It’s been a topsy turvy year for the Lily Whites, as they have exceeded expectations yet again under maverick manager Mauricio Pochettino.
There’s no way but up for Tottenham Hotspur at this moment in time. The North London outfit capped off a magnificent 2015-16 campaign with a third place finish, although their penultimate encounter against Chelsea didn’t pan out the way they would’ve liked.
Spurs kicked off the new season with an impressive 12 game unbeaten streak, only to be foiled once again by their London rivals Chelsea. The irritating outings against the Blues aside, Tottenham have been one of the most dominant sides in the Premier League in the calendar year.
Here’s a look at five of the best moment of 2016 for the Tottenham Hotspur family.
Tottenham top of the league
The North London derby on 5th March, 2016 was probably one of the biggest in the recent history of the fixture. With both teams vying for the advantage at the top of the table, Spurs had the chance to beat their arch-rivals to go clear at the top.
Arsenal took the lead through Aaron Ramsey, but Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane struck within minutes of each other to give Spurs a 2-1 lead. This took Tottenham to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in 52 years.
We are top of the league, we are top of the league #Spurs #COYS pic.twitter.com/j5e2FxVcub
— Justin Vicarage (@JustinVicarage) March 5, 2016
However the glorious feeling lasted only for 13 minutes, as Arsenal clawed their way back into the game through Alexis Sanchez. History had been made though, as for the first time since 1964, Tottenham were on top.
Pochettino pens new deal
The heartbreaking draw against Chelsea meant that Tottenham were already out of the running for the Premier League title heading into the final game week of the 2015-16 season.
The close miss didn’t mean that the wholescale revolution at Spurs hadn’t gone unnoticed, and the man behind it all was the talk of the town. Mauricio Pochettino had shown that he could trade blows with the best of them, with a rumoured move to another club being touted.
The rumors were all put to rest before the final game of the season though, with Tottenham and Pochettino confirming that the Argentine had signed a new deal which runs till 2021. Given what he has achieved in such little time, Spurs fans will be salivating at the prospect of five more years of Poch.
Harry Kane becomes first Englishman to win Golden Boot in 16 years
Tottenham have managed to find their golden boy in 23-year-old Harry Kane. The English striker has been phenomenal since becoming a first team regular in 2014-15, and capped it off with a historic achievement at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
Kane scored 25 goals in 38 games to win the Golden Boot award. In doing so he became the first Englishman to win it since Kevin Phillips of Sunderland in 1999-2000. Spurs fans will be hoping that Kane only gets stronger for club and country as his career progresses.
Son rises as Spurs snap Manchester City’s winning streak
Pep Guardiola started off his Premier League adventure with Manchester City notching up a string of dominant, attractive victories. Six games, six wins was the record that the Catalan mastermind took with him to White Hart Lane.
Tottenham Hotspur and Mauricio Pochettino showed him just what the Premier League is all about though. Korean attacker Son Heung-Min played a defining role as the LilyWhites beat City 2-0 to trigger a huge change in City’s fortunes.
The victory remains one of the best showings by Tottenham in 2016-17, and gives the fans belief that they can topple even the most bedazzling of opposition.
Last Christmas at White Hart Lane
This season marks a special phase for Tottenham. They will be leaving White Hart Lane at the end of it, playing at Wembley for a season before coming back to a new and improved home stadium courtesy of the Northumberland development project.
This last Christmas was the last one for Spurs at the historic old White Hart Lane. While the pangs of nostalgia will strike from time to time, the move to a new stadium ushers in a glorious new period in Spurs history.
With the likes of Kane, Pochettino, Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier and Dele Alli all committed to the cause, it looks like the time is right for a Spurs revolution come 2017.
