'Faith and belief are the only options'

As Tottenham herded their shattered players on to a plane to fly to Australia on Sunday, it felt as though drawing any firm conclusions from this season had become impossible.

A fifth-place finish in the league, a manager voicing doubts about the mentality of some at the club and deep reservations about the strength and depth of the playing squad, felt like the end of every Spurs season in recent memory.

There was even the obligatory failure in cup competitions.

But then look where they started from.

A managerial appointment who was not first choice, the departure of Harry Kane and a substantial turnover of playing staff.

This season could well have been a complete disaster from start to finish.

As it turned out, Micky van de Ven is one of the league's outstanding defenders, the goalkeeper looks most at home and Destiny Udogie is a star.

There were memorable wins over Manchester United, Liverpool and a very, very late one against Sheffield United. It felt, for a time, like the players, manager and staff were firmly united.

This summer will require hard decisions concerning the centre of midfield and the attacking areas. Then they need more depth at full-back.

But the thing everyone needs most of is patience.

Early Ange-ball made it look as though everything was possible. Turns out it was not.

However, Spurs fans have had a peek at this new team's potential. Faith and belief are the only options.