Tottenham fans will still be in shock after watching their title ambitions crumble last season with a disastrous winless run of final four games. The slump in the results not only wiped out their title hopes but also saw them finishing behind their arch rivals Arsenal. However one shouldn’t undermine the performance of Pochettino’s players, as they enjoyed excellent season. Spurs transformed themselves from a side that lost concentration in the dying minutes of the game to a team that could easily outmuscle and outplay any opponent. Harry Kane was again the standout player for the North London side, while players like Dele Alli and Eric Lamela came up leaps and bounds to push the team further forward.
What hurt Tottenham the most was the vast gap in quality between the first Xi and the players on the bench. Often when Pochettino had to tinker with the playing XI due to an injury or a suspension, his side suddenly lacked the energy and quality that we saw from Tottenham all year long. Pochettino has tried to plug those gaps this summer, with the signing of Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen. However one feels that the performance of Dele Alli and Harry Kane will again be crucial to Tottenham’s title challenge next season.
Harry Kane
Kane has been brilliant for Tottenham over the past two years but during the final stages of last season and in the recently concluded European Championship, one could see fatigue getting into the English international. It will be crucial that Pochettino gives his star striker some rest between the games next season otherwise, an injury to Kane won’t be long. Not only his fitness but his form has also suffered a dip in recent months and all eyes will be on him when the season starts on August 13th.
However, he is a still force to deal. Last season, Kane scored 25 goals in the Premier League, which earned him the Golden Boot, ahead of Jamie Vardy of Leicester and Manchester City ace Sergio Aguero. He broke the record for Tottenham’s highest goal scorer in a single EPL when he hit 22, and that came with six games left of the 2015-2016 campaign. Next season, though, the pressure on Kane will be a bit less following the arrival of Vincent Janssen. Pochettino would love to improve on last season performances, especially now that they have the hugely talented defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama in their team.
Dele Alli
In February 2015, Tottenham signed Dele Alli, one of Englands brightest young prospects. Many believed that the 20 year old would most of his time on the bench with some substitution performances. However, Alli nailed down a permanent starting XI spot in Pochettino’s team along with and went on to become one of the best players in the league.
With one year under his belt now and a team full of match winners, Alli will have the perfect chance to better his performance from last year. He is an extremely talented player, who is truly gifted. One can argue, he is one of the important players for Pochettino right now.