2022/23 Premier League Previews | Tottenham, Antonio Conte and their return to relevance

How well did Tottenham do in the 2021/22 Premier League season?

Considering that Tottenham started the season with Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm, with Harry Kane looking to leave the club and with five losses in their opening ten games, few would have expected them to finish inside the top four. But then Antonio Contജe turned up and the Italian did what he does best, turned the team around and made them into a bonafide challenger. Not everything was perfect but over the next 28 games, Spurs lost just six more times. 

That 🔯on its own is rather impressive but the fact that they managed just five draws out of that, showcases just how far Conte brought them. In the end, the North Lo﷽ndoners finished their Premier League season two points over cross-town rivals Arsenal while finishing in fourth place with 22 wins, 5 draws and 11 losses. Not all bad considering how terribly the season started and to boot, Spurs finished with the four best goals scored record (69) in the league.

Not only that, they did it with the fourth best xG (65.1) with the fourth best xG per 90 (1.71), the third best xA per 90 (1.30), completed the sixth most key ꦡpasses (379), had the sixth best goals per shots on target ratio (0.31) alongside the third be🍬st npxG or non-penalty xG (61.4). That trend continued defensively as they possessed the fourth-best goals against record (40) and the fourth-best PSxG (Post Shot Expected Goals) (38.5).

That was despite the fact that their PSxG+/- (Post-Shot Expected Goals minus goals allowed) of -0.5 which means that Hugo Lloris allowed a half goal more to sneak past him. They also committed the fewest errors leading to a shot (4) but th✨ey committed third most fouls (515), had the fifth worst successful pressure percentage (27.8%) and did it while getting the fou🐲rth most Points Per Match at 1.87.

Improvements they’ve made so far:

Having let Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jack Clarke and Steven Bergwijn leave the club, Tottenham have managed to keep the core of their team int🌳act and in place as all three men were bit part players. But as far as incomings go, Tottenham have done their business sensibly and very early which is very very unlike them and that means Antonio Conte most definitely played a part. Ivan Perisic kicked ൲things off with Fraser Forest, Yves Bissouma, and Richarlison all arriving soon after with Clement Lenglet completing the set.

On paper, all five moves are exactly what Tottenham needed this summer and players who could most definitely take their squad up to another level. Richarlison more than most especially given the fact that he could, theoretically, replace everyon▨e in that front-line. Combine that with Yves Bissouma’s addition in midfield and the arrival of young wing-back Djed Spence, and this cou𝔉ld be an exciting time for Tottenham if things click.

How well could Tottenham do in the 2022/2 Premier League season?

In a hypothetical world, this team could challenge for a title♕ especially when you consider the fact that Antonio Conte has done a lot more with a lot less. But we don’t live in a hypothetical world and thus in the real world, their floor should be a bare minimum of the top four places. That doesn’t mean a title charge is out of the question as Manchester City and Liverpool need a challenger given that Chelsea seem to be in a weird transition state.

Should things go their way, Spurs have enough in them and the manager to help guide them through the tribulations of a said title challenge, but that’s a big🃏 if. The ceiling could be practically anything but the only problem with that is that Spurs will need the other three sides (Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea) to falter anღd make big mistakes. But in a world where Conte explodes, tears through everyone at Tottenham and the team implodes, then their floor could be as low as a top-six place, maybe even top eight.

Then again, that won’t happen or will it?