Our series of 2015-16 season progress reports continues with a look at the efforts of a Tottenham side with may have put the last pieces together in their quest for Champions League football.
What has gone right?
Tottenham have enjoyed an unbeaten run that spans all the way back to their first defeat to Manchester United on the opening day of the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino has brought this team back to the forefront again and they are now flourishing under the Argentine. The manager arrived at White Hart Lane back at the end of last season in May 2014 and since then the team have produced good quality football, currently seeing them occupying fifth on the table, five points off the top.
Pochettino was definitely the right man for the North London club and help them to challenge for those coveted Champions League places. The Spurs have had prominent wins so far this campaign, including the 4-1 defeat of league-leaders Manchester City. After their outstanding performance against rivals Arsenal last time out, it is clear that the manager and his men mean business.
What’s gone wrong?
The biggest problem at White Hart Lane is the lack of goals and too many drawn results. The team are seven goals behind league leaders Manchester City in the scoring charts, who have put the ball away seventeen times. It is lucky that superstar Harry Kane is back up to speed again, scoring a hat-trick against Bournemouth in a 5-1 demolition a few weeks ago. The Englishman also scored against Aston Villa and crucially, he put Spurs ahead against Arsenal in the North London derby.
In their games since the beginning of the season, they have drawn half that they have played. To get the three points every time, the team need to score more goals, Pochettino has even iterated this point earlier in the campaign. Their performance in Europe has been a little off too, losing to Anderlecht the first time before winning the return game and drawing with Monaco. Though, with such a difficult task at hand in the Premier League, they should concentrate on the domestic goals.
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Best players so far – Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen
The obvious choice would be Harry Kane, but Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen have been outstanding in the midfield. The pair are involved in almost every link up play, and Eriksen can take a serious free-kick. Pochettino has also put faith into his younger squad members, and their performances have piqued England manager Roy Hodgson’s interest. Eric Dier earned his first call up to the Three Lions, for the international friendlies against Spain last Friday night and France on Tuesday. Dele Alli has also been successful this season, showing his talent even though he is still so young. Alli is another young member that has made it into Hodgson’s England squad over the past few months.
Christian Eriksen has now been involved in 7 goals in all competitions this season (4 assists, 3 goals).
— Spurs Stat Man (@SpursStatMan) November 5, 2015
What is next?
At the end of this month Tottenham face a struggling Chelsea. Usually the idea of a showdown with the Blues would be a daunting one, but with Jose Mourinho’s men down near the relegation zone in 16th after winning just three of their games, Spurs have a really strong chance of overcoming this obstacle. A key member of the squad, Dembele had a slight problem with his calf after picking up an injury in training with his national team Belgium. While he did not play against Italy this past Friday, he will be available next weekend against West Ham, alleviating the scare for Pochettino and Spurs fans. Jan Vertonghen is also a reported problem, though after almost six weeks out with a foot injury and rather against Tottenham’s wishes, Son Heung-Min featured for his country, South Korea. Heung-Min has been used a sub in the club’s last two games, which is a good sign. The obvious goal for a spot in the Champions League places seems very much alive at this stage.
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