A closely fought contest against Newcastle United in the midweek saw Tottenham Hotspur emerge victorious by a 1-0 margin. A Harry Kane goal was once again the order of the night as with 74 points, Tottenham are secured of a top-four finish.
Spurs have played some exciting, attacking football this season but have failed to win any trophies to back up their flamboyant style of football. They were knocked out of Europe by Juventus and their luck has not favoured them in the domestic cup competitions either. In the league, their achievement stands at sealing a place in the top four, above Chelsea and Arsenal, as Hugo Lloris was quick to remind.
“It means more than a trophy,” the Spurs captain told the BBC. “We can be proud of our season. “It’s been tough, especially because we feel we’ve played 37 games away from home.
“You can say whatever you want but Wembley is not our stadium. We tried our best and to finish above Arsenal and Chelsea means a lot.”
While the sentiments can be understood, one must question Spurs’ priority and reassess their objectives for the season. If finishing above Chelsea and Arsenal handed out trophies, then the remark from Lloris would have had a compelling case.
However, Spurs are no longer a small team and have a brilliant squad and a world-class manager in charge. Hence the players, the manager and the club should be focusing on another trophy-less season rather than trying to portray a semi-decent season as a good one.
They have one game left against Leicester City who were excellent in their 3-1 win over Arsenal in the midweek tie. Vardy and Iheanacho caused the Arsenal defence plenty of trouble with their pace and Spurs will have to be careful so as to not let their guard down even for a second against Vardy.
Here is how Pochettino might look to set his team up.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Hugo Lloris can be expected to play in goal as usual. Ben Davies will be continuing at left back with Kieran Trippier on the right. Davinson Sanchez should play next to Jan Vertonghen at centre back.
Midfield
Victor Wanyama and Moussa Sissoko did a good job last time out at central midfield and should play again with Dele Alli ahead of them.
Attack
Heung-Min Son can be seen on the left flank with Christian Eriksen on the right. Harry Kane will start in the number nine position on the night.
