Tottenham Hotspur have won the hearts of many football purists this season but once again are left without any titles or silverware.
Deja Vu
As another football season draws to a close we are facing a similar story. Rewind twelve months and it was Tottenham Hotspur that were chasing runaway leaders Leicester City for the Premier League title. Today it is Tottenham pursuing a formidable Chelsea team that look to be unstoppable. In both cases the leaders were unlikely to be caught unless they had a calamitous ending to the season. Whilst Tottenham were the only real challengers both times, they were always held away at arms length.
This time however, there is no fairytale of the Leicester City variety. If anything it has been a pragmatic tale of efficiency from the champions elect and a tale of what might have been for Spurs. The Lilywhites have captured the imagination and hearts of the footballing neutrals with their style of play but once again it just wasn’t quite enough.
Of course Chelsea, much like Leicester last season, had no distraction of European football. There is much to be said when a talent filled squad such as theirs – under new management at the start of the season – does not have to worry about squad rotation too much. Not that they do not have the squad to cope of course, but fluidity often comes with stability and consistency in the starting XI. There is something to be said for being able to play as much of the same team week in week out. Chelsea hit their stride and never looked back.
Injuries Take Toll
As for Tottenham, they can look back on a poor Champions League showing and a surprising Europa League exit. Moreover they can look at injuries and the lack of depth in their squad to surmise as to where they fell short. Given that they have one of the best defensive records in the Premier League it is interesting to note that their starting back five only played a handful of times together. Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose in particular (the latter with only 18 premier league appearances so far) have been notable absentees. Add to that injuries to key players such as Harry Kane (twice), Hugo Lloris, Mousa Dembele and long term absentee Erik Lamela and it is any wonder that Spurs put in a challenge for the Premier League title at all.
Those injuries affected Tottenham most in October. An impressive win over the at the time unbeaten Manchester City at the start of that month was followed up with three draws against West Bromwich Albion, Bournemouth and Leicester City. A potential further six points dropped in these matches were ultimately what was to prove most costly.
Many will accuse Spurs of folding at the final hurdle once again. Last week’s defeat away at West Ham proving costly. The fact remains that even had they won that game they would still have been one point behind Chelsea having played one game more. The similarities with last year’s pursuit are stark as in neither case did Spurs sit atop the table at any point. In fact their relentless pursuit of the leaders when all the other challengers faded away was the only thing that made the title race remotely interesting leading into the final month of May. They should be commended for not giving up the ghost.
Spurs have already surpassed last seasons points total with three games to go and have a healthy +48 goal difference. This is stratospheric compared to what many Spurs followers are used to seeing. There is no doubt the club are on an upward trajectory under Mauricio Pochettino and for as long as he is at the helm then perhaps titles and silverware are not that far away.
Looking Forward
2015/16 was regarded as a blip amongst the footballing fraternity. Leicester as champions and Tottenham in second was, in the view of pundits, merely a fleeting aberration until normal service would be restored in 2016/17. Many expected the “big guns” to take their allotted places at the top of the league. In fact at the start of the season it was widely regarded that the title would be a shoot out between the Manchester clubs. Many felt that last season would be Tottenham’s best and probably only chance of a title since 1960/61. Yet here they are challenging once more. Who is then to say that won’t be the case again next season?
Their remaining target will be to finish the season strongly and secure second place. They cannot afford to tail off again like last season when they somehow contrived to finish third after not winning any of their last four matches. Their Champions League qualification is already assured for next season and they will be looking for a better showing in that competition. Moreover they will be looking for some silverware, particularly in the domestic cups after unluckily falling at the semi final stage this season, again to Chelsea.
The pressure will start to grow on Pochettino and his young team to put some medals on the table. Not only will the fans demand it but they will demand and want it for themselves. With a new stadium being built on the site of White Hart Lane, the team will need to transition to playing all of its games in 2017/18 at Wembley – and then acclimatise to a new home stadium in 2018/19. The two year upheaval could not have come at a worse time for Tottenham’s progression. But this will be a further test of their metal, as well as a measure of how strong the foundations laid by Pochettino actually are. The next two seasons could mould the future of this club for the next decade.
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