Tom Carroll: This Tottenham Team is Right Up There

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2015-16 season ended in brutal fashion, but the entire campaign was a success. To the point that it could be up there among other great Spurs teams of years past.

Hearing Tom Carroll say that this current Tottenham squad’s accomplishments this past season puts them up there with some of the good Spurs teams of the last 10 years isn’t a stretch. But it’s not as bold as what David Pleat said.

Not too long ago, when Pleat was talking about Tottenham’s future, Dele Alli and what the team will do about transfers, the long-serving member mentioned how this team has been one of the best in many years.

“The club is on a great footing,” Pleat said (via Sky Sports). “Despite a gloomy end, that does not mask what I consider to be one the best seasons the club has had for many, many years.”

“The team have broken all sorts of records and are a truism of those great sides of the past. All the greats – the Linekers, Hoddles, Perrymans, Jennings – I think they have all said this is one of the best teams for many years.”

It’s true that this 2015-16 Tottenham team was one of the best in recent memory. Strictly speaking, had it not been for some bad breaks and an unbelievable run by Leicester City, Spurs would have been the talk of entire Premier League season and even win the title.

NORWICH, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Harry Kane (3rd L) of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with his team mates during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur at Carrow Road on February 2, 2016 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /

Mauricio Pochettino’s squad not only played great football but also had some records too, like David Pleat mentioned above.

Tottenham managed to score the most goals (69), conceded a joint-best record with Manchester United (35), had the highest goal difference (plus-34), had a 14-match unbeaten streak and only lost back-to-back games once which was the final two fixtures of the season.

So in terms of what Tom Carroll said (the article’s headline), he’s not too far from the truth whether you’re talking statistics or just how they played in general. Tottenham this past season really is up there with some of the great Spurs squads in quite some time. And that’s something that everyone can be proud of moving forward.

Because having the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner in Harry Kane with 25 goals, plus being named on the PFA Team of the Year with Dele Alli (who also won PFA Young Player of the Year), Toby Alderweireld (named on the Europa League’s Team of the Season) and Danny Rose shows that this young team has come quite far in two seasons with Pochettino at the helm.

More from Hotspur HQ

“I think where we are just shows how far we as a team and a club have come over the time I’ve been here,” said Tom Carroll (via Tottenham’s official site).

“When people talk about the good Spurs teams of the last 10 years or so, this one has got to be up there as well as the side that last played in the Champions League.”

“It was a season of ups and downs but we all made progress.”

This is really just the beginning of what could potentially be a golden age for Tottenham if they’re able to keep ascending up the league table each season.

Winning some silverware along the way will no doubt help as it’s been a while since Spurs lifted up a trophy. You’d have to go back to the 2007-08 season where Tottenham beat Chelsea in the League Cup final.

Since then, they almost repeated as League Cup champions the following year before losing to Manchester United and falling short again in the 2014-15 campaign against Chelsea in a rematch of the 2008 final.

Next: Tottenham's Kane: England's Striker Partnership Needs Time

Overall though, Spurs will need all hands on deck to make sure that this year wasn’t a fluke and that their good form throughout this past term (and not the final four matches) will be the building blocks to more successful years.

Because as is, aside from Leicester City, England’s “Big Five” looks set to be undergoing some major changes this summer in order to return to the top four after disappointing results that saw them miss out on a league title.

Home/Tottenham News