The year 2022 proved to be a rather eventful one at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As is always the case in the world of Tottenham, it was a rollercoaster of emotions with plenty of highs and lows crammed into 12 months.
So inconsistent at the beginning of the year and falling behind in the top-four race, Spurs did give the fans hope with two incredible stoppage-time wins away at Leicester City and Man City. However, dismal defeats away at Burnley and in the FA Cup at Championship side Middlesbrough brought them crashing back down to earth with an almighty bang and raised question marks about Antonio Conte's future in the process.
Managing to put an end to their erratic form in March and embarking on an incredible run that culminated in a Champions League finish, Spurs looked back to their best with new signings Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski key to their upturn in form. The duo were soon joined by Richarlison in the squad following a big-money summer transfer from Everton, with Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Clement Lenglet, Djed Spence and Fraser Forster also making the move to north London.
READ MORE: Daniel Levy's uncomfortable moment and Antonio Conte's rather hypocritical Tottenham request
Making a positive start to the season before their form started to nosedive midway through October, Tottenham did manage to get themselves out of jail a few times with late winners, including at Marseille in the Champions League which saw them clinch top spot in Group D and set up a Round of 16 showdown against AC Milan. Starting the year so up and down in terms of their form, that's exactly how Tottenham brought 2022 to a close.
So what exactly does 2023 have in store for Tottenham? Our football.london writes have predicted what may happen at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the course of the next 12 months.
Rob Guest - Tottenham Hotspur reporter
Making the worst possible start to 2023 with a dire 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa, all eyes are going to be on Conte and Tottenham in the first month of the new year. Desperately needing some fresh faces to come in through the door, Spurs also have the small matter of taking on Premier League leaders Arsenal and then Man City in the first couple of weeks in January.
Tottenham will strengthen before transfer deadline day but what they do in the winter market may not be enough to please Conte, which could in turn make his pre-match press conference before the Man City home game on Sunday, February 5 rather interesting. The Lilywhites will progress through from the Champions League Round of 16 having beaten AC Milan over two legs, only to then exit the competition in the following round.
Conte's men will go one step further in the FA Cup, with their wretched run in the semi-finals of the famous competition continuing and stopping them from sealing a place in the showpiece finale. In terms of the league, Spurs' inconsistency will prove decisive and see them miss out on a top-four finish as Man City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool all finish ahead of them.
That will culminate in Conte and the club going their separate ways at the end of the season, with the Italian returning to his family in his home country after 18 months in north London. Having spent a grand total of 72 days looking for a manager two years ago as Nuno Espirito Santo was finally named as Jose Mourinho's successor, Spurs don't take as long this time around as Mauricio Pochettino makes his return to the club, with Ryan Mason immediately joining his backroom team.
Now in charge of another "painful" rebuild at the club, the Argentine makes some key changes and has his team playing some attractive football as they push towards the top towards the end of the year. As just was the case with 2022, 2023 will be full of highs and lows.
Lee Wilmot - Head of football
The best thing Tottenham can hope for this season now is to scrape into the top four and win the FA Cup. But after a draw at Brentford and defeat at home to Aston Villa, where Spurs looked completely bereft of ideas, those prospects look pretty slim.
The January transfer window will tell us everything we need to know about the second half of the season. Will Daniel Levy back Antonio Conte, or is the end nigh for the Italian who very rarely stays in one place for any long period of time?
Conte will guide Tottenham to the FA Cup final, where we'll lose, probably to Man City and after a scrappy win over AC Milan, Spurs will exit the Champions League at the quarter-final stage. Fifth place will be secured on the final day of the season, missing out on the top four and therefore bringing Europa League nights back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The relationship between chairman and manager is not going to get any better and Conte will not stay past the end of the season as a result, with everything ending in tears, as it often does with Conte. Mauricio Pochettino will return, sooner than expected and Spurs will rebuild (again) and bounce back (again). And the Spurs cycle will begin again. Probably without Harry Kane.
Kieran Horn - Audience writer
With Manchester United's renaissance under Erik ten Hag and Newcastle's rampant start to the season, two teams who finished below Spurs last season, the chance of a top-four finish for Antonio Conte and Spurs appears to be dwindling away. There are still more than 20 games to play for many clubs, but unless a significant mini-overhaul is completed in January to improve the squad, there are at this moment in time, four teams in a far better position than Spurs.
The length and timing of injuries hasn't helped Conte and Spurs, but that can only be an excuse in the short-term. On paper, the players Tottenham have should be good enough to beat Brentford and Aston Villa, but instead Spurs are coming away from those games with just one point.
Ten games in a row Conte has helplessly watched on as his team have conceded first and there is certainly a breaking point for every man and it's possible if things continue in this way, Conte could reach his. The Italian signed an 18-month deal in November 2021, with Spurs able to extend that deal by another year, although the club are far more in favour of Conte signing a new long-term deal instead of the extension being activated.
However, as a manager known for his short stints at clubs, unless he is shown more backing in the immediate, he could push for an exit from north London.
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Franck Kessie, Tete and Antonio Conte's two Tottenham January transfer window priorities
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