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2016/17 Season in Review

We have clearly progressed from last season, we have become a top class side now.

A big driver has been the improvement of our home form -- all top sides are amazing at home. We have this mentality now, hopefully we can carry it through Wembley and into the new stadium. I also think our improvement this season is helped by the players being comfortable in multiple formations now, Poch has them so well drilled and able to perform in the 3421 or 4231 equally well, with players slotting in very nicely. No opposing manager can now be sure how we will lineup against them and we are also easily able to change systems in the middle of games.

So what's left? We smash the also-rans home and away, home form is great against all-comers...we need to do slightly better away against the top half sides (only a little better, one or two more wins) to be a 90 point team. Being a 90 point team will see us in the hunt for the title even if we are below par and score 80-something points, and make qualifying for the Champions League a formality that we don't even think about. See Fergie's Man Utd.

I think the area where we can make a big improvement is being able to adapt to a defensive, counter attack game when we play certain teams (against Klopp's Liverpool a good example, where our normal game is more vulnerable, or a number of top sides away from home, big European games, big cup ties). I think if we can add this to our armoury, we can take that final step to winning trophies and performing well in Europe. Poch has shown that he adds more tactically each season and we progress each year, so I'm sure he can execute this too.

There really isn't a lot to improve, this team is on the cusp of great things.
 
Kandi1977 said:
I'd say top 4 and a cup win would be a very successful season.
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I don't agree. A cup would be some success, but top 4 should now be par for the course with these players and this manager. We've just got 86 points, so assuming we can keep this team together, I don't see why we should drop below 80 points. If we finish 4th next season, I will be very disappointed given how good we have looked this past season. Look at who plays for the other big 5 teams, how many players from their best XIs get into our best XI? There's hardly anyone imo.

If we're talking progression, then we go from 3rd, to 2nd...to....champions.
 
the dza said:
I don't agree. A cup would be some success, but top 4 should now be par for the course with these players and this manager. We've just got 86 points, so assuming we can keep this team together, I don't see why we should drop below 80 points. If we finish 4th next season, I will be very disappointed given how good we have looked this past season. Look at who plays for the other big 5 teams, how many players from their best XIs get into our best XI? There's hardly anyone imo.

If we're talking progression, then we go from 3rd, to 2nd...to....champions.
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Finishing 4th or second makes little to no difference whatsoever
 
Just an other brick season with nothing to show for it. I'm quitting supporting Spurs 'cause they are a bunch of bottlers and going to follow United and Chelsea and maybe City or possibly Liverpool.
 
Kandi1977 said:
Finishing 4th or second makes little to no difference whatsoever
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3rd or above gets automatic qualification for the CL, so that is preferable to having the earlier qualification game that comes with 4th.

Success for me would be
  • keeping close to the top spot, winning it or finishing top 3 but within a few points. Being top at some point in the season would be great (although cue inevitable 'bottlers' tag if we don't win it).
  • Getting out of the CL group stages. Ideally to the QFs.
I think Poch will have full focus on the title again next season, with domestic cups again taking a back seat, at least in the early rounds.
 
Glenda's Legs said:
3rd or above gets automatic qualification for the CL, so that is preferable to having the earlier qualification game that comes with 4th.

Success for me would be
  • keeping close to the top spot, winning it or finishing top 3 but within a few points. Being top at some point in the season would be great (although cue inevitable 'bottlers' tag if we don't win it).
  • Getting out of the CL group stages. Ideally to the QFs.
I think Poch will have full focus on the title again next season, with domestic cups again taking a back seat, at least in the early rounds.
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Next year 4th will also get an automatic place in the CL group stage.

"
Europe's top four leagues will have four guaranteed places in the Champions League group stage from the 2018-19 season, UEFA has confirmed.

The top four leagues in the UEFA coefficient ranking -- currently La Liga, the Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A -- will see four teams enter the group stage without having to go through a qualification round."
 
In the 25 years (excluding the War) my Dad went to Spurs before taking me, we had been in the 2nd division 13 years going up a down 4 times, since I've been going (1957) we've only been relegate once and came straight back, my kids and their kids have only known us playing at the top level and the last two seasons have been the best they've seen. I want more than anything else in sport to see us win the league to share the joy with them, but I can accept that may not happen and I'm happy with celebrating the good times, like this season. I've tried to install in my kids that you should always give you're best and try to win but winning isn't everything and you should enjoy sport or any game for what it is.
 
spitshine said:
Agree with this, considering we're playing at Wembley next season.
We have to win a trophy
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I don't think we will be able to match our home form of 53 points next year. 33 on the road should be bettered, so if we could manage 47+ at home and 36+ away that would be a very good season for me. I think we will be there or thereabout next season. 80+ points, a cup win, top 4 = success in my view.
 
Kandi1977 said:
Finishing 4th or second makes little to no difference whatsoever
Click to expand...

This past league campaign was amazing compared to years where we scraped into 4th place. An 86 point team has a genuine shot of the league title. That where we should be aiming next season imo.

It would be great to win a trophy though, I agree there.

I think, as a fan base, we have to get over this inferiority complex where nobody can talk about challenging for the league right off the bat. There is no reason why this manager, with these players, can't win the league next season. 4th place is simply not a success for this group, we have to at least challenge for the league.
 
billyiddo said:
Yes it does - one's well off the pace and the other is a title challenge (more often than not) vastly difference scenarios and you'd clearly rate one much higher than the other.
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So if we got, say, 80 points and still finished 4th, that would be a failure?
 
Kandi1977 said:
So if we got, say, 80 points and still finished 4th, that would be a failure?
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Failure? no of course not - but it would not be as good a season as the one we have had.

86 points puts you in the conversation for being genuine title contenders - we can look to repeat our performance again next season and know if we are close to that again or just a little bit higher then we should be in with a good chance of winning the league
 
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