Page 3 - Tottenham Hotspur

3rd April 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
Erik Lamela's tremendously frustrating 2016 2017 season has now officially been drawn to a premature close. After his sterling efforts in the 2015/2016 campaign, he started this term in equally strong fashion. Having played a pivotal role in Tottenham Hotspur's monumental victory over a previously undefeated Manchester City outfit in October, plus consolidated his place in Mauricio Pochettino's plans with solid performances domestically and in the Champions League, everything came to a grinding halt on the 25th of October last year. In Spurs' EFL cup loss to Liverpool, a game where Lamela came on as substitute for the last 30 minutes, it was discovered that he'd suffered a nasty hip injury, despite running out the match.

The skillful Argentine disappointingly hasn't played since that fateful day, instead he's been condemned to receiving treatment that's

13th February 2017. By Edward Stratmann.
The partnership between Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele in central midfield for Tottenham Hotspur is hitting all the right chords at present, as they've been integral in Spurs' solid recent form.

Having started the last six league games together, a sequence that began with Spurs' sensational win over Chelsea and unfortunately ended with a loss against Liverpool, the fearsome duo have been crucial for Spurs lately. Indeed, this was something Tottenham's brilliant central defender, Toby Alderweireld, touched on just last week.

"They (Wanyama and Mousa) make our life much easier. They are playing fantastic football this season. They have helped us a lot this season and we are happy to have them," he said.

"They are very strong, good on the ball, they know tactically where to run, to stand, when to kick the ball away and keep it in the team, they have a variety

5th October 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
Tottenham Hotspur produced a near-perfect display to overcome Premier League leaders and title favourites Manchester City at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino's men perfectly executed their gameplan, pressing their opposition relentlessly and tirelessly, forcing errors and winning the ball in dangerous areas. And, for the most part, the Lilywhites did a stellar job of cutting off the supply line to playmaker David Silva, stifling City in deep areas and ensuring they were not afforded the desired space and time to build their customary attacking patterns.

Pochettino and Pep Guardiola share some stylistic traits and philosophical beliefs. Both men believe in utilising talented young players, and their mutual love of high-energy pressing can be traced back to the same source: Marcelo Bielsa. Pochettino played under

23rd September 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Knowing he was deemed surplus to requirements at Tottenham following a disappointing 2015/2016 campaign that was heavily affected by injury, Nacer Chadli offered a simple yet well considered explanation as to why he chose to join West Bromwich Albion.

"I had a few clubs interested but West Brom came very quickly and they showed concrete interest and wanted to make it happen," he said.

"I thought if they really want me, it's important for me to go there and prove myself. That's why I chose West Brom."

For Chadli, who struggled to fully convince Mauricio Pochettino of his worth throughout last season and sadly missed out on selection for Belgium's Euro 2016 squad, the move gives him a fantastic chance to recapture his 2014/2015 form, which saw him produce five assists and score an impressive 13 goals in the league.

Judging by his excellent start to life at the Hawthorns, he's well on the way to doing just that.

29th August 2016. By Edward Stratmann.

After enjoying a breakout season in 2014/2015, where he became an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino's fierce Tottenham Hotspur side, Nabil Bentaleb's fall down Pochettino's pecking order last campaign was as rapid as his initial rise to prominence.

Starting 25 matches in 2014/2015, the Algerian international looked set for and long and fruitful career with Spurs, with his stirring performances even earning him a bumper five-year contract at the club. But due to a numbers of factors, including injury, a downturn in form, the emergence of Eric Dier and what's been described as a questionable attitude, the Spurs academy graduate found himself left out in the cold last term.

The fact he played just 168 Premier League minutes aptly illustrated his plight and how harsh Pochettino can be once his faith in a player wanes. Being

20th June 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Heading into England's monumental contest with Wales, much of the talk centred around whether the Three Lions could stop Gareth Bale.

Having scored or assisted 10 of the 13 goals scored by the Welsh in qualifying, England definitely needed to pay close attention to the Real Madrid star if they were to give themselves the best chance of winning. Keeping the most expensive player in history quiet is, however, something that's obviously easier said than done.

Thankfully for England, though, courtesy in large part to their one and only holding midfielder, Eric Dier, they did a fantastic job of limiting Bale's impact.

Dier followed on beautifully from his man of the match performance against Russia by putting in an utterly composed and assured shift from his post at the base of Roy Hodgson's midfield in their stirring 2-1 win.

Whenever Bale ventured into his designated area of operation, Dier would be on hand to track

27th May 2016. By Edward Stratmann.
Tottenham Hotspur's astute signing of Toby Alderweireld has undoubtedly been one of the best pieces of business this season. Having enjoyed a remarkable stint on loan at Southampton last term, Spurs' decision to acquire his services to partner his Belgian countryman, Jan Vertonghen, at the back has seen the duo form a match made in heaven.

Aside from being teammates at international level, where they're set to feature heavily in the upcoming Euros, Vertonghen and Alderweireld's relationship extends way back, for both men were part of Germinal Beerschot's impressive youth academy before leaving for Ajax a year apart (Alderweireld left in 2004 and Vertonghen in 2003).

Their formidable partnership has undoubtedly been one of the cornerstones of Spurs' incredible season. The fact Mauricio Pochettino's side have the equal best defensive record in the Premier League, having only conceded 35 goals, is in large part due to their Belgian

25th April 2016. By Ryan Baldi.
Harry Kane burst into the wider footballing conscience during the latter months of 2014. His blend of physical prowess, devastating finishing ability and keen sense for finding space in the opposition's penalty area, marked him out as a real prospect within the English game. Kane's status as the Premier League's brightest new thing was rubber stamped by a brace in a 5-3 victory over Chelsea on New Year's Day 2015. Seemingly out of nowhere, Tottenham Hotspur had unearthed a gem of a striker.

Following Kane's breakout 2014-15 campaign -- in which he netted 26 goals in all competitions and registered four assists -- many onlookers were quick to write the young Spurs player off as a one season wonder. A player who'd previously shown little sign of such potential surely wouldn't be able to replicate this success

21st April 2016. By Greg Lea.
The Premier League title race is well and truly on. Leicester City's 2-2 draw with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon opened the door for Tottenham Hotspur, who duly took full advantage by thrashing Stoke City 4-0 to move to within five points of the Foxes at the top of the table.

It was an emphatic victory and brilliant showing from Spurs at the Britannia Stadium, particularly as the pressure had been heaped upon them following Leicester's dropped points. The fact that they were able to go away from home and get the win that was necessary underlined their championship credentials; the fact that they did so while playing some sublime football and carving Stoke open at will was even more impressive.

Tottenham were fantastic throughout, clinical in attack and resolute at the back. They created a number of excellent scoring chances, particularly in the second half, and countered with great speed and efficiency without ever leaving themselves

2nd April 2016.
Luis Suarez has enjoyed nothing but success since making the move from Liverpool to Barcelona ahead of the 2014/15 season. In his first campaign with Barca, Suarez won the treble and was a finalist for UEFA's Best Player in Europe Award. He also got to play alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in what many have called one of the best front threes in football history. This season, meanwhile, the Uruguayan striker is duking it out with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo to be the La Liga's top scorer-all while hoping for a second treble in a row for Barcelona.

With all of this success, it would be easy for Suarez to call his time in the Spanish La Liga the highlight of his career. Yet, in