Year in Review: Tottenham Hotspurs FC

The Season so far: The 2015-16 season comes as Tottenham’s 38th consecutive season in the Premier League and the 2nd season with Mauricio Pochettino as head coach. And as topsy-turvy as season this one is turning out to be, Tottenham’s performances and early promise are arguably the only things that have not changed. Sitting on the 4th place on the table, with a comforting 4-point lead over the 5th placed Crystal Palace, the performances given by Spurs this season have been full of confidence and bursts of pace mixed with the magic provided by Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela, and the explosive goals from Harry Kane.

A 14 game unbeaten streak has seen Spurs come to a fourth place halfway through the season. An overall commendable achievement for the club but when you consider who the Spurs have demolished on the way, you’ll be able to comprehend what they have been all about. A 4-1 devastation of the Citizens and another rout of the same scoreline of West Ham United are some of the most glorious of the results they’ve seen this season. Apart from them, a 1-5 victory over newly promoted AFC Bournemouth, 3-0 over Norwich, 0-2 against Southampton and a 1-1 at the Emirates together make up bits and pieces of the remarkable run that the North Londoners have gone on this season.

In the Europa, Tottenham have topped their group with a 3 point advantage over 2nd placed Anderlecht and a whopping 7 point advantage over Monaco, who finished 3rd. A Lamela hattrick saw them overcome a lanky Monaco side with a 4-1 overall scoreline. Their only defeat came at the hands of Anderlecht to whom they returned the favour by beating them by the same scoreline 2-1 at the White Hart Lane.

The only drawback of their season so far has been the Capital One Cup where a third round exit at the hands of bitter rivals Arsenal at the White Hart Lane would be a letdown for the fans.

Season Expectations: Halfway through the 2015-16 season, although this being the most unpredictable Premier League season, the Spurs are expected maintain their run and finish 3rd. Why third? Because even in this frenzy, Arsenal have been top dogs and a drop in Leicester’s performances and a City which is better than Tottenham is all but natural to expect. But, there’s no ruling out a slump from Tottenham themselves which could see them plummet as there are 6 clubs in the table separated only by 2 points just after Tottenham.

In Europe, Tottenham have to play Fiorentina in the Round of 32, come February of the new year. Fiorentina shouldn’t be as tough a fixture for the Spurs as they are firm favourites for the clash. We can expect Tottenham to reach the semi-finals of the tournament and a good draw could even see them advance into the final of the competition.

The FA Cup is always a tough one to predict as upsets happen every season and there always comes out a surprise winner of the competition. But, Tottenham should reach the semi-finals if their way is not marred by tough draws.

Modifications Required: Mauricio Pochettino has been doing a fabulous job till now and there isn’t any area of the field where he needs better players. The players have become fluid with the Argentine’s plans and tactics.

The only thing that Tottenham require to ensure silverware this season is an effective rotation policy. With gems of players like Eriksen, Lamela, Son Dembele and youngsters like Alli and Dier playing roughly in the same position, effective rotation can keep in-form players ready for selection for all the big games.

Also, the unbeaten run that the Lilywhites boast of has more draws than is expected of a team about to finish third in the league. If Tottenham begin to be able to seize the opportunities in the final 15 minutes of the games they play, who knows where they would stop?