Tottenham Hotspur: The pressure was at its peak as Spurs came into the 2021/22 season with the desire to return to the Champions League, something which they have shied away from since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019.
After ‘The Special One’ Jose Mourinho failed to meet the expectations at the club in the previous campaign, chairman Daniel Levy gambled on Nuno Espirito Santo’s philosophy and game plan. The chairman hoped he would replicate his commendable stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at a bigger stage.
Given a full pre-season along with the arrival of promising stars Cristian Romero, Emerson Royal and Bryan Gill, the Portuguese manager started the season on a dream note. He won the first three matches including a win against the defending champions Manchester City.
However, the road turned bumpy afterward with consecutive losses and a thrashing at the hands of bitter rivals Arsenal. Nuno was not aided by captain Harry Kane and his lack of contribution on the pitch. The England Captain was clearly disseminating the message that he was not happy with the club’s decision to dismiss his transfer request last summer.
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The Portuguese manager eventually ran out of tricks with the team languishing in the ninth position in the Premier League table. Levy squandered no time to replace the 48-year-old with the reputed Antonio Conte in November with the sole aim to bail the team out of their current misery.
Conte soon realized that his job with this Spurs team, which massively lacked squad depth, was way harder than he had envisaged before putting pen to paper.
Further, a 2-1 defeat in the Conference League to Mura, elimination in the League Cup semi-finals and an unexpected 1-0 FA Cup fifth-round defeat saw the Italian mastermind publicly question his continuity at the North London club.
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A manager of Conte’s stature would never let go of his presence unfelt. He was quick to turn around the indignity that has been hovering around the home stadium. His animated presence around the touchline and his winter signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur worked wonders.
A rejuvenated Harry Kane and Son Heung-min’s swashbuckling form throughout proved to be instrumental in Spurs finishing with 11 wins in their final 16 Premier League games. They also kept eight clean sheets under their new center-back partnership of Romero and Eric Dier.
Conte’s wingbacks generally thrive under his system. Matt Doherty, who had never got his finger out at the club, finally looked at his very best alongside his counterpart Sergio Reguilón. However, just when the ship had steadied both wingbacks met with unfortunate injuries that ruled them out for the remainder of the season.
The manager had no option but to trust the underperforming Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon for the final quarter of the season. Both did step up to their manager’s expectations, playing vital roles on both ends of the pitch.
Son, hero for Spurs
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Son ended his memorable campaign by deservedly laying his hands on the coveted golden boot award. He shared the award with Liverpool’s Mo Salah who also finished the season with 23 goals. 29-year-old Son, thus, became the first Asian to achieve this feat.
As the full-time whistle blew on the final day, Spurs fans did go home with a smile on their face knowing their club went through drastic changes. On top of that, the euphoria of pipping their North London rivals in due course to secure the final Champions League spot on the final game week would go unmatched in any given season.
What’s next for Tottenham Hotspur?
With a top-class manager at the helm for another season, two of the best players in the world upfront, a revitalized midfield, and a solid backline, Spurs will look to further strengthen their squad during the summer break.
