A year of gloom has taken its toll. Tottenham Hotspur won 4-1 at Elland Road on May 29, 2023, in the final game of the 2022/23 Premier League season, although the overwhelming result did little to smooth over the fissures.
Spurs had undergone a disastrous season, and the massive win – with two Harry Kane goals at the heart of it – failed to save European football and has since proven to be the club’s record scorer’s swansong, having joined Bayern Munich in August.
Ange Postecoglou, who took over as manager in June, has changed the narrative, making some significant signings and reviving the wilted crop currently on the team.
And now, ten games into the Premier League season, Tottenham has defied predictions and is comfortably in first place, two points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City.
Of course, things can change in an instant at this time of year, and given the impending slate of fixtures, a clearer picture will emerge by the conclusion of the calendar year.
It’s a challenging period, to be sure, but Postecoglou believes Spurs have the ability to blow through it and maintain their lead as the division’s table-toppers.
Manchester United and Liverpool have already been vanquished, while a comfortable draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium backs up Tottenham’s claim to be the genuine deal.
Chelsea is up next, and while the Blues’ season has been a striking contrast to the Lilywhites’ meteoric rise, Mauricio Pochettino has been working hard to instill his system, and he will believe that his squad has what it takes to derail their rival’s lofty ambitions.
The Postecoglou revolution is a result of the Australian’s charisma, shrewdness, and belief in his players’ abilities, and the work he has done in shifting the climate from the field to the locker room to the boardroom is phenomenal.
Summer arrivals such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have been a huge success, but the resurgence of new captain Heung-min Son, who has eight Premier League goals already this season, and tough midfield engine Yves Bissouma has been equally, if not more, spectacular.
Some have not yet had the most dramatic comebacks, with Richarlison improving after a disastrous first season in London, but still falling short of the £60 million price tag after signing from Everton in 2022.
Season statistics for Richarlison
Richarlison had a difficult year last year after several years of talismanic service at Goodison Park, scoring just once in 27 Premier League appearances and being dubbed a “joke” by talkSPORT analyst Tony Cascarino.
He’s looking better under Postecoglou’s tutelage, with two goals and three assists from 11 games across all competitions, including four direct goal contributions in his last four Premier League appearances.
Pundit Ally McCoist, on the other hand, remains unconvinced, revealing that the player of “extreme talent” does not use his skills in the greatest way possible and is “frustrating” to watch at times.
