Premier League 2016-17 preview, predictions: No. 5, Tottenham
With the 2016-17 Premier League season kicking off this weekend, FC Yahoo is rolling out previews for all 20 teams. We’ll be working our way up from the bottom of our predicted table, all the way to the champions.
Last season: If not for Leicester’s stunning run, Tottenham would have been the story of the season. Spurs improved leaps and bounds in year two under Mauricio Pochettino, new signings immediately clicked, and Harry Kane proved his breakout 2014-15 campaign was no fluke. A late collapse brought about “St. Totteringham’s Day” for the 21st straight season, but a third-place finish was, overall, a massive success.
What’s changed: Spurs locked up two signings in early July: Victor Wanyama for £11 million from Southampton and 22-year-old striker Vincent Janssen for £18.6 million from Ajax. They’ve been ever so quiet since, Pochettino seemingly content with the squad he’s built.
FC YAHOO TAKE
Joey Gulino: Too many people are hung up on the poor last couple weeks of Tottenham’s Premier League campaign, followed by the Euro 2016 flameout of England, which featured several Spurs regulars. Almost every member of the core (Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, etc.) is in their early-to-mid-20s, and that core is growing up fast. While it’s not exactly Sir Alex’s United we’re talking here, the commitment to collecting and developing talent at White Hart Lane has been commendable. It started to yield results last season, and it was no accident. While the biggest clubs scramble to stock stars on the pitch and the sideline, Tottenham will nip them by proving last season’s performance was merely a sign of things to come.
Shahan Ahmed: Tottenham had a magical run and an impressive season, but when the final whistle blew on the 38th match of the season, Spurs finished in third, behind Arsenal yet again. Tottenham has a young, emerging team, but the North London side seemingly missed a golden opportunity to win the league in a wacky year when Arsenal didn’t seem bothered enough to do the job and the two Manchester clubs failed to properly turn up to challenge for a title.
While Spurs expect to challenge for the top four in 2016-17, the other teams near the top of the table have experienced notable improvements on the pitch, on the sidelines or both. Add in that Tottenham now has Champions League football to distract resources away from the Premier League, and one finds it extremely difficult to pick Tottenham to improve on its 2015-16 third-place finish.
Bookmakers say: Point total over/under: 66.5 | Title odds: 8/1 | Relegation odds: 500/1
FC YAHOO PREDICTIONS
Shahan Ahmed: 5 | Ryan Bailey: 6 | Alex Baker: 4 | Henry Bushnell: 4 | Joey Gulino: 2 | Joe Lago: 6 | Leander Schaerlaeckens: 4 | Average: 4.3 (5th)
More Previews
Arsenal | Bournemouth | Burnley | Chelsea | Crystal Palace | Everton | Hull City | Leicester City | Liverpool | Manchester City | Manchester United | Middlesbrough | Southampton | Stoke City | Sunderland | Swansea City | Tottenham | Watford | West Brom | West Ham
