While this season made Tottenham Hotspur’s history books, the side crumbled at the penultimate hurdle to finish third in the Premier League.
The way Spurs played for the majority of the season deserved more than the end result, but a draw to Chelsea (which ended any hope of the title) and two losses to Southampton and Newcastle United on the final day, sealed their fate.
A top four finish is still to be celebrated, but the way Tottenham faltered was not the prettiest. They had nine players booked during the game with Chelsea, whose manager Guus Hiddink was also pushed to the ground. That contest does not define Tottenham’s season, but it takes the shine off a little.
To finish in the top three is still a great achievement though, for a side that have not been in the Champions League since the 2010-2011 season.
The Story
The Spurs went on a long unbeaten run between losing on the first day to Manchester United, and losing to Newcastle just before Christmas. It certainly looked as if Mauricio Pochettino’s men were keeping up with Claudio Ranieri’s team, especially as no one expected Leicester to stay up there.
Even after the defeat to the Geordies at Christmas, Tottenham bounced back with another lengthy unbeaten run. Then the day came where the top two would clash in an important game – both for morale and points. Leicester won the encounter 1-0 in the usual Foxes style, to put the title race advantage in their court.
Harry Kane ended as the top striker in the Premier League for 2015-16 with the most goals, while Dele Alli won PFA Young Player of the year. The camp is definitely talented. It was also a record-breaking year for Spurs, as they scored the most goals in one season in their history thanks to Son Hueng-min’s finish against Southampton. Kane also scored the most that any player from the club has netted in a single season, beating Gareth Bale and Teddy Sheringham.
The final stint is where Tottenham crashed and burned, however. While Leicester were racking up points with 1-0 wins, the Londoners were dropping points with draws. It all came to a head when the Lilywhites faced Chelsea and drew 2-2, awarding Leicester with the 2015-2016 Premier League title.
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Key Player – Harry Kane
There have been several key players for the Spurs team this season and they all deserve a mention. Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele have been outstanding in the middle, while Tottenham’s back four (apart from the dreadful 5-1 loss to the Magpies) have been solid. However, you cannot win games without scoring goals, and scoring goals is what Kane does best. After a slow start to the season, he kicked off his spree with a hat-trick against Bournemouth in late October and the rest was history (literally), ending the campaign with a total of 25 and his first Golden Boot award.
Manager
When Mauricio Pochettino joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, many had looked at his time at Southampton and were a little apprehensive of what he could pull off. Yet this season it all came together and the Argentine has now penned a new contract extension to stay at Spurs for the next five years, until 2021.
OffSeason recruitment
With as much depth as Spurs have, it will be interesting to see whether the team will bring in any new players. They did not make any big signings during the January transfer window, but with the European Championships happening this summer, it is a perfect time to scout for new names. A back-up striker for Kane is most likely the biggest target for Pochettino, as Son Hueng-min has not really stepped up to the plate this year.
Grade
Overall, Tottenham Hotspur have had an impressive season and have really shown that they are one of the biggest clubs in England.
B+
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