Season Preview Tottenham 2016-17

In a season of surprises with saw Leicester emerging as the league champions, Tottenham’s title challenge went somewhat under the radar. After remaining in contention for most of the season Spurs fell at the last hurdle and finished 11 points behind Leicester. Tottenham finished the season so poorly that even Arsenal managed to finish ahead of in 2nd place.

It was nevertheless a great season for Spurs who managed to break into top 3 for the 1st time in the Premier League Era. Much of Spurs’ progress in the last two seasons comes down to changes implemented by Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine must be praised not only for getting the club back into the Champions League but also for unearthing talents such as Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Dele Alli.

Heading into the new campaign the goal for Tottenham would be to repeat their top 4 finish from last season and if possible a domestic silverware.

Tottenham 2016-17 Season Preview

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino (Pic Cou: Skysports.com)

It’s not as if Tottenham have qualified for the Champions League for the 1st time. The North Londoners have finished among the top 4 in 3 of their last 7 seasons. The 3rd place finish last campaign was their best ever placing and it was arguably their best ever season in terms of performance as well. After an initial struggle the club seems to have adapted well to Pochettino’s high pressing attacking game.

Perhaps more than his in-game tactical nous, Pochettino’s policy of developing young talent has worked wonders for the club. Over the last two seasons the club has witnessed young talents such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier breaking into their 1st team. Pochettino’s third season at the helm promises to be his toughest challenge till date.

Up and until the transfer deadline day Spurs were pretty much inactive in the transfer window. The club added the duo of Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen from Southampton and AZ Alkmaar early on in the summer. On deadline day the club sprung into action adding three more faces to their squad. The new additions include Moussa Sissoko from Newcastle, Georges Kevin N’Koudou from Marseille and Pau Lopez from Espanyol.

A number of players including Nacer Chadli, Ryan Mason and DeAndre Yedlin have been sold by the club this summer. It’s safe to say Pochettino has his team in place. It will be interesting to see Pochettino going up against the likes of Guardiola and Conte. A top 4 finish is not out of their reach but the European commitments might undo their league ambitions.

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Squad Breakdown

One area of the pitch that Pochettino hasn’t tampered with since his arrival is the Keeper position. In Hugo Lloris, the club has one of the best keepers in the world and can be counted on to deliver week after week. The club does have adequate backup to Lloris in the form of Micheal Vorm and Pau Lopez.

Kyle Walker, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose should make up the first choice back four. All four are accomplished internationals and did well enough last season. The likes of Kieran Tripper, Ben Davies and Kevin Wimmer will also have crucial roles to play in what promises to be a hectic season.

The arrival of Vincent Wanyama will provide Eric Dier competition in the holding midfielder role. Wanyama was brought into the English game by Pochettino [1] at Southampton and unsuccessfully tried to sign him for Spurs last summer. Both Dier and Wanyama are capable enough to step into the center back role if the club suffers any injury setbacks.

In Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Moussa Dembele the club has a creative midfield. The addition of Moussa Sissoko this summer should provide the club with an added edge in midfield. N’Koudou also looks like an exciting prospect and has the pace to trouble teams starting off the bench.

Harry Kane has pretty much made the Striker role at the club his own. The England International has an impressive tally of 46 goals in his last 72 league appearances for the club. The arrival of Vincent Janssen who slotted in 31 goals from AZ Alkmaar in all competitions last season should provide competition to Kane.

Tottenham 2016-17 Season Prediction

It’s been a decent start to the season by Spurs. After kicking off the season with a 1-1 draw against Everton, the club picked up their first win of the season against Palace in their 2nd game. Despite a weak performance against Liverpool in their 3rd game they did manage to sneak a point out of it. September will be a hectic month for Spurs who will also be involved in the Champions League.

We can see Spurs following up on their performances from last season. They’ll pick up points through out the campaign but the odd European and Cup game will hamper their progress. Pochettino will find his first taste of Champions League football tough to handle and the club will fail to make it to the knockout stages finishing 3rd in their group.

By the end of the season Spurs will find themselves outside the top 4. However their Europa League triumph will help Pochettino save his job but the Argentine will be lured in by Barcelona anyway.

Verdict: – 6th Place

Player to Watch – Tottenham 2016-17

Tottenham Youngster Dele Alli

Dele Alli (Pic Cou: Dailymail.co.uk)

Dele Alli

In a season of surprises Dele Alli was perhaps one among the best surprise. At just 19 years of age Dele Alli appeared in 46 games for Spurs in all competitions and was deadly in both scoring with 10 goals and providing with 11 assists. He hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts this season but can be counted on delivering sooner rather than latter. The PFA young player of the year last term [2] had combined superbly with Harry Kane and Pochettino will expecting something similar after the International. Often compared to English Legend Steven Gerrard, the expectations on Alli is huge, so can he deliver?

Betting Tips – Tottenham 2016-17

1. Premier League Winner – 23.00 (Ladbrokes)

An outside contender and definitely not a club that should be written off early on. The club does have one of the most talented squads in the league. The two questions with regard to Tottenham are – whether they’re youngsters will be able to perform under expectations? whether the squad is good enough to juggle domestic and European commitments. It promises to be a fairly open season and we would suggest you to keep an eye on Spurs.

2. Relegation – 1001.00 (Bet 365)

Nope!

3. Top 4 – 2.63 (Skybet)

The odds are pretty good. However we can’t see Spurs finishing ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, United or Liverpool for that matter. Even Arsenal and Leicester remain in contention so we aren’t gonna back them but it’s up to you.

4. Top 6 – 1.36 (Skybet)

A definite winner but the odds are poor.

5. Golden Boot – Harry Kane – 17.00 (888 Sport)

After a disastrous European Championship with England, Harry Kane hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts this season. The striker has failed to open his account and his barren run in august continues atleast for an another year. We do expect Kane to start scoring sooner rather than latter but it will hard for him to win the Golden Boot for a second consecutive season. Vincent Janssen is an outside contender and will odds of 81.00 (WilliamHill) he is someone you should definitely keep an eye on.

6. Most Assists – Christian Eriksen – 15.00 (888 Sport)

Eriksen had an impressive tally of 13 assists last season and finished 2nd in the overall charts behind Ozil who had 19. We are backing the Danish midfielder to come out on top this season. He will have considerable competition from even within his team in the form of Dele Alli who had a tally of 9 assists last campaign. Another bet you should keep an eye on rather than placing your money straight away.

7. PFA Player of the Year – Dele Alli – 67.00 (Skybet)

We expect Dele Alli to improve on his first season with Spurs. At the Odds on offer backing a game Dele Alli looks an attractive option. The other contenders within the Spurs’ ranks include Harry Kane (29.00 – 888 Sport) and Christian Eriksen (67.00 – Betvictor).

8. LMA Manager of the Year – Mauricio Pochettino – 21.00 (Betvictor)

Unlikely! Great Odds!

All Odds Courtesy of Oddschecker [3]

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Transfers In – Tottenham 2016-17

Transfer In

Sl No Position Player Fee – From
1 STR Vincent Janssen 20.5 million AZ Alkmaar
2 MF Georges Kevin N’Koudou 11 million Marseille
3 MF Victor Wanyama 14.4 million Southampton
4 MF Moussa Sissoko 35 million Newcastle United
5 GK Pau Lopez Loan Espanyol

Tottenham – 2015/16 Stats

Pos Team Played Won Lost Draw GD Points
3 Tottenham Hotspur 38 19 06 13 +34 70

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External Resources

[1] Espn.in, Victor Wanyama signed by Spurs

[2] Skysports.com, Dele Alli Wins PFA Young Player of the Year

[3] Oddschecker.com, Oddschecker Home Page