling to Goodison Park to face Ronald Koeman’s Everton represents a tough test on the opening day. Back-to-back home games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool could prove challenging, while the following trip to Stoke will not be straightforward either. There are simply no easy games in the Premier League anymore, but if Tottenham show the same application and quality as they did last season, then there is no reason not to feel optimistic about another title challenge.
JFD says
I find it amazing that Liverpool are fancied by the bookies to finish above us, although they have only done so once in the last six seasons and only during the Suarez inspired season.
Our young team should only get better and every other contender has to make, or has made, several player purchases (apart from the arse who have bought their one purchase already). Plus Conte and Pep are new to the PL and Jose and Koeman are new to Man U and Everton.
Top 4 again for us without doubt.
grimes says
If Spurs want to win the title, it have to take care of its gem. You can’t sell such a great player like Nabil Bentaleb and aspire to win the title. Really a bad policy and next season it will not be a walk with all the clubs that have strengthened. You can dream while hope die as last.
Mike says
I would hardly classify Bentaleb as “great”, and he had no impact at all on last season, being injured or too busy spending his large wage increase for most of it.
Spurs Fanatic - Mark says
Spot on.
chu2ks says
Deliberate practise. This is the foundation to mastery of any skill or talent. It entails treating every training or practise session as the real deal, continuous practise improvement. When the actual event arrives, the practise moves becomes second nature. No talk of winning or losing here, just becoming better at practise, better at performing your tasks, better at playing your role.
This is what Pochettino has been trying to drum into our team since he took over. Those double sessions, triple session days, almost paid off with a title – and we had a crack at it, when last did we say that we had hope at the title?
If the Tottenham players forget last season, and go back to deliberate practise, this season will be a revelation. You can already see that some players get it, they’ve left their egos at the door, and you can tell the ones that don’t. It’s no coincidence that Poch utilises the talents of the younger players, as they are the most receptive.
There are three things that can happen when you buy several new players, and immerse them into your squad and philosophy (as we’ve found it in the not-so distant past);
1) They can immediately acclimatise, but burn out after the Christmas run (not used to not having a winter break, see).
2) Take their time to gel and understand their surroundings, but pick up form and shine after the Christmas run/New Year, or
3) Fail to gel, acclimatise, hit it off with their teammates, get frustrated and then depressed with their lack of form and become a bust of a transfer.
This mostly applies to first-time Premier League transfers from the continent.
I’m looking at all these superstar purchases, and it amuses me because we’re all going to sit back and watch them implode – seriously.
Keep your squad together, keep deliberately practising with your philosophy and watch how you’ll improve. Spurs are on the right track.
Watch and see. COYS!
Spurs Fanatic - Mark says
Great comment, completely agree.