Tottenham Players Review the 2015-16 Season
With the 2015-16 campaign in the rear view mirror some Tottenham Hotspur players were able to reflect on what was Spurs’ best ever Premier League season in Club history.
Despite the disappointing end to Tottenham’s 2015-16 Premier League season, no one can deny that it wasn’t exciting and one of Spurs’ best ever campaigns in the Premiership since it was founded back in 1992.
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A third place finish could have been much more — being crowned champions or finishing in second place — but Mauricio Pochettino’s side still performed exceptionally well. Higher than anyone could have imagined or expected.
According to Christian Eriksen, Tottenham’s success didn’t originate from last summer’s off-season program. But instead, it happened during Mauricio Pochettino’s first year as Spurs’ manager.
“I don’t really think it’s just been the preseason,” Eriksen said (via ESPN FC).
“Last season [2014-15] was the first for all the new stuff we needed to learn so I think it mostly came from last season when we started picking up everything and being able to train at a high level every time.”
“It’s all small stuff which started last season. Of course, it was a bit tougher in the beginning this year with all the running in preseason and so on, but as the season goes on and we play more football, we play how we want to play and I think with the players we have, the style of play suits us really well.”
“It’s great to play in and everyone enjoys how we work. I guess it started last season but we’re through to the next level this year and hopefully next season we’ll be even better.”
After one full season in Mauricio Pochettino’s high-press and counterattack style of football, Tottenham managed to become title contenders once the new year began.
While Leicester City eventually won the title in the end after Spurs’ form disappeared in the final four games. If it wasn’t for a convincing 4-1 win against Manchester City in September, Tottenham wouldn’t have been at the position that they were in at the end of this past term; inside the top four.
“We had high expectations from the start that we largely kept to as a group,” said Ben Davies (via Tottenham’s official site).
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“We had our odd glitches in the season but the Manchester City game was a big point for us — we set a marker down to show that we can do these things and get good results against big teams and that’s something that we’re always confident of within this squad so it was nice to be able to show it.”
A top four finish was Tottenham’s main priority and what helped them secure that goal was some impressive team statistics.
Spurs had their fewest defeats in a top flight division with six and fewest away losses with three.
They managed to score the most goals in a Premier League season with 69, while conceding a joint-record low of 35 with Manchester United. This in turn meant that Tottenham’s goal difference was also the best in the Premiership with a plus-34.
Sure stats are one thing, but reading what Christian Eriksen and Ben Davies had to say inspires confidence for next season because Tottenham’s future is bright. Even Hugo Lloris was optimistic while giving plenty of praise as the team’s captain.
“It was a really good experience for a young team,” said Lloris (via Tottenham’s official site).
“We’ve built this season in terms of confidence and in terms of performance. I think it will help the team make one more step forward for next season because we know if we start with a strong mentality we can repeat the same kind of season.”
“To become a great team you need patience, especially when you build a young team. I think step by step we’re improving individually and collectively and we can feel we’re more competitive and more consistent. I’m confident for the next few years if we keep the same mentality day by day.”
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“I’m really pleased to see the defence as the best in the league, that’s important for me and the defenders,” added Hugo Lloris.
“It’s only in England you talk about clean sheets, in France and countries around Europe you judge a defence on goals conceded!”
“But that doesn’t matter, we know what we are doing and we’ll be hungry next season to concede fewer goals, to score more goals, to win more games and finish with more points because we are so young and the potential is so big.”