Tottenham Hotspur - Hunting For Trophies

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 1: An Introduction

Tottenham Hotspur are a football club renowned for one major flaw - they simply do not win trophies. Over the past decade and more, they have failed at every turn to be able to bring home genuine silverware. I'm sorry, Spurs fans, but the Audi Cup and the Walter Tull Memorial Cup do not count.

It seemed things could have changed when Jose Mourinho was brought into the club, with the Portuguese manager being a renowned trophy specialist, having won trophies at every club his been at. However, the one club which he failed to do so with was Tottenham, with the club even sacking him just days before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, where they would go on to lose to Manchester City.

After a brief period with Ryan Mason as interim and Nuno Espirito Santo as manager, the club turned to Antonio Conte. It appeared to be a terrific appointment, with the Italian also having a reputation for bringing home trophies. And, although things started positively enough, with Conte restoring them to the Champions League at the back end of last season and the club making a great start to the 2022/23 season, the positive sentiment has quickly withered. Fans have criticised Conte's overly conservative style. The man also starts Emerson Royal in just about every game, which is enough to justify the sack in itself.

But enough about the past, because I'm stepping in to take over the club...

Strangely enough, FM23 has been a bit of a struggle for success so far for me personally, and Tottenham are notoriously bad on the game. So, of course, it's only natural that I've decided to take up the role right after several failed attempts at other clubs on the game this year. I was never one for smart decisions, it must be said.

We do have trophies in the cabinet, but none from the past fourteen years. Moreover, the league has not been won by Spurs since 1961. Despite the lack of silverware, the club can fondly remember their Champions League trophy from just a few seasons ago, where they went all the way to the final before losing 2-0 to Liverpool. The comeback win against Ajax though will likely live long in the memory of every Spurs fan.

The board have what I would call unambitious goals. I know the Carabao Cup is not usually considered an important competition, but if I'm the Tottenham board, I'm at least expecting some progress in it. Any trophy would be worth celebrating for Spurs at this point, right? Moreover, they only want Europa League qualification from us this season, so hopefully this is actually a club where I can meet the requirements, because they have not set the bar particularly high for season one.

So, can I bring that elusive silverware to Spurs? Probably not, if I'm being honest, but I'll give it my best shot.​

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 2: Squad Overview

The squad is world class in some areas - average in others. Let's take a deeper look...

When I look at the squad, the area that stands out is weakness in the full-back spots. Ben Davies is a solid left-back if unspectacular, and I think the club can do better. As for Emerson being our supposed number one right-back, well, I believe that tells you all you need to know about our quality in that bench.

One of the worries might also be the midfield area. Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and even Oliver Skipp are all quality midfielders. However, they have one factor in common - they are all more defensive minded. At least in a game sense, because in real life Rodrigo Bentancur has transitioned into one Tottenham's best creative forces from that midfield. Bissouma is our most advanced option, but even still, none of them represent particular attacking threats from midfield.

I don't think I need to highlight our key players, because they are as obvious as can be...

One is, of course, the South Korean winger Son Heung-Min. There is not doubt that Son is a world class player. One thing I will say is, though, that he is usually not as good in game as he is in real life. I've played as Spurs a couple of times down the years and he never truly reaches those world class levels - we'll see if that changes in FM23.

It's hard to mention Son without mentioning Harry Kane. He's undoubtedly our other key player. The two have formed an absolutely formidable partnership over the years and will go down as one of the finest Premier League duos in the history of the league. It would be a shame for their careers at Spurs to end trophyless, so I'll be doing all I can to change that.

I want us to play positive minded football. Not since the Pochettino era have Spurs played true front-foot football. It feels like a return to a more attack based style is the way to go, because the tactics that have been played over the past few seasons just have not seemed to work, at least not on a consistent basis.​

 

[olliexcore]

Will be following this story with great interest! If you're playing a flat four it'd be a shame if you can't recall Sergio Reguilon, he'd be far better suited to that system than Davies.

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 3: Transfer Window

We know where the squad needs improvements, and now it is about using our budget wisely to make the necessary signings to address those weaknesses within the squad.

Our first deal, though, was in fact a departure...

Lucas Moura has had a mixed time of things at Tottenham. He will always be remembered for his Ajax heroics, but has struggled for consistent runs of form across his Spurs career. He's off to Inter Milan for around 12 million, which is not a terrible price for an almost 30 year-old winger that was never going to get a whole heap of playing time for me.

For around a similar fee, we then signed our first player of the window...

Spanish left-back Javi Galan is entering the prime of his career and was available for a relatively cheap price. He's a quality left-back and should be our starter in the role for this season, unless he disappoints or is injured.

Galan's terrific crossing and dribbling ability should suit our tiki-taka style. Our tactic encourages our full-backs to attack and get forward, which hopefully will enable him to rack up some assists.

We soon went in for another full-back, this time on the right-hand side...

Our new right-back is the German, Ridle Baku, coming in from VFL Wolfsburg for around 14 million with the potential for the fee to rise to almost 17 million. We do now have four right-backs at the club in Baku, Emerson, Doherty and Spence, but I believe Baku is just a level above the rest. I've tried my hardest to sell off Emerson, but we've only had offers of around 6.5 million. With his value supposedly between 29 and 32 million, that is simply far too low for me to consider accepting.

One thing about Baku is his versatility. Although not fully accomplished in most of them, the guy can play in practically every position to at least some degree. He is capable of playing anywhere on the right, and will be a good player to have in the case of an injury crisis.

Given our inability to sell Emerson, I decided to loan out Djed Spence. He is a bright prospect who probably deserves first-team football, but with Baku, Emerson, Doherty and even Tanganga all capable of playing right-back, it made sense to me to loan out the player with the most potential to avoid us stagnating his growth.

What this move made me consider was the amount of players we have out on loan. Players such as Sergio Reguilon, Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Joe Rodon and Destiny Udogie are all out on loan. They are all capable Premier League level players but the majority, with the exception of at least Udogie, will likely be sold off when they return, unless some of the optional future fees are activated. However, I have to say I can't see Sampdoria paying 21.5 million for Harry Winks.

After our opening game against Manchester United, which I won't spoil the result of, we went in for what is likely our final signing of the window...

And that signing was Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who comes in from Bayern Munich for just over 20 million. He's a versatile option and adds necessary creativity to our midfield, an issue which I'd touched on earlier.

Sabitzer offers us cover in the wide areas as well, but the attacking quality that he can bring from the midfield is the main reason we have brought him in. Although he never found his best form at Bayern, we'll be hoping he can come in and recapture the performances he was putting in at Leipzig, a club which he scored 40 goals for.

Our (probable) final move would be to loan out left-winger Bryan Gil, with the youngster joining Stuttgart for this season.​

 

[TheMaestro]

Will be following this story with great interest! If you're playing a flat four it'd be a shame if you can't recall Sergio Reguilon, he'd be far better suited to that system than Davies.

Cheers mate, I agree that Davies is not the best fit for the system, and that's part of the reason why I've gone in for a new left-back. Reguilon would be a decent option but I'll probably sell him when he returns from loan.

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 4: Kicking Off the Season

We have a couple of difficult fixtures to open our season, facing up against both Manchester United and Chelsea in this month.

EPL Matchday 1: Manchester United vs Tottenham

We lose our opening game of the season, going down 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. It was a slightly disappointing result given that they were down to 10 men for around an hour, but we fell short of getting an equaliser and they held on for all three points.

Our xG says that we at least gave it a go, although we were poor when they had all 11 men on the field. We took control of the game after the red card, but were unable to find an equaliser.

EPL Matchday 2: Tottenham vs Chelsea

We earn a well-deserved point at home against Chelsea in our second game of the season. We were the better team throughout in this one, and deserved our late equaliser, however we had a 90th minute penalty saved, with Ivan Perisic stepping up after Harry Kane had come off. Richarlison also got his first Tottenham goal.

Once again, the xG is considerably in our favour, but that late penalty miss costs us a victory.

Marcel Sabitzer immediately impressed on debut as well, providing a lovely assist inside just 2 minutes for Dejan Kulusevski's goal that was ruled onside by VAR.

EPL Matchday 3: Tottenham vs West Ham

And Kulusevski scored again in our next match against West Ham, netting what proved to be the winner after 17 minutes. West Ham posed very little threat at the other end, though, and it meant we could see out an important first victory. One thing worth noting is that neither Kane or Son have scored or set up a goal just yet.

The mood only improved after that win...

because Southampton thumped our major rivals Arsenal 6-0 on the same matchweek!

Unfortunately, Richarlison, who was a useful bench option so far, picked up an injury in training that will keep him for around a month.

We then had our Champions League group drawn...

And it's not the easiest, but also not the worst. Shakhtar and AS Monaco are teams we should beat, but they are capable of causing an upset so we'll have to be wary. Obviously, Bayern are the favourites to win the group and getting anything from our matches against them will be welcomed.

EPL Matchday 4: Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham

We then enjoyed a comfortable win against over a struggling Nottingham Forest side. Having spoken earlier about Son and Kane's blank starts, they both got on the scoresheet and looked back to their best in this one.

EPL Matchday 5: Tottenham vs Everton

We earn another fairly routine win, dispatching Everton 2-0 at home. The game was basically over after the first 16 minutes, in which Harry Kane scored a brace. We saw the game out from there and didn't really allow Everton any type of opportunity of getting back into the contest.

Fair play to Emerson Royal for his performance as well. With Baku out with a little tiredness, I selected the Brazilian right-back and he delivered, even setting up a goal on his way to a good performance.

Player of the Month

Marcel Sabitzer has come into the team and immediately given us exactly what we wanted from a player like him. He's set up a couple of goals and scored one for himself in just his first four matches for the club, and for that reason, he's my Player of the Month for August.

Another newcomer who has settled in well is left-back Javi Galan, with the Spaniard leading the league in dribbles per game.

Despite earning just a point from our first two games, we bounced back with three straight wins and find ourselves 6th on the table. It's been a solid opening month and there is plenty of optimism for the rest of this season.​

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 5: Champions League Campaign Begins

EPL Matchday 6: Newcastle vs Tottenham

For large parts of this fixture, it looked like Newcastle would get the win which their play had deserved. This was undoubtedly our worst performance of the season so far, but a 75th minute Harry Kane penalty was enough for us to earn a point.

We knew we needed to put on a much better display in our Champions League opener...

UCL Matchday 1: Shakhtar vs Tottenham

And thankfully we did that, comfortably beating Shakhtar 3-1 away from home. Left-back Javi Galan was the main man in this one, with the defender grabbing himself two fantastic goals, as well as Marcel Sabitzer getting on the scoresheet.

Not long after that, though, and we had a massive fixture - the North London derby...

EPL Matchday 7: Tottenham vs Arsenal

To be 3-1 up against Arsenal after 79 minutes is great. We'd played well, taken our chances and seemingly put the game to bed when Harry Kane netted his second penalty of the match. For the game to then go and finish 3-3 is incredibly disappointing, especially against your biggest rivals. We threw it away today and that was not good enough.

UCL Matchday 2: Tottenham vs AS Monaco

We then managed to scrape a narrow 1-0 victory up against AS Monaco, winning 1-0 in an important Champions League clash. We started our group with 6 points from 6, putting us in a good position before we play Bayern twice in a row.

EPL Matchday 8: Southampton vs Tottenham

We got back to winning ways in the league, defeating Southampton 2-1. We have had 4 penalties in 3 league games this month, all taken and scored by Harry Kane. Other fans might complain about the number of spot kicks we are getting, but they've all been deserved in my eyes. The one concern from this match would be that we let them back into the game late on, and it meant that the final 10 minutes were quite nervous, especially considering we'd just thrown away a 2 goal lead in the last 10 minutes against Arsenal.

Player of the Month

After having a somewhat difficult opening month, Son was much improved this month, getting multiple Champions League assists and posing a significant threat to opposing defences.

UCL Table

EPL Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 6: Fixture Congestion

October is a month absolutely full of fixtures given the upcoming World Cup. We'll have to rotate for a few of the games this month and, given that we don't have the deepest squad, specifically in midfield and attack, we'll need the best from some of our back-ups and a little bit of injury luck.

EPL Matchday 9: Tottenham vs Liverpool

We start off the month with a narrow but deserved 1-0 loss to Liverpool. They controlled most of the game and a few vital saves from Hugo Lloris kept us in the match, but unfortunately we couldn't cause enough trouble at the other end, meaning that Virgil Van Dijk's second half header was enough to consign us to just our second defeat of the season.

UCL Matchday 3: Bayern Munich vs Tottenham

We followed that up with another defeat, although we gave it a go against Bayern Munich. It was always going to be a tough fixture, but Yves Bissouma did put us ahead after just 3 minutes. Unfortunately, the lead didn't last for long and Bayern ultimately deserved the win that they got.

EPL Matchday 10: Leicester vs Tottenham

This was all set to be an awful result for us, with Leicester being clinical in front of goal, and ourselves being wasteful. However, two late goals from substitute Ryan Sessegnon earnt us a 2-2 draw. Still a disappointing draw, but it could've been worse had we lost.

UCL Matchday 4: Tottenham vs Bayern Munich

We then faced off against Bayern again - and pulled off an incredible result! We ran out 3-0 winners to put ourselves top of the group with AS Monaco and Shakhtar to play. This was our best performance of the season as we went at Bayern right from the start and played some beautiful stuff on our way to a terrific victory.

Right-back Matt Doherty made his first start of the season in that match, and picked up an unfortunate injury that will keep him out for at least the next two months.

EPL Matchday 11: Tottenham vs Bournemouth

Having come back from 2-0 down in the Leicester game, we proceeded to throw away one up against Bournemouth, who are overachieving this season. We seemed comfortable going into the final 10 minutes, but Bournemouth pegged us back late, and took a point. Disappointing.

Amidst all the fixtures we're involved in, injuries are the last thing we need to rack-up. With back-up right-back Matt Doherty already injured from the Bayern game, fellow right-back Ridle Baku will also be out for a couple of weeks. It means Emerson Royal remains our only real recognised right-back, although Japhet Tanganga can also play there.

EPL Matchday 12: Crystal Palace vs Tottenham

We held another 2-0 lead in this one, and, despite conceding, we manage to hold on for an important win against Crystal Palace. The final 20 minutes had us on edge, but we can reflect on a more complete performance in this one that deserved the victory.

Another injury this month and Ryan Sessegnon is out for around a month. It's unfortunate for him because he would probably have had a chance to start with squad rotation being prominent.

EPL Matchday 13: Tottenham vs Aston Villa

Things were more comfortable at home to Aston Villa, with goals from Son and Bentancur enough to see them off. We played very well today and could have scored more, and we didn't give Villa any avenue back into the game, an issue we've had in the other games this month.

UCL Matchday 5: AS Monaco vs Tottenham

We will likely finish 2nd in the group now after an entertaining 3-3 draw with Monaco. We had a somewhat depleted squad so it's not a terrible result and I didn't expect us to finish 1st anyway in a group with Bayern Munich in it. No need to be too negative about this one, although it would have been nice to win it.

Son will be out for the next two weeks with an ankle injury, unfortunately.

EPL Matchday 14: Brighton vs Tottenham

To round out the month, we again threw away vital points late on, with Brighton earning and scoring a last minute penalty. In all honesty, they were the better team and the fixture congestion meant that our players looked quite tired in this one. Still, we should've gotten in over the line and it is frustrating that we once again miss a chance at all three points.

Player of the Month

Javi Galan has been a great pick-up for his price and is swiftly turning into a key player for us. The left-back racked up the assists this month, and his delivery has been key to several of our goals.

UCL Table

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 7: Final Matches Before the World Cup

We had four games before the World Cup break, competing on three fronts: the Champions League, Premier League and EFL Cup.

UCL Matchday 6: Tottenham vs Shakhtar

We cruise to a 4-0 win in our final group stage game against Shakhtar. However, with Bayern winning out against Monaco, we'll finish 2nd in the group. Getting 4 wins from 6 though and a total of 13 points from a possible 18 is a solid performance and we'll go into the next round with an air of confidence as a result.

EPL Matchday 15: Wolves vs Tottenham

However, we followed that up with an extremely disappointing result against Wolves, who came into this fixture in 18th place. We weren't at our best but our play deserved at least a point today. Losing 1-0 to a side in the relegation zone is far from good enough and we'll need to improve our finishing in games to come.

Our Champions League draw was next up...

And we'll be facing off against Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16. Considering some of the group winners we could've faced, such as Liverpool, Real Madrid or Manchester City, I'll take this draw because I think we're quite evenly matched and it should be a tight contest, but hopefully one that we can come out on top of.

EFL Cup 3rd Round: Tottenham vs Fulham

We certainly had a more clinical edge against Fulham in the EFL Cup, winning 2-0 to progress to the next round. In all honesty, we played better against Wolves, but in this game our extra quality really shone through.

Richarlison will miss our next fixture, also against Fulham, after picking up an injury in the last game. It's unfortunate for him that he'll be out for most of the World Cup, and we'll be wishing him a speedy recovery.

EPL Matchday 16: Tottenham vs Fulham

We once again managed to beat Fulham, and this time in quite convincing style - running out 4-0 winners, with Dejan Kulusevski scoring a magnificent hat-trick. In November, we've scored ten goals and conceded just the once, although that is still tinged with bitterness given that the one goal conceded saw us lose to Wolves.

Our morale was boosted by another big result this matchweek...

And that was Arsenal suffering their second 6-0 loss this season! We're competing with them for Top 4 this season and results like this will certainly damage their morale. It's not often I'm rooting for Liverpool, but this game was certainly one that I was glad to see them run out comfortable winners.

Player of the Month

Even for the hat-trick alone, Dejan Kulusevski is a worthy winner of our Player of the Month! But just crediting him for that performance would be unjust, because he's been absolutely fantastic for us in every game this month. I'm so glad that Tottenham arranged a pre-transfer for him in real life, because I'm sure he would cost us a fortune to sign in game.

UCL Table

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 8: Club Football Returns

Back from the World Cup, and we faced up against Leeds in the EFL Cup, before then going against Brentford and Manchester City in the league.

Before any fixtures, though, and I was greeted with the pleasant news that we'll have a healthy budget of 42.5 million for January, giving us the opportunity to bring in reinforcements.

Davinson Sanchez was upset about his playing time and, after I couldn't promise him more minutes, he requested a transfer. He's going back to where he joined the club from - returning to Ajax after his Spurs career never really worked out.

Yves Bissouma will be out for around a month meaning he'll miss all of our matches in December.

The same goes for Ben Davies after he too picked up an injury that keeps him out for around a month.

And with Davinson Sanchez out, another one of centre-backs wants out. This one came as a bit of a surprise because Eric Dier has been a starter for us and been at the club for a long time, but he feels he needs a fresh start and will likely be on his way out in the coming few weeks.

EFL Cup 4th Round: Tottenham vs Leeds

We move into the quarter finals of the EFL Cup after a narrow but dominant enough 2-1 win against Leeds. The goals all came in the first half, with a Harry Kane brace enough to ultimately see us through despite Leeds getting one back.

EPL Matchday 17: Brentford vs Tottenham

We followed that up with a disappointing draw with Brentford, although we can perhaps be relieved that the Bees wasted a flurry of late chances to win the game and we held on to our point. Not a great performance, especially given that Brentford are struggling towards the bottom of the league.

Shortly after the game and we confirmed the sale of Eric Dier. He's off to Real Madrid in what is a big move for him and we're grateful for his services across his long Spurs career.

EPL Matchday 18: Tottenham vs Manchester City

I went into this game not expecting a whole lot because Manchester City are totally dominating the league this season. We kept it tight and lost narrowly 1-0, but we didn't carry enough of a threat at the other end to worry City significantly.

Player of the Month

Harry Kane scored 3 goals in our 3 games in December and therefore deserves the recognition for it. It was an unspectacular month for our players this month and no one stood out dramatically but Kane showed why he's our talisman by scoring all of our goals this month.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 9: January Transfer Window

This will be an important month for the rest of the season. Not only do we have seven fixtures to get through, but we are in the transfer window and could make a few interesting moves. Let's see what happens.

First, though, we had confirmation of a pre-arranged deal made in December for Eric Garcia to join the club. We scoured several leagues for centre-backs, but teams' asking prices were often astronomical. Garcia was one of the only ones available for a reasonable price that we could afford - and so he comes in to replace both Sanchez and Dier who departed earlier.

Garcia is a solid centre-back who is still young and has room to grow. He should slot alongside Romero nicely in the heart of the defence and they have the potential to form a strong partnership in the backline.

EPL Matchday 19: Leeds vs Tottenham

Whilst Garcia helped us to a clean sheet on debut and gave a solid performance, profligacy at the other end meant we stumbled to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Leeds. In our three league games since the World Cup break, we've scored just the once - an issue that needs swift addressing.

Ivan Perisic's missed penalty early in the second half proved costly in this one.

An injury picked up in that game to Marcel Sabitzer certainly doesn't help, with the Austrian midfielder out for the next three weeks.

FA Cup 3rd Round: Tottenham vs Bournemouth

That did not go to plan. We are out of the FA Cup before our journey even really begins and that is extremely disappointing. For a club that is so desperate for trophies, we have thrown away a chance at one here. We were extremely flat and deserved nothing from the game. Fair play to Bournemouth for their performance, but this one hurts.

EFL Cup Quarter Final: Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest

However in the EFL Cup, we managed to progress to the semi-finals after a penalty shootout victory against Nottingham Forest. I would have liked to win this game in normal time, but at least we got the win and didn't bottle it in true Spurs fashion.

EPL Matchday 20: Tottenham vs Southampton

The relief on my face when Ivan Perisic netted a 90th minute free-kick to give us a 2-1 win at home to Southampton was there for all to see. We are in the middle of a truly frustrating run of form and we desperately needed to come away from this with all three points. Perisic redeems his penalty miss against Leeds by scoring a stunning winner in this one.

It did come with another injury, though, with Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg set to miss the next couple of weeks.

Japhet Tanganga was another to complain to be about not getting enough football. Again, he just is not good enough in my eyes to warrant a significant enough increase in playing time to match his demands. He's off on loan to Bournemouth with a buy option for just under 5 million.

We then coincidentally faced The Cherries in our next match, and we wanted revenge after they knocked us out of the FA Cup...

EPL Matchday 21: Bournemouth vs Tottenham

And we got that, just about. It was another close and hard fought game but this time we got over the line, thanks to a brace from Son. It was an important win against a solid Bournemouth team who have found themselves in the top half of the table across the first half of the season.

Just about every game seems to come with an injury now, and this one was the biggest yet - Harry Kane will be out of contention for the next few weeks which is far from ideal, however I am thankful that it won't keep him out for too long.

We then made a big signing which could be considered a risky one given that Kenneth Taylor is still just 20 years old and has broken through only recently. However, the midfielder is extremely talented, we needed more depth, and, in my eyes, he'll only get more expensive as the save goes on.

Taylor looks like a versatile midfielder capable of playing a variety of roles for the side. He's got immense potential and if we can get the best out of him, the size of the fee will quickly seem worth it.

Taylor would be thrust into the biggest of games, the North London Derby, although he began on the bench...

EPL Matchday 22: Arsenal vs Tottenham

The memory of us throwing away a 3-1 lead in the final 10 minutes to our biggest rivals in our last encounter was still fresh in the memory for this one, and late drama once again came to the fore. Arsenal again stole a point of us in the dying moments, with Fabio Vieira scoring in the 92nd minute to earn the Gunners a 1-1 draw. In fairness, they dominated us throughout, but we a win stood just a minute or two away. Once again, we fail to hold onto it, and when this type of thing happens against Arsenal, it almost feels like a loss.

EFL Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg: Tottenham vs Leicester

We had to quickly put the pain of that late Arsenal equaliser behind us, and we did so, getting a relatively late goal of our own to win the 1st leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Leicester. It was a much improved performance in this one, and we'll go into the second leg with confidence from this result.

Player of the Month

Surprised? So am I, but Emerson Royal has been impressive for me in this save so far, and he's beginning to become the favoured right-back. I'd tried to force him out in the summer window, but he's actually become a fixture in the side and was our best player this month. Fair play to him.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 10: A Chance at Silverware

This month is a big one for us. We have the second leg of our EFL Cup semi-final, and, should we progress, we will also play the final this month, presenting us with our best chance of this season to win silverware and finally bring a trophy Tottenham's way.

EFL Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg: Leicester vs Tottenham

We dominate the second leg, beating Leicester 3-0 to progress to the EFL Cup final, winning 5-1 on aggregate. This was such a complete performance and we were excellent in all aspects of the game, which was exactly what I was hoping from the boys in this one and they delivered to perfection.

We'll face our biggest test yet of the tournament in the final, as we go against Liverpool at Wembley.

EPL Matchday 23: Tottenham vs Leicester

We seem to play Leicester just about every week right now, and I don't mind, so long as we continue to beat them. We did so again here, winning 2-0 in a reasonably comfortable game. Emerson Royal continued his good run of form with a goal before Son scored in the second half to finish the game off as a contest.

Next, we had a preview of what was to come in the EFL Cup as we went against Liverpool in the league...

EPL Matchday 24: Liverpool vs Tottenham

And they were simply too good for us, with the game pretty much over by the 30 minute mark with the Reds up 2-0 by that point. It thankfully didn't get any worse from then on, but we never really threatened at the other end and fell to a defeat. Let's hope for the opposite when the final comes around in a couple weeks.

EPL Matchday 25: Tottenham vs Leeds

We then rebound by beating Leeds 2-1 in the league. They got a goal back in the 87th minute to make things a little nervous in the final few minutes, but we looked comfortable enough to see it through and managed to do so. Perhaps the biggest moment of this game was Harry Kane scoring his first goal since the 1-1 draw against Brentford in December. It was a concerning drought but hopefully it's behind him now.

The EFL Cup was not the only cup competition on the calendar this month, though, as we faced up against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout rounds..

UCL Round of 16 1st Leg: Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid

And we recorded a terrific 3-0 win in the home leg! The goals all came late, but we played some beautiful stuff and deserved each and every one of those goals today. It puts us in a great position for the 2nd leg. We've only conceded 3 goals in a match twice this season, in 3-3 draws against Arsenal and Monaco, and unless that dramatically changes, we should be going through to the quarter finals.

EPL Matchday 26: Chelsea vs Tottenham

This month has been inconsistent, to say the least. One week will be a magnificent performance, and the next will be flat. Unfortunately, it was the latter this time around as we fell to a 1-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They weren't too much better than us in what was a pretty tight affair, but they edged victory and we come away with nothing.

EPL Matchday 27: Tottenham vs Manchester United

Wow! We thrash Manchester United 6-2 at home. With the game locked at 2-2 at half-time, it looked like a close-fought thriller was on the cards, but we absolutely came out all guns blazing and rattled in 4 second-half goals to record a massive victory that will go down as our best this season.

It wasn't a bad result to go into a cup final off the back of...

EFL Cup Final: Tottenham vs Liverpool

But it wasn't to be. The boys put in a brave, hard-working defensive performance and battled for every ball. Yes, Liverpool had the better of the play and thoroughly dominated territory and possession, but we withstood their pressure for the entirety of the 120 minutes. The agony of a penalty shootout hurts, but we'll have to learn and grow from this. We can be proud of the efforts today and reflect on a great tournament overall that brings hope for the possibility of future trophies.

Player of the Month

Hugo Lloris proved that he is still a world-class goalkeeper this month, being excellent between the sticks throughout for us, even at the tender age of 36. He's been consistent throughout the season, but really stepped up this month and deserves recognition for doing so.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 11: Searching For Consistency

As we reach the business end of the season now, we need to be consistent in order to achieve Top 4. We have a fairly favourable run in, and must take advantage of that on the way to what should be a Champions League qualifying season.

Our most difficult remaining league fixture, though, was our next game away at the Etihad...

EPL Matchday 28: Manchester City vs Tottenham

And it was a good start to March, as we picked up a very solid point away from home to Manchester City. It looked like one of those games where we would be on the defensive side of things for the majority of it, but our swift counter-attacking play caused City some problems in this one, earning the result we got out of it.

UCL Round of 16 2nd Leg: Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham

We progress through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in comfortable fashion. We beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate to ensure safe passage into the next round. Considering Atleti finished top of their group, they were extremely lacklustre across both games and I'm happy with how we took advantage of that.

EPL Matchday 29: Tottenham vs Brentford

One of the most important things in achieving a consistent run of form is winning games when you are not at your best. Today, we did just that, narrowly beating Brentford 1-0 in a tight game. Harry Kane is getting the all important goals this month and it means we head into a two-week break in a good league position.

We then had our annual youth intake, and it looks like a pretty decent one...

Young midfielder Ethan Smith looks like the pick of the bunch, with the 15-year-old boasting 5 star potential and having the ability to become a terrific player. Hopefully, he develops well and reaches the level which he is capable of.

On the same day, we had our Champions League quarter final draw. After facing one half of Madrid in the Round of 16, we'll be up against the other in Real Madrid. This will be an extremely tough ask for our boys as we'll be up against one of the world's truly elite football clubs, but we'll give it our best.

Player of the Month

Yves Bissouma has been a quality midfielder for us all season long, but in this month especially he showed his class. His performance in the second leg against Atletico Madrid was immense and he was a key figure for us across this month's fixtures.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 12: A Crucial April

This month was perhaps our most important, we had a heavy fixture list and if we could come through in that 4th spot, we'd be in a great position to secure it.

EPL Matchday 30: Fulham vs Tottenham

And it began in winning style, as we eventually came away with a 2-0 victory from Craven Cottage. It took us a while to get going, but a much improved second-half performance was enough to see us register a victory in this one.

EPL Matchday 31: Tottenham vs Wolves

Yves Bissouma was magnificent last month, but he had his best moment with Spurs' when he netted a dramatic 93rd minute winner to give us a 2-1 win against Wolves! They frustrated us the last time we played, and did the same in this contest, but the difference this time came in stoppage time, through a thunderous effort from Bissouma to win the game.

UCL Quarter Final 1st Leg: Real Madrid vs Tottenham

We have a massive task on our hands in the second leg of this tie, after we lost 3-1 away from home. I was proud of our efforts in this one, though. The Santiago Bernabeu is never an easy place to come to and perform, but we matched Real Madrid in just about every aspect of the play today. However, their extra notch of world-class quality came through to see them to a comfortable enough scoreline going into the return meeting.

EPL Matchday 32: Aston Villa vs Tottenham

Being on the wrong side of that result after a spirited performance seemed to have an effect on this one. We played with our heads hung from the beginning and were dispatched by a superior Villa side on the night. It's a result that puts our top 4 spot at risk with Newcastle in imperious form right now.

UCL Quarter Final: Tottenham vs Real Madrid

It was practically a repeat performance from the first leg, as we crash out of the Champions League. I had to push for goals even more in the second half, and Madrid capitalised on our openings at the back by scoring two clinically executed counter-attack goals to finish us off.

EPL Matchday 33 vs Tottenham vs Brighton

It was another underwhelming league result as we threw away a 2-0 lead in dramatic fashion. With 85 minutes gone, it looked like we were set for a comfortable enough victory, before two late goals allowed Brighton to take a point from us. It's something that's happened too many times this season, and we need to have better game management.

EPL Matchday 34: Tottenham vs Crystal Palace

Thankfully, we returned to winning ways at home to Crystal Palace in a comprehensive win. We dominated and this time did a much better job of not letting the opposition back into the game. The key factor was that we continued to control the game throughout the 90 minutes and subsequently were able to see the victory out.

Not only was Bissouma's 93rd minute against Wolves a terrific moment because of how important it was, but it was also a terrific goal, with the strike taking home the Goal of the Month award for April.

Player of the Month

I was really impressed with Son this month, specifically through his desire and effort displayed throughout it. Even though he didn't influence the scoresheet, he was our best player in both legs of the Real Madrid tie and caused constant problems for opposition defences this month.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 14: Will We Make Top 4?

This is it. We have a massive four games ahead of us, with the notable one being a clash against current 4th placed team Newcastle United. If we win all of our games this month, we'll qualify for the Champions League. Let's do it.

EPL Matchday 35: Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest

Things began in comfortable enough fashion, although it did take us a while to get going against bottom and already relegated Nottingham Forest. I did have to give my players a stern talking to at half-time with the score sitting at 0-0, but the goals did come in the second half to give us a 2-0 win.

But the biggest result of the matchweek for us came in a different game...

Because Crystal Palace, sitting in the relegation zone, shocked Newcastle 3-1! It gives us a massive boost as we are now level on points and we possess the superior goal difference.

EPL Matchday 36: West Ham vs Tottenham

But things swung back Newcastle's way after we endured a frustrating 0-0 draw. We had our chances today and were the better team, but perhaps I wasn't tactically brave enough to throw men forward, fearing a defeat. As a result, the last 15 minutes rather dwindled away to a scoreless draw.

And then came the huge game, as we faced Newcastle at home. If it finished level, Newcastle would be favourites for top 4 going into the final day, so we knew we had to win.

EPL Matchday 37: Tottenham vs Newcastle

And we delivered in style! Yes, it was 1-1 with 20 minutes to go, but, having learnt from the last game, I knew we had to go for it in this one, and the boys had a devastating 20 minute spell in which they scored 3 goals and saw us into the Top 4 going into the final day. Our front three really came alive in this one and showed their class when it was most needed.

We couldn't get complacent, though, because we still had a game to go, and had to get the job done against Everton to ensure qualification...

EPL Matchday 38: Everton vs Tottenham

And we did so by scoring another 4 goals as we eased past Everton 4-2! After a hectic first 6 minutes in which the game had already seen 3 goals, the match calmed until the half. Two penalties from Yves Bissouma iced the game, and we will play Champions League football next season.

Immediately after the game, Daniel Levy sent me the budgets for the next season. Just under 75 million is a healthy amount of money, and we'll have to use it wisely because it's going to be difficult to improve in the league.

Player of the Month

It was tight between Bissouma and Kulusevski for this month's award, but the Malian just has such a commanding midfield presence which was crucial for us in these vital end of season fixtures. He's had a brilliant season for us, and stepped up even more towards the end of it, which is great for us.

League Table

The reason I mention that it will be hard to improve is because of the quality of the teams above us. Manchester City coasted to the title this season, and Liverpool are also an elite football club. It'll be interesting to see if United can keep up their form going into next season, but that top two seem hard to break through.

Perhaps not relevant to us, but something interesting was Brentford being randomly selected above Bournemouth in the table after they finished on the same points, goals scored and goals conceded. Even though there isn't a huge difference between finishing 15th or 16th, I personally would be very upset if I was a Cherries fan.

Well, on that note, season one comes to a close. I think it's been a good one overall. Champions League qualification was the aim and we achieved that, whilst we also made the EFL Cup final and had a decent run to the Champions League quarter finals. The only real disappointment was the FA Cup 3rd Round elimination, but the rest can all be considered a success in my opinion.​

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 15: Season Review

It's been a good season, although the trophy drought has not yet been broken.

As is reflect by the board response, this was a season where we accomplished our goals but never really went beyond them. I'm a little disappointed that the board only gave me a C+ confidence rating given they only wanted Europa League qualification from the team.

I would've had the 6-2 win over United as the match to remember as well, as it was truly a remarkable result where we were in superb goalscoring form. Javi Galan's goal was a memorable long range striker, not too dissimilar from Bissouma's late winner against Wolves.

Our financial status remains strong and long may that continue.

Majority of our most frequent starting XI averaged over 7.00 or above, which is great news. The one obvious outlier, though, is Harry Kane. He did score 23 goals, but failed to register a single assist, and he was never at his imperious best for us. It's a slight concern that such a key player struggled, but he still had a clinical finishing ability that meant he finished as our top scorer by some distance.

Undoubtedly, Dejan Kulusevski was absolutely fantastic for us this campaign. Even though Son and Kane may get the headlines for their star power more frequently, it was the Swede who shone the brightest for us, performing brilliantly week in week out and proving a vital asset to the club's success.

The atmosphere at the club remains very positive, although the support for me is only at an average level. It's fair to say I'm yet to truly win the support of the players and the board yet but hopefully I can work towards that next season.​

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 16: Summer Transfer Window

We have a big summer transfer window ahead of us. One of the advantages of Champions League qualification is that we can dictate the window on our terms. No players are looking to force moves for UCL football and therefore all of our players remain happy at the club, at least for now.

We will have to still be careful, though, because there is interest for our key players, notably with Real Madrid plotting a bid for star striker Harry Kane.

Our first signing of the window was 23-year-old French centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo from OGC Nice for just under 40 million. Todibo was one of the best players in Ligue 1 last season average rating rise in the game, and posits himself as a great central defender that adds real quality to our backline.

Eric Garcia will move to a back-up role after he failed to cement his place since arriving in January. He hasn't been bad necessarily, but Todibo seems a step above him and a suitable partner for Cristian Romero.

Amidst the transfer rumours, I decided to tie down Harry Kane on a new deal that keeps him at the club until 2026. At one point, I was considering a potential deal given that he didn't have a great season last time out, but it just feels like Harry Kane should be the one to finally bring Tottenham a trophy. Moreover, there are not strikers on the market as good as him for an even close to reasonable price.

We looked at a number of goalkeepers, but they seem quite prized assets in the game and very few are available for cheap, if at all. One that is on the market, however, is Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. He's entering his prime years and should make the shift away from Lloris a comfortable one.

Livakovic has of course been making real life headlines recently given his heroics for Croatia at the World Cup. He saved penalties in the shootouts against Japan and Brazil, and we'll be hoping he can replicate his brilliance in a Spurs shirt.

Our first sale was to permanently get Harry Winks off our books. Having been on loan at Sampdoria, the midfielder was never going to be in my plans and therefore is off to France with Lyon.

Next out was Ben Davies. With Destiny Udogie returning from his Udinese loan, Davies was going to get even less minutes than he did last season, and subsequently he has been sold off. He's gone to Napoli for just over 16 million.

Another loanee who returned was Sergio Reguilon. Much like Ben Davies, he was down the pecking order in the left-back role and he's off to play in France for Marseille.

The sales keep on coming, and this time midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is sold for around 30 million. Barcelona came calling and we were more than happy to accept. Whilst the Frenchman is a decent player, he never has shown consistency for Spurs and it felt like the right decision to move him on.

Joe Rodon is out the door next. He was not going to get minutes for us, and he'll be going to play in Germany with FC Koln.

It had been a while since our last signing, but we made another acquisition here with Pierre Kalulu coming in from AC Milan. He'll can play anywhere across the backline, but will be mainly used in the centre of defence to cater for Rodon's depature. Whilst the Welsh defender wasn't in starting contention, it did mean that our only three natural centre-backs were Romero, Todibo and Garcia. Therefore, Kalulu comes in to bolster our depth and possesses the room to grow.

Kalulu looks a great asset for us, and should be a viable option who can fill in the shoes of our defenders when necessary. If he performs well, he could easily earn a starting spot, especially in the right-back slot which has undergone more change than any other place on the field for me so far in this save.

The final move of the window was a surprise signing, with the Brazilian Claudinho joining from Zenit for around 25 million. I felt we needed a little more attacking depth, as whilst Son, Kane and Kulusevski are all class, we lack quality bench options. Richarlison was decent but unspectacular, and he is really the only one that is a natural attacking player on our bench. His national compatriot comes in to help that.

Claudinho also possesses a lot of versatility. He can play just about anywhere in attack or midfield, and not only is he able to play a range of positions, but he is a quality player regardless of versatility. He's got a lot of great attributes and is coming off a great season in Russia, which he can hopefully translate to the Premier League for us.

So that's it for our window. I didn't want to make too many huge splurges, but rather fill the gaps that have been left and get players off the books that are considered dead wood. I was desperate to also sell off Matt Doherty and Giovani Lo Celso, because they aren't registered for the Premier League due to the rules, however no viable options arose. I think we've solidified our squad and the best thing I can say is that we've lost no key assets from last season whilst adding new players who could be great for us.​

 

[olliexcore]

If only Spurs could cut some of the deadwood, get Kane a new contract and sign not only a Lloris replacement but a decent looking AMC too IRL. Paratici cookin' on something other than his impending court case

Dream window, hope you can kick on next year and get that trophy! COYS!

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 17: Season 2 Begins

Season 2 is here. After a good window that added depth to our squad, can we go on and find our way to a trophy this season?

EPL Matchday 1: West Ham vs Tottenham

The season begins in frustrating style. We drew 0-0 with West Ham towards the back end of last season, and we repeat the scoreline here, as we are once again unable to break down the Hammers. Both sides had their chances, neither took them, and we're left to come away with just a point from the match.

EPL Matchday 2: Tottenham vs Norwich

We pick up our first win of the season in the next game though, easing past Norwich 2-0. The damage was done in the first half with goals from Kulusevski and Kane, and it meant we could spend the second half just seeing out the game, which we managed to do so.

We then had our Champions League draw up next...

And, make no mistakes about it, this is one tough group. Not only will we go up against Bayern yet again in the group phase, but we'll also be facing AC Milan, one of Italy's best clubs, and Sporting CP, who could pose problems. Hopefully, we can find our way out of it, but it won't be easy.

Player of the Month

We had just the two games this month, but I was impressed by how Jean-Clair Todibo has settled in to the side already, playing very well in both fixtures and helping us keep two clean sheets.

League Table

 

[TheMaestro]

Chapter 18: How Good Are We?

This month our Champions League campaign kicks off against Bayern Munich, whilst we also have a key league fixture against Liverpool. It's these kinds of games that will give us a good idea of what we can achieve this season.

EPL Matchday 3: Tottenham vs Wolves

It was three straight clean sheets to open the season, as we edged past Wolves in a 1-0 victory. Wolves always seem to give us a difficult game, but we played the better football today. Thankfully, Son's early goal was enough to see us through to three points, as they didn't really threaten at the other end.

Although outside the window, we were still able to make a sale, finally getting right-back Matt Doherty out of the club. Being unregistered anyway, he was never going to play for us again, it was all about finding a buyer for him, and thankfully Getafe came in for him for just over 5 million, which I was happy to accept.

EPL Matchday 4: Fulham vs Tottenham

We conceded our first goal this season as we, rather disappointingly, draw 1-1 with Fulham. It could've been worse, though, as they were all over us in the first half, going into the break with the lead. A much improved second half performance saw us get an equaliser but the result still isn't great.

To make matters worse, Ivan Perisic will be out for around 5-6 weeks after getting injured in the Fulham game.

UCL Matchday 1: Bayern Munich vs Tottenham

We managed to beat Bayern in our group last season, and we did so again here, coming up with a 2-0 win - away from home as well! It was the first result that I was really proud of so far this season, as we came to play and got the result we deserved against one of the world's best. A great start considering the competitive nature of our Champions League group this year.

EPL Matchday 5: Tottenham vs Watford

We returned to winning ways against Watford here with another 2-0 victory. Yes, it took them going down to 10 men for us to truly start playing, but our quality came to the fore with Son and Kane showcasing their still effective partnership to guide us to the win.

EFL Cup 3rd Round: Rotherham vs Tottenham

A lot of our matches have lacked goals, but with a slightly rotated squad, this one was all action as we managed to overcome Rotherham in a 4-2 victory. Giovani Lo Celso can play in this competition only because he isn't registered for the Premier League or Champions League, and he made a claim for registration at the next possible chance by scoring and playing well today.

EPL Matchday 6: Liverpool vs Tottenham

Liverpool and Manchester City are simply too good. They seem the two vastly superior teams in the league once again, and we'll have our work cut out for us across this save in trying to stop them from running away with things. They outclassed us and made it look easy against us as they strolled to a 2-0 win where the damage was done after just 25 minutes.

Player of the Month

I've been really impressed with new boy Pierre Kalulu over the course of this month. I knew he was a quality defender, but he has proven to be quite decent going forward as well, which is a pleasant surprise. Long may it continue from him.

League Table

UCL Table