I like how we play every other team home and away.
Could work in our favour.
Could work in our favour.
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Away at nottingham forest in the August sunshine. I'm jealous for anyone going. That's a lovely stadium
I think it's a nice run of fixtures from the start to end of season I think this is going to be the best season for us since I started supporting in 1987.
COYS
I’m a big fan of getting those tough away matches early in the season!
Anyone else think it’s a bit weird that in the first 12 matches, we have to play City, Chelsea, Woolwich, ManU, and West Ham all away?
5 of our 6 toughest matches of the season all before November.
If we can get off to a good start, we will be in incredible position, but if we struggle with so many tough road games early with so many faces, it’ll be up to Conte to get the team to push through with almost all of our toughest matches behind us. If we can stay healthy, we could be in for a huge second half.
I can definitely see this schedule working out beautifully, or being a total disaster (if we drop a lot of points early and then get hit with injuries that keep us from a massive run). It’s definitely not an average schedule.
5 of our 6 toughest matches of the season all before November.
If we can get off to a good start, we will be in incredible position, but if we struggle with so many tough road games early with so many faces, it’ll be up to Conte to get the team to push through with almost all of our toughest matches behind us. If we can stay healthy, we could be in for a huge second half.
I can definitely see this schedule working out beautifully, or being a total disaster (if we drop a lot of points early and then get hit with injuries that keep us from a massive run). It’s definitely not an average schedule.
Right, I've had chance to have a proper good look through the fixture list now and honestly lads, I can't see where we will drop points there...
Feb 2022 | 2022/2023 | Outs |
| 01 Lloris | 01 Lloris | 01 |
| 02 Gollini | 02 Perisic | 02 Gollini |
| 03 Royal | 03 Royal | 03 |
| 04 Doherty | 04 Doherty* | 04 |
| 05 Reguilon | 05 Reguilon | 05 |
| 06 Romero | 06 Romero | 06 |
| 07 Dier | 07 Dier | 07 |
| 08 Davies | 08 Davies* | 08 |
| 09 Sanchez | 09 Sanchez | 09 |
| 10 Rodon | 10 Rodon* | 10 |
| 11 Hojbjerg | 11 Hojbjerg | 11 |
| 12 Bentancur | 12 Bentancur | 12 |
| 13 | 13 Bissouma | 13 |
| 14 Bergwijn | 14 Bergwijn | 14 |
| 15 Moura | 15 Moura | 15 |
| 16 Kulusevski | 16 Kulusevski | 16 |
| 17 Son | 17 Son | 17 |
Feb 2022 | 2022/2023 | Outs |
| 01 Austin | 01 Austin | 01 |
| 02 | 02 Foster | 02 |
| 03 Sessegnon | 03 Sessegnon | 03 |
| 04 Tanganga | 04 Tanganga | 04 |
| 05 Winks | 05 Winks | 05 |
| 06 Skipp | 06 Skipp | 06 |
| 07 | 07 | 07 |
| 08 Kane | 08 Kane | 08 |
*home grown, premier league - U21s not included
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It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. If we’re a handful of points off top in second or third by the time the WC comes around, we’ve got a great chance in my opinion. Get the hard games out of the way and get on a run in the second half of the season.
Selling Bergwijn and Rondon while loaning Emerson sounds likely. That is 3 spots opened, hopefully to sign a CB and a backup to play across the front 3. Then signing Spence who would be HG.
With the crazy schedule this season (WC) keeping Winks might be good. I'm not a fan of him but he's a body we can use in cup games or late in games as a 5th sub to use minutes and give others a rest.
If the end of the season is any indication as to how we'll play at the start of next season, then I think we'll be fine. I think City and Liverpool will be figuring out how to integrate their new young 'star' signings into their system while our core is more or less the same - we've got the advantage there. As far as Chelsea, I'm not worried at all - their club is haywire atm. West Ham. Woolwich, and ManU we'll beat 2-0 or 3-0 easy.
Mailbag: Eriksen reunion chances, centre-back hunt and can Spurs win the title?
What would you consider to be a successful season this time around, what with the cash injection, Conte staying and Champions League football all factors? — Matthew M.
Pitt-Brooke: At a minimum, Tottenham have to stay in the top four. From now on, being in the Champions League has to be the rule for them, not the exception. If they slip out of it, Conte and some of their better players might start to wonder what they are doing there. Beyond that, well, obviously, a trophy would be great and would provide some sort of concrete (or rather, silver) reward for all the improvements Spurs have made since winning the League Cup in 2008.
But in terms of the healthy future of the club, I think the most important thing would be to continue progressing, challenging Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table, and to show that they are heading in the right direction. And if they can secure Conte — and Harry Kane — on new contracts, that will be the best sign of progress, and maybe that would set the club up for future title challenges ahead.
Hey guys. Wanted to get your thoughts on where you think we’ll finish in the league and cup competitions next season? — Matthew J.
Eccleshare: Perhaps I’m giddy from what’s been a very effective transfer window so far but I think Spurs will finish third — though it’s hardly a crazy prediction, given only Liverpool and City picked up more Premier League points than them after Conte took over last November. As it is, Spurs finished just three points behind Chelsea and the two London rivals appear to be on opposite trajectories.
As for the cups… well, given the best teams in the league tend to hoover these up, there’s no reason why Spurs can’t at least get to a final and from there, they’d have a decent chance of finally ending what will be at least a 15-year trophy drought by the Carabao Cup final in late February.
Do you see a future in which Conte uses a greater variety of tactical systems? Last year, we were heavily focused on 3-4-3 and it seemed, in some games, that we got overrun in midfield. It would be great to see some flexibility, with a 3-5-2 like Liverpool, or even four at the back, in some games when we need to do something different — Anthony C.
Eccleshare: I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit in relation to the Bissouma signing and I do think we’ll see more tactical flexibility from Conte next season. Just starting with Bissouma’s arrival (and Skipp’s return to fitness), Conte now has four central midfielders he really trusts. So I suspect we’ll see a stiffened three-man midfield in a 3-5-2 for certain matches. Potentially throw Eriksen or another No 8 into the mix and, suddenly, you have loads of options for tweaking how the midfield operates.
More broadly, 2022-23 will see Conte having a deeper squad and more players he fully believes in. That should allow him to make a few more changes to the system depending on game state and opposition, and don’t underestimate how important the return of managers being allowed to make five substitutions could be.
Conte spoke about it a lot towards the end of last season and I expect him to take full advantage of the rule — mainly with personnel changes but also with the occasional tactical ones.
In a time where Liverpool and Manchester City have unbelievable players and funding, do Spurs have any chance of winning a title? Are they destined to be victims of bad timing? — Ben M.
Pitt-Brooke: Hi, Ben. This is a really interesting question. Clearly, it is going to be tough. In City’s last five seasons, they have taken 100, 98, 81, 86 and 93 points. In Liverpool’s last four, they have finished with 97, 99, 69 and 92. The standard at the top of the Premier League is unbelievably high.
Let’s say that Tottenham improve next season, with new signings and another year of Conte’s coaching. Where do you see them in terms of points? The mid-80s? Let’s say for the sake of nostalgia, they match the 86 they got in finishing as runners-up in 2016-17.
Now, it’s very plausible Liverpool could have a slightly-off season, like they did as champions two years ago. After their efforts of last season in coming so close to a quadruple, plus some turnover in players, it could happen.
It’s possible City have a bad year too, say, if Erling Haaland doesn’t slot in seamlessly or they are distracted by the Champions League, or standards just drop, like they did in 2019-20 when their final points total fell by 17 from the season before.
But for Tottenham to win the league next year, both those things would have to happen at the same time. City and Liverpool would have to drop 10 per cent or so from their standards of last season, and that feels like a stretch.
What would you consider to be a successful season this time around, what with the cash injection, Conte staying and Champions League football all factors? — Matthew M.
Pitt-Brooke: At a minimum, Tottenham have to stay in the top four. From now on, being in the Champions League has to be the rule for them, not the exception. If they slip out of it, Conte and some of their better players might start to wonder what they are doing there. Beyond that, well, obviously, a trophy would be great and would provide some sort of concrete (or rather, silver) reward for all the improvements Spurs have made since winning the League Cup in 2008.
But in terms of the healthy future of the club, I think the most important thing would be to continue progressing, challenging Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table, and to show that they are heading in the right direction. And if they can secure Conte — and Harry Kane — on new contracts, that will be the best sign of progress, and maybe that would set the club up for future title challenges ahead.
Hey guys. Wanted to get your thoughts on where you think we’ll finish in the league and cup competitions next season? — Matthew J.
Eccleshare: Perhaps I’m giddy from what’s been a very effective transfer window so far but I think Spurs will finish third — though it’s hardly a crazy prediction, given only Liverpool and City picked up more Premier League points than them after Conte took over last November. As it is, Spurs finished just three points behind Chelsea and the two London rivals appear to be on opposite trajectories.
As for the cups… well, given the best teams in the league tend to hoover these up, there’s no reason why Spurs can’t at least get to a final and from there, they’d have a decent chance of finally ending what will be at least a 15-year trophy drought by the Carabao Cup final in late February.
Do you see a future in which Conte uses a greater variety of tactical systems? Last year, we were heavily focused on 3-4-3 and it seemed, in some games, that we got overrun in midfield. It would be great to see some flexibility, with a 3-5-2 like Liverpool, or even four at the back, in some games when we need to do something different — Anthony C.
Eccleshare: I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit in relation to the Bissouma signing and I do think we’ll see more tactical flexibility from Conte next season. Just starting with Bissouma’s arrival (and Skipp’s return to fitness), Conte now has four central midfielders he really trusts. So I suspect we’ll see a stiffened three-man midfield in a 3-5-2 for certain matches. Potentially throw Eriksen or another No 8 into the mix and, suddenly, you have loads of options for tweaking how the midfield operates.
More broadly, 2022-23 will see Conte having a deeper squad and more players he fully believes in. That should allow him to make a few more changes to the system depending on game state and opposition, and don’t underestimate how important the return of managers being allowed to make five substitutions could be.
Conte spoke about it a lot towards the end of last season and I expect him to take full advantage of the rule — mainly with personnel changes but also with the occasional tactical ones.
In a time where Liverpool and Manchester City have unbelievable players and funding, do Spurs have any chance of winning a title? Are they destined to be victims of bad timing? — Ben M.
Pitt-Brooke: Hi, Ben. This is a really interesting question. Clearly, it is going to be tough. In City’s last five seasons, they have taken 100, 98, 81, 86 and 93 points. In Liverpool’s last four, they have finished with 97, 99, 69 and 92. The standard at the top of the Premier League is unbelievably high.
Let’s say that Tottenham improve next season, with new signings and another year of Conte’s coaching. Where do you see them in terms of points? The mid-80s? Let’s say for the sake of nostalgia, they match the 86 they got in finishing as runners-up in 2016-17.
Now, it’s very plausible Liverpool could have a slightly-off season, like they did as champions two years ago. After their efforts of last season in coming so close to a quadruple, plus some turnover in players, it could happen.
It’s possible City have a bad year too, say, if Erling Haaland doesn’t slot in seamlessly or they are distracted by the Champions League, or standards just drop, like they did in 2019-20 when their final points total fell by 17 from the season before.
But for Tottenham to win the league next year, both those things would have to happen at the same time. City and Liverpool would have to drop 10 per cent or so from their standards of last season, and that feels like a stretch.
Bergwijn has come out and said himself that he is looking to move on for the 2022/23 season. It's pretty much guaranteed that we will replace him with a player that can cover both Gil and Bergwijn across the front:
Son - Kane - Kulusevski
Gil - Bergwijn - Moura
Rodon, I really couldn't call it between Rodon, Sanchez and Tanganga. We really could do with a left footed, ball playing centre back to compete with Davies
Romero - Dier - Davies
Sanchez - Rodon - No one really
The way that Conte uses wingbacks, it wouldn't surprise me if we kept all 4 'foreign' full backs, and still sign Dejd Spence on top. Reguilon is the one player we may well be looking to ship out, the reason being that the other 3 are able to play on both sides. It is also widely reported that there is interest in him (although the same could be said about Royal I guess)
Royal - Reguilon
Doherty - Perisic
Spence? - Sessegnon
One of the 4 would have to leave if we want to sign a new centre back and keep both Rodon and Sanchez
Last season 150+ people had us finishing 5th or below.
This season. 1. An amazing turnaround.
One man alone should be held responsible for this.
My chairman.
Don Levy.
This season. 1. An amazing turnaround.
One man alone should be held responsible for this.
My chairman.
Don Levy.
Im going to stick my neck on the line and say comfortable 3rd, because Shitty and never their fault are still strong, hopefully you lot run them close. I can see you winning something this year, hopefully with Bissouma the Champions league.
Good luck for the season comming except v us, maybe we can go closer this year to to top 6.
Good luck for the season comming except v us, maybe we can go closer this year to to top 6.