PL 16/17 Predictions Series: Tottenham Hotspur

My new series looks at the participants of the latest Premier League season. For previous posts, see below:

Arsenal, Bournemouth, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Everton, Hull City, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City

Last season
Leicester's biggest challengers for the remainder of the season, Tottenham enjoyed a buoyant 2015/16. With the emergence of young Englishmen Dele Alli and Harry Kane, Spurs found themselves challenging for the title for the majority of the season. However, as it became increasingly obvious that Leicester's momentum was not going to end, Tottenham struggled to see out the season, eventually falling behind their local rivals on the final day.

Backroom setup
After such a strong year last time around, it comes as little surprise that Mauricio Pochettino has been retained as manager, meaning that Spurs have the consistency that many of their rivals lack (if you exclude Arsenal, of course!).

What has changed slightly is where the backroom is going to be for certain matches. While Tottenham look to renovate their current stadium, all home league and cup matches will be played at White Hart Lane, but all Champions League games are to be played across the city at Wembley, providing a few marquee games for the Spurs fans to go and watch.

Pre-season
A very short one, as Spurs chose only to compete in the International Champions Cup. While that does offer them a considerable challenge, and push them against some of the most successful sides in Europe, will that provide the match fitness necessary to maintain the momentum from their 3rd place finish last year?

Regardless, the cup itself can hardly be seen as an overwhelming success for Mauricio Pochettino's men. Beginning with a 2-1 defeat to reigning Serie A champions Juventus, the London side then went down 0-1 to Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid. While the Lily Whites did turn in a much improved performance to destroy Inter Milan 6-1, with goals from Alli, Kane, Lamela, Janssen and Harrison, is one win in three games really a strong return, and the stuff of champions?

Squad and signings
There is not all that much to say on the transfer front either. Comparatively, Spurs have spent far less than any of their main rivals, investing in just two players: Victor Wanyama from Southampton for £11m, and Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar for £17m. While both will strengthen the squad, will that be enough to rival the £150m and nearly £175m that Manchester City and United have spent respectively?

They have, however, managed to retain all of their top talent from last season. While there will have been rumbling surrounding Harry Kane, and I'm sure Pochettino took a few calls about his star man, all of Spurs' key players have remained at the club. This may provide them with a bit of consistency, meaning that they can hit the ground running when the season starts and avoiding that awkward period when a new manager and players look to bed in.

Tactics
I'm not even sure I need to write anything in here, as it's not going to change. Cue fast, attacking football with extensive use of the flying wing-backs Rose and Walker, as well as guile and flair from the likes of Alli, Eriksen and Lamela. Dembele and Dier will provide the perfect foil for the back pairing of Vertonghen and Alderweireld, while Harry Kane will be looking to continue his outstanding scoring streak (if you ignore his woeful Euro 2016!).

Predictions

If last year was a close but no cigar moment, I feel this year will be essentially the same thing but a bit further down. With resurgence promised from all three of City, United and Chelsea, as well as the inevitable fact of Arsenal finishing above them, I can see Spurs narrowly missing out on the top 4, dropping into the much maligned 5th spot and taking their place back in the Europa League.

Final position: 5th

Southampton: Marching In Or Crumbling? The Dreaded Second Season

2012/2013: 14th

Transfer(s) In: Dejan Lovren (Lyon, £8.5 Million), Victor Wanyama (Celtic, £12.5 Million), Pablo Osvaldo (AS Roma, £15 Million)

Transfer(s) Out: Steve De Ridder, Richard Chaplow (Released), Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace, Loan)

Transfers Review:

                                                   Southampton have opted to stay with the core squad that put them safely into mid-table last campaign, choosing to add only 2 higher value players to their roster. In Dejan Lovren, they have added a highly capable central defender, whose pace, strength and technical abilites are all outstanding. He can certainly be the rock that Southampton lacked at the back for times last season. Further forward, Southampton's addition of Victor Wanyama, is, in my opinion, about the most perfect buy they could have made for their side. Full of energy, passing and great vision, the youngster has phenomenal potential, and despite being tracked by Liverpool, Manchester United and a host of other clubs, Southampton have done exceptionally well to persuade the Kenyan to move to St Mary's. More recently, the Saints have shattered their transfer record for a second time this summer, managing to secure striker Pablo Osvaldo from AS Roma for a reported £15 Million. The Italian is a proven goalscorer, and will bring his strength and ability in the air to the South Coast, where I am convinced he will be a success.

                                                     The fact that they have kept hold of other critical players, such as Gaston Ramirez, Rickie Lambert and Luke Shaw, means that they can afford to move for just a couple of higher ticket players in a transfer window. Keeping those big names is also important, as they all played a big role in the Saints' return to the Premier League.

Pre-Season:

                                                      Southampton's pre-season has been fairly ineventful, with only the one pre-season game of note. But at least it everything, to prepare the Saints for every eventuality that they may face in the Premier League. The Saints took the lead after just 7 minutes, with Lallana latching onto a Lambert through ball to finish neatly. They dominated the early stages, but a defensive error from the Saints rear guard meant that it was Sociedad who scored the leveller, with Elustondo the recipiant. Back came Southampton, with Wanyama threading a pass into Schneiderlin to finish well and give the Saints the lead back. But once again they let it slip, in a thrilling opening half hour. Just five minutes after falling behind, Carlos Vela beautifully controlled a through ball and fired beyond the despairing keeper to put the game back to level terms. Even then, the first half scoring wasn't complete. A Southampton corner on half time yielded the fifth goal, with Jos Hooiveld climbing highest to nod home.

                                                     The tempo didn't let up in the second half, causing an open and attractive game. With Southampton leading, the onus was on the Spaniards to come out and attack, and push forward they did. Once again, the Southampton defence seemed incapable to resist, conceding a third goal on the hour mark, as Haris Seferovic fired home to level for the third time. The longer the game went on it seemed inevitable that it would end a draw, but that all changed in the 83rd minute. Jason Puncheon found himself free in the box after a nice move, and he drove the ball home to hand the Saints an excellent and morale-boosting 4-3 victory. The only worries from a Southampton point of view were the injuries sustained to Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw, the latter potentially ruling the young left back out of the early part of the new Premier League season.

Key Players:

                                                      It may well be his last season at the top level, but I still believe that Rickie Lambert has much to give the Saints again this campaign. Having the honour of scoring at all four league levels, the Scouser has found his true home in the Premier League. His power in the air and on the ground makes him an exceptional number 9, even getting him a call up to the England squad for the game last night against Scotland. The goal with his first touch shows that his form is not on the decline, and he can go for a couple of years yet!

                                                        Captain Alan Lallana is also a vital part of the squad on the south coast. Despite his lack of years, he has proven himself to be a superb leader, both on and off the field, and often chips in with valuable goals from midfield. His organisation and motivational skills means that Southampton miss his presence massively when unavailable, and his staying fit aids their push up the table.

Key Fixture Dates:

24/08/2013: Southampton vs Sunderland
15/09/2013: Southampton vs West Ham United
26/10/2013: Southampton vs Fulham
03/12/2013: Southampton vs Aston Villa
14/12/2013: Newcastle vs Southampton
18/01/2014: Sunderland vs Southampton
01/02/2014: Fulham vs Southampton
22/02/2014: West Ham United vs Southampton
29/03/2014: Southampton vs Newcastle
19/04/2014: Aston Villa vs Southampton

Top Goalscorer:

                                                       Whilst Rickie Lambert is crucial to the success of the Southampton side, I actually believe that this is going to be the season where we see Jay Rodriguez come of age. The ex-Burnley man found it difficult initially to acclimatise to life in the Premier League, meaning that he recieved only a handful of appearances, and even less goals in the first half of last season. However, as time continued, the Englishman eventually broke into the Saints side, and I feel that improvement will only continue in the months to come. He may not score more than 10, but I still think that will be enough for the accolade.

Prediction:

                                                          As much as the signings that Southampton have made are good, and the manager Mauricio Pochettino is a promising talent, we have seen the curse of the Second Season Syndrome come back and bite teams. Even last year, QPR fell to the same curse, and I expect Southampton to be the side that feels its effects this time around. Whilst I think they have the squad to resist the dreaded drop, I sense that this will be a season of consolidation and damage-limitation rather than pushing for a top-10 place.

Southampton 2013/2014: 15th