We’re now into year two of the Ange Postecoglou era at Spurs.
By Sam McGuire
The manager and the players will want to build on their 2023/24 campaign and gatecrash the Champions League places after narrowly missing out last term.
What happened last season?
Tottenham had to settle for a fifth-place finish last season after what could best be described as a topsy-turvy campaign. Postecoglou’s side started the season on a 10-match unbeaten streak and there was a genuine belief that they might be able to battle it out with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool for the Premier League title.
They then lost four of their next five before seemingly getting things back on track during a sequence in which they lost just twice in 10 outings. Their place in the top four looked to be a formality but, in the end, they missed out to Aston Villa, finishing two points behind the Villans.
What really damaged their hopes of a Champions League place was their form during the run-in. Spurs lost five of their final 10 and this included a run of four successive defeats in which they conceded 13 goals.
That sequence summed up Tottenham’s first season under the former Celtic boss. Sometimes brilliant. Sometimes not so brilliant. Ultimately, that inconsistency cost them a place in the top four.
Only Man City could better Tottenham’s 62% possession in the Premier League last season. They adapted to life under Postecoglou. And they looked a threat going forward despite losing Harry Kane. They finished the season with the sixth-highest Expected Goals haul (69).
The issue, however, was that Spurs weren’t great defensively. They kept just seven clean sheets all season. For reference, Arsenal topped the charts for this metric with 18. Tottenham finished the season with an xG conceded total of 64.6. They’re going to want to 20 goals off that if they’re serious about a sustainable top four finish.
Heung-Min Son, who else, was the star of the show for Spurs. The newly-appointed captain chipped in with 27 goal involvements made up of 17 goals and 10 assists. He did the unique double-double. Despite his goalscoring exploits, he was trumped by James Maddison when looking at the FotMob average player rating. The England international finished with a rating of 7.59 during his influential debut campaign with the club.
What has happened during the summer?
It has been a productive summer transfer window for Spurs, though it might not look like it.
They sold Joe Rodon to Leeds United. In return, they brought in the highly-rated Archie Gray.
And we can expect Spurs to be more of a threat next term with the big signing of Dominic Solanke, who scored 19 goals in 38 appearances for Bournemouth last season, at a rate of 0.51 goals per 90.
In the nicest way possible, a lot of deadwood was shifted and this allowed the club to free up the wage bill. The likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perišić, Eric Dier and Ryan Sessegnon all left the club on free transfers while Pierre-Emile Højbjerg left on loan to Marseille and Bryan Gil joined Girona for the season.
What they should be aiming for next season?
A top four push is going to be the aim. Rivals have strengthened but the players know what Postecoglou expects. They’re in a better position to carry out his instructions and if they can avoid an injury crisis, they have the squad to compete for a Champions League place. And adding a goalscoring centre-forward will definitely help their cause.
Prediction: 4th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.