Managing Expectations

With the Premier League season just days away, pundits and fans have made their predictions and their bets have been placed on who they believe will win the title this coming season. With 5 or 6 teams expected to challenge, this is said to be the hardest ever season to call.

Article by Trevor Lloyd

The Manchester giants arguably now have the two best managers in football and have spent big, so naturally they are heavily favoured. Chelsea are expected to mount a challenge after their shocking fall last season. Arsenal and even Liverpool are also in the hunt.

But what about us?

Most pundits and bookies have overlooked us for the title, but are they right to?

We pushed Leicester incredibly close last season and with every other club in the league wanting Leicester to triumph and beat us, we just fell away at the end. It is going to be very difficult to repeat the heights of last season with the clubs who fell below expectations, strengthening their squads and bringing in managers who are proven winners to help them reclaim their place.

Tottenham, however, have gone about their business quietly in this transfer window with only Wanyama and Janssen the two new additions to the squad. Some think we have not done enough and with our competiton spending mega bucks, some fans are worried. But our squad did not need a massive overhaul. We needed a striker to be Kane's back up or play along side him. We got one. Some said we needed back up for Dier and Dembele. We got one.

We have a young, settled and hungry side, with Pochettino's philosophy and the foundations of the team already in place, it may well give us an advantage over the chasing pack.

So is it wrong to dream again? Of course it isn't! But would a top 4 finish and a good run in the Champions League be considered a step backwards from last season?

Absolutely not!

The club has never had back-to-back seasons of finishing in the Champions League places. For me, that would be a big step forward and a massive statement that we can compete and challenge the so called “Big Four” every season.

Should that be enough though?

For now, yes.We don't want to become like the other club in North London where a top 4 finish every season is considered winning a trophy. But while the squad is still young and developing, I would take a top 4 place if it was offered to me today.

Maybe that sounds a bit negative, but last season was a strange one for many sides and they will be out to make sure that doesn't happen again. So for me it's about not aiming too high, as we could all be very disappointed if we don't challenge for the title. It's also about not aiming too low, as to not down play last season as a 'fluke'.

Whatever happens over the next 9 months, one thing is for sure, its bound to be exciting and unpredictable. We do, after all, support Tottenham Hotspur.

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