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Premier League midseason report card: Tottenham

By Ty Finch

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates his sides first goal with his team mates which came through a own goal by Ryan Shawcross of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City at Wembley Stadium on December 9, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates his sides first goal with his team mates which came through a own goal by Ryan Shawcross of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City at Wembley Stadium on December 9, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham are in fifth place in the Premier League at the halfway mark. What grade did they get for their performances over the first half of the season?

After finishing in the top three both of the past two seasons, expectations were at an all-time high for Tottenham heading into 2017-18. Mauricio Pochettino transformed the squad from plucky upper-mid-table finishers to title challengers. While their Premier League season hasn’t started off they way they’d hoped, their Champions League performances have been stellar. They’re still only three points behind the top four, however. With a strong second half, they’ll can enter next season in the Champions League for the third straight year.

The Good

It’s hard to talk about Tottenham without mentioning Harry Kane. The 24-year-old already has 18 goals in all competitions, 12 in the Premier League and six in Europe. Even with his slow start to the season — he still hasn’t scored a top flight goal in August — the Englishman quickly rounded into form and started dominating nearly every opponent he faced. His play in September was astounding: he scored 11 goals and assisted another in six matches in all competitions. Kane remains one of the best strikers in the league.

Christian Eriksen has also been excellent, and remains Tottenham’s key attacking cog in the middle. Eriksen is a focal point in attack when Spurs have the ball. His teammates look to him for give-and-goes, through balls and chance creation. He leads his team in key passes per game and in assists. Not only does he create chances with ease, but he’s also Tottenham’s second leading scorer after Kane, with five goals.

Pochettino likes to rotate his full-backs/wing-backs in the Premier League and Champions league. That seems to have worked wonders for both Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier. They each average two key passes per match from their defensive position, which is a key element in Tottenham’s attack. Davies has two goals and three assists on the season already, and Trippier has four assists to his name. Pochettino switches formations a decent amount, but whatever style he plays, the full-backs have shone bright.

The Bad

With Tottenham’s wage bill and, relative to the biggest clubs in England, small transfer budget, it shouldn’t come as a surprise they’ve struggled against the top teams in the Premier League this season. It’s still slightly disappointing, however. Spurs have only one win, and four losses, against the rest of the big six. Luckily for them, only one of those matches came at home, so they’ll be optimistic of better performances against their rivals in the second half.

As for the players, the biggest disappointment has been Dele Alli. While his numbers at the halfway point — three goals and three assists — aren’t awful, he’s been disappearing from more matches than in the past. The English international is still only 21 years old, so a dip in form should be expected from time to time. Still, for Spurs to make a run at the top four, Alli has to be better in the second half of the season.

Much was made early on of Tottenham’s struggles at their temporary home at Wembley. While they only picked up two points from their first three matches there, they’ve won five of the last six at home. The more concerning aspect is their away form. After a blistering run of four away wins to start the year, Spurs have won only one of their last six away matches in the league.

Next: Ranking every Premier League season

What’s next?

Tottenham’s focus will likely be on the Champions League for now. They ripped through their group stage and even took down Real Madrid 3-1 in the process, finishing top of what was considered one of the toughest groups in Europe. They’ll feel slightly aggrieved at drawing Juventus in the round of 16 instead of one of the weaker runners-up, but the Italian giants aren’t as invincible as they have been in the past. A run to the quarterfinals or beyond is within the realm of possibility.

As long as Spurs stay within a few points of the top four during their Champions League run, they’ll have a good shot at staying in the top four for the third straight season. The two shouldn’t be mutually exclusive, but there are worse outcomes to the season than a deep run in Europe, even if it comes at the expense of a place in the top four.

Grade

B: impressive performances in the Champions League have masked an ordinary Premier League campaign, but both of Tottenham’s goals are still within reach.

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