10 Amazing Pictures That Sum Up Tottenham’s First Half of the Season

After an excellent campaign that ended in heartbreak last season for Tottenham Hotspur, there was a lot expected from Mauricio Pochettino’s side at the beginning of this term. There were plenty of questions as well on whether they will achieve similar heights to last season. But it has been a largely up and down start to the campaign for the North Londoners, which sees them fifth placed in the league table, just a single point off fourth-placed Arsenal.

However, the Champions League dream was cut short for Spurs as they were dumped out from the tournament at the group stages itself. However, having finished third in their group, they will participate in the Europa League and will loo to make it count there.

Harry Kane, as usual, has been the star of the season for the Lilywhites having scored 7 times this term in the league and is their top scorer. Son Heung-Min started the season off well but seems to have tapered off, whereas new signing Vincent Janssen has struggled big time. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen continue to be one of the best centre-back partnerships in the English top division while Danny Rose has taken his game up a notch as well.

What does 2017 hold in store for Tottenham? The title, at this time, may seem far-fetched for Spurs, but a spot in the top four is well within their reach and the Europa League competition will provide them with an opportunity to erase the memories of the disappointing Champions League run. There is a lot to loo forward for Spurs as the new year beckons, as here we take a look at 10 pictures that sum up their season so far:

10. A Slow Start

Spurs kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 1-1 draw at the Goodison Park against Everton, with Erik Lamela equalizing after the Toffees had taken a lead. Pochettino’s men managed to narrowly defeat Crystal Palace 1-0 at home in the subsequent game, and followed it up with another 1-1 draw against high-flying Liverpool at the Lane with Danny Rose levelling things up late in the game. Five points from the first three games, while not a poor start, wasn’t what the North Londoners would have hoped for.

9. Getting into stride

Spurs began the month of September with a bang winning 4-0 against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium, which is considered to be one of the most difficult grounds to visit. Son scored a double on the evening and goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane added gloss to a fine victory for Tottenham as they looked like getting into their groove that saw them go so close to the title last season.

8. First European Setback

Tottenham also started their Champions League journey in the month of September, but all their home games in the European competition were going to be played at the Wembley stadium, due to some ongoing construction work at the White Hart Lane. And they faced Monaco in their first game at the national stadium and it was a disappointing start for Spurs as they went two goals behind within 30 minutes of kick-off. Toby Alderweireld pulled one back, but that wasn’t enough as Spurs lost their first Champions league game of the season 1-2.

7. Injury to Star Striker

Spurs bounced back from the Champions League loss at Wembley with a 1-0 win over strugglers Sunderland at the White Hart Lane, but the biggest talking point from that game was the injury to the goal scorer Harry Kane. The Englishman had picked up an injury to his ankle following a challenge from Didier N’Dong and as a result would be ruled out for seven weeks. It was a bitter moment for Tottenham, but they did not lose hope and won three of their next games thrashing Gillingham 5-0 in the EFL Cup and followed it up with a 2-1 away win against Middlesbrough in the league before defeating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in Russia in the Champions League.

6. Guardiola’s City schooled at the Lane

Next up it was Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City visiting the White Hart Lane. The Citizens were unbeaten in all competitions at that stage and posed the biggest challenge for Spurs. And Pochettino’s men rose to the occasion, defeating City 2-0 to halt their unbeaten run, via an Aleksandar Kolarov own goal followed by a Dele Alli strike. It was a dominant performance from the home team and were thoroughly deserving of the victory.

5. Struggles for Goals in Kane’s absence

After having done well in the early period of Kane’s absence, Tottenham slowly began to fade away. The goals were harder to come by, the results weren’t going their way. Summer signing Vincent Janssen struggled to get used to the rigours of the English football, despite getting a string of opportunities due to Kane’s injuries. After defeating City, Spurs were held to a one-all draw at the Hawthorns by a defiant West Brom, with former Spurs man Nacer Chadli scoring for the Baggies. Two goalless draws followed next, against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Bournemouth in the Premier League as their struggles in front of goal started getting more pronounced. They were also kicked out of the EFL Cup after a 2-1 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool before being held to another 1-1 draw by current league champions Leicester City at home, compounding the misery on Pochettino and his team. Spurs finished the month of October with just one win in 6 games in all competitions and suddenly things were looking bleak.

4. Champions League Misery Continues

Spurs’ poor run in Champions League continued as they tasted defeat on home soil once again when they lost 1-0 to German side Bayer Leverkusen in November. The lack of depth in the squad was clearly hampering the North London outfit and it was showing on the field. Just four points from four games were never going to be good enough and an exit from Europe’s premier football event loomed large on Pochettino’s side.

3. Harry Kane Returns

The North London derby was up next for Pochettino’s men at the Emirates and it marked the return of Harry Kane back from injury. Arsenal took the lead late in the first half through a Kevin Wimmer own goal, but Harry Kane managed to level things from the penalty spot in the second period and the match ended 1-1. Kane scoring on return bode well for Spurs’ fans. And he continued in his merry scoring ways in the next match, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, by scoring two goals in the dying minutes of the game to help Tottenham win 3-2 against West Ham United. Harry Kane had returned.

2. Champions League Exit

A trip to France was next on the cards for Spurs as they battled to keep their Champions League run alive. Nothing less than a win would do for Pochettino’s team against Monaco, but the Lilywhites came up short on the night as they were beaten 2-1 by the French side at the Stade Louis II.  Monaco took the lead early in the second half, but Kane continued his tremendous form by equalizing within 5 minutes. However, the parity did not last long as Thomas Lemar handed the lead back to the home team, condemning the North Londoners to an early exit from the Champions League. Bigger things were expected from Spurs in Europe, but they could not live up to the billing.

1. Redemption in December

Despite their interim struggles and exit from Europe, Tottenham were still unbeaten in the Premier League after 12 games and were the only team who hadn’t tasted defeat in the league. However, that was to change three days after their CL exit as they lost 2-1 away to Chelsea in the last week of November. And the loss seemed to have triggered something inside the Spurs’ players as they started the December month with a bang, hammering Swansea City 5-0 at home and then finally winning a game at Wembley when they defeated CSKA Moscow 3-1. Things were falling in place for Pochettino’s men. Harry Kane was in fine form, Christian Eriksen had rediscovered himself after a poor start and the goals were coming freely. There was a hiccup along the way, with Manchester United coming out trumps over Spurs at Old Trafford, but they bounced back two fine wins beating Hull City 3-0 and following it up with a 2-1 triumph over Burnley. With Arsenal dropping points, Spurs are just a single point below them and as the festive period takes off, they are in real chance of making it into the Champions League spots.