All or Nothing and Spurs made sure they took it all
It was a day when Tottenham Hotspur took Eric Dier's pre-match words and proved him right.
The centre-back was asked ahead of the game at Norwich about that word 'Spursy' and he responded: "I see other teams go through situations but there isn’t a word for them. We can shake it off on Sunday and then next year we’ll have a result and it will be back. In the time I’ve been here, we’ve had incredible highs where the club has never been before and then two days later that will come back after a certain result. It will always be there. We’ve got to enjoy that pressure, prepare as well as possible and use it as a wind at our back instead of in our face."
He's not wrong and on Sunday at Carrow Road, there was a certain irony that while the rest of the Premier League was involved in twists, turns and drama aplenty, Tottenham just went about their job with little fuss and not even a moment's concern despite the enormity of what was at stake for them. Perhaps Spursy is starting to mean something else.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte and Tottenham's exciting transfer plans to back their head coach this summer
They never looked in danger at Norwich and made the Premier League's bottom team look exactly that. It was only Tim Krul in the Canaries' goal who prevented more than five of the visitors 13 shots on target going past him.
This was a Spurs moulded in Antonio Conte's image. It was all about getting the job done and then after that helping Son Heung-min reach his own deserved Golden Boot.
Dier epitomises the change under Conte, having found a consistency to his performances under a head coach who believes he's one of the best defenders in the Premier League and one that can still get much better.
"He changed everything from the moment he came in," Dier admitted. "There is a different work ethic in the building, a different discipline. He has incredible experience and you feed off his personality, his confidence in his work. It’s hard not to believe it yourself because he has so much belief in what he does. Training, meetings and matches are 100%. What has surprised me is that outside of that he is very approachable, very easy to speak with. He likes to have a laugh."
There's also plenty of irony in the fact that Arsenal's turn at Amazon's All or Nothing documentary series will end with Spurs finishing ahead of them in fourth place and making it six consecutive years of ending the season above the Gunners. It's a better ending for Tottenham than when they were the subject of the series two seasons ago.
For Spurs this was a day when they ignored what was happening elsewhere and they did the job asked of them with another heavy scoreline in their favour. For a man who has won so much in his career, even Conte was left proudly reflecting on the change he has helped instigate in just seven months at Tottenham.
"I have to be honest, I think it [finishing fourth] is one of the most important achievements in my career," the head coach told Sky Sports. "Sometimes it's not only when you lift a trophy to be satisfied, I think we reached the maximum level that we dreamed of in November because then the situation was not so good for many reasons.
"The club changed the coach and with injuries we tried to find the good solution. I think we've done a really good job and for me this is a big achievement in a league that is very difficult because here you find the best players and best coaches. I'm happy even though I didn't lift any trophy this season."
Conte told football.london that the club's return to the Champions League takes them to the land all of them dream of.
"If we come back to the past, yes it was very very difficult to explain this [outcome] about Tottenham, but we are enjoying a lot what we did and for me I didn't lift a trophy this season like in the past but if I have to be honest and see the path and the difficulty to come in since November in a difficult situation with a team that was struggling a lot in a difficult league like the Premier League," he said.
"It's very very difficult - to reach a place in Champions League I have to consider this a really big, big achievement for me and for my players, and also the club consider this a big achievement for after three years Tottenham is able to play again in Champions League.
"For us it's very important because the best players, the best coaches want to play in this competition, for this trophy. We must be pleased for what we did."
He's right. Spurs were seven points adrift of the top four after that defeat at Burnley in February and looked out of the race. Conte snarled, he threatened to leave and Tottenham proceeded to win 10 of their remaining 14 matches in the Premier League.
Tottenham dared, dreamed and they did for Conte but it must be only the start.
Sonny's dream
There was a moment late in the game when the Spurs fans were singing their Son Heung-min chant, itself formerly an ode to Cyril Knowles. The Tottenham away faithful, who were magnificent themselves once again, had just heard of Mohamed Salah's goal at Anfield and in response they belted out 'Nice one Sonny, nice one Son, nice one Sonny, let's have another one'.
In the end, Spurs' South Korean star did not need another one as with 23 goals he ended up sharing the Golden Boot with the Egyptian, even if at times on Sunday it did not seem like the trophy - one of two readied at both Carrow Road and Anfield - would be required.
Krul looked determined to spoil Son's day with a string of close range saves. Harry Kane in particular, who himself had gone from scoring once in his first 13 games to netting 16 in his last 24, looked desperate to set up his strike partner and add to his own nine assists.
One-on-ones and point blank shots went begging for Son, but his team-mates were not going to allow him to end the day without the Golden Boot. With the result secure they all began passing to him in key positions.
Dejan Kulusevski was looking to set up Son, even in one moment when he rounded Krul but the Swede made a mess of his pass as he got his feet in a tangle.
Attacking players Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn came off the bench telling the Korean star that they were going to help him and it was the former who did so on 70 minutes.
The Brazilian laid the ball off to Son with a lovely touch on the spin on the edge of the Norwich box and the Spurs forward buried his shot inside the right-hand post.
It got even better five minutes later when Son picked up a loose ball outside the penalty area, cut inside and curled a trademark beautiful shot into the net.
That goal sparked pandemonium as Son ran to leap into his close friend Ben Davies' arms and the Welshman span him on the floor so his ecstatic team-mates could swarm over him before Lucas picked him up in the air in front of the travelling Tottenham faithful.
Salah would end up grabbing that scruffy goal at Anfield to share the Golden Boot but it did not detract from the remarkable season Son has had.
The Spurs man scored 23 Premier League goals in 35 matches - not a penalty among them - and laid on nine assists for others.
"It’s incredible to have this award. I can’t believe it. I got really emotional. I dreamed of it as a child. Literally it’s my in hands. I can’t believe it," he told the BBC after the game. "Until my goal I was really frustrated that I missed big chances. I told the players I missed the easiest chances and scored one of the toughest tones. I didn’t give up. I wanted to score today. The team helped me a lot at half-time. They wanted to help me, you could see it today.
"This season was a great lesson. Next season we can look forward to the Champions League. Everyone deserves to be there. Conte gives us so many different things. Before he came here nobody believed we’d reach the Champions League."
Conte was delighted with the manner in which Son's own personal target was achieved after the job was done for the team.
"You know very well what I said during my press conference, I said ok, but before we need to get a place in the Champions League, then if there is the possibility to help Sonny to become top scorer in the league then we are very happy," the Spurs boss told football.london.
"He scored twice and he could have scored more, but at the same time I want to underline the big effort the team did for Sonny. To see this I really appreciated the will, the desire of the team-mates to help him become top scorer. It means that there is a great atmosphere in the dressing room. It means the players are really good people, not only good players. We were good to match today these two targets, to get a place in the Champions League and for Sonny to win the Golden Boot."
He added: "It's a magnificent achievement for him. I think Sonny felt a bit of pressure to reach this achievement but we are very happy for him. Today we had two targets. The first was to get into the Champions League and then to try to help Sonny to become top scorer and so we're very happy."
After the game Dier mocked the PFA Player of the Year nominations, which bewilderingly did not include Son, with the simple tweet of '23 goals (no pens)' with a Gif of Jim Carrey using two glasses as binoculars.
Son has been a constant for Tottenham this season and since December, there were only seven out of the 24 Premier League matches he played in that he didn't score or provide an assist in.
There's a feeling that in the past Son's achievements at Spurs and being one of the best players in the Premier League are sometimes overshadowed by Kane's efforts or it's all about their partnership rather than the South Korean as an individual.
This season Son showed that he's a star in his own right and he was Tottenham's best player across this campaign by a long way. In fact Son is one of the best players in world football now and frighteningly for defenders everywhere he can still get even better.
The January duo
It's a touchy subject down the road on the other side of north London but January 31st might just have been the day Spurs secured fourth place in the Premier League.
Conte's transformation of the team in white has been crucial but the signings of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski on deadline day of the January transfer window ended up being pivotal to Spurs' surge up the table.
Arsenal fans believe their own club's inability to strengthen during that window was their costliest mistake and that Tottenham's two signings proved the difference.
They may well be right because it's difficult to think of a double deal that has made such an impact on Tottenham, particularly in the January transfer window.
In one fell swoop, the signings of the Uruguayan and Swede from Juventus destroyed any notion that it's too difficult to improve your squad in the mid-season window.
Both players have taken to the Premier League with ease and both perfectly fit everything Conte demands and the way Tottenham want to play football. It's fitting that the final match of the season brought two big moments for each player.
Just seven days previously, Bentancur was limping heavily down the tunnel, albeit with a big smile on his face, after the win against Burnley. At Norwich, the limp was gone and he ran the show. His movement was key to both of Tottenham's opening goals.
First he played the ball to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and sprinted up the pitch for the return ball, taking the Dane's lofted pass into his stride with a delightful touch and then he looked up for Kulusevski with a calmly weighted pass behind the returning defenders for the Swede to stroke home.
Spurs' second goal came via the anticipation of Bentancur as he cut out Krul's kick with a first time cross for Harry Kane to head home.
It's important to realise just how much of a bargain the deal for Bentancur is. He was signed from Juventus for just £16.1m (19m euros), which is payable within three years, and there are add-ons of £5m (6m euros) if other objectives are met.
To put that into context, Bentancur is only 24-years-old, yet has won the Serie A title three times - crucial in Juventus' last title win - and has lifted the Copa Italia twice and also won the Primera Division twice in Argentina.
He is an experienced winner and he has not yet reached his peak. He has also brought more out of others around him as they trust him with the ball in tight situations. Hojbjerg has improved in the second half of the campaign with some big performances in big matches, safe in the knowledge that the composed Bentancur has got his back if he decides to run up the pitch.
Oliver Skipp, at just 21, hasn't even played alongside Bentancur because of his injury and it's exciting to think what the talented young midfielder will learn from his minutes alongside the Uruguayan next season.
Then there is Kulusevski. Just 22 himself, his impact on the Premier League has been remarkable, with 13 direct goal involvements in 18 matches, scoring five and laying on eight assists.
He was only five off Salah's 13 assists in the league despite joining the competition just four months ago.
The Swede's two goals at Carrow Road summed him up perfectly. A winger who has a poacher's instinct, getting in the right place to fire home Spurs' first goal but with incredible technique as his second strike was a delightful curling effort to rival Son's second as the goal of the day.
Bentancur and Kulusevski are the perfect examples of how to get transfers right at Tottenham and also tick every box required by both Conte and Spurs. They are players for the now but also for the future and both can be important stars for the club for years to come.
Taking advantage this summer
Once again Eric Dier said it best this week when he summed up on Sunday what Tottenham must do this summer.
"I think the club needs to take advantage of this moment, take advantage of this team and this manager," he said. "It's in the club's hands now. We've done our job and now it's the club's job this summer to do the best work they can. I'm sure they'll try to do the best they can to put us in a position next season for us and the manager to continue to push on and get better and better.
"It's not just investment. The club has a lot of room for improvement in many different areas. Everyone always points to investment but that's just one part of it. There's many areas we can improve and we need everyone to be going in the same direction. The players and the manager are. I'm sure the club will do the best they can as well."
There can be no clearer message to the chairman Daniel Levy that now is the moment for the club to push on. Captain Hugo Lloris, who registered 16 Premier League clean sheets this season, was of a similar frame of mind when speaking after the match.
"Now we need to use this feeling, we need to use this moment to become bigger and stronger and come back next season with more ambition," he said.
"I believe [Conte] knows exactly what he wants and needs. I believe there is huge confidence. It's just about making decisions together now. I'm a player, we're going to switch off from the club. We still have international duties but now it belongs to the main protagonists to make the right decisions, to prepare for next season as well as we can. Then we'll come back with desire and ambition."
As football.london reported on Sunday after the match, Spurs are planning to back Conte fully in the transfer market this summer to ensure the Italian's ambitions can be achieved at the club.
Tottenham's managing director of football Fabio Paratici wants to assemble a squad capable of competing with the Premier League's best. Those inside the club are excited about what will come from Conte's first pre-season and the head coach and Paratici working in tandem to improve Spurs' squad and build on their first January transfer window together.
There is a desire to get new faces through the door in time to take part in that gruelling pre-season as well as an acceptance that the club's policy of only signing young players with resale value will have to be parked if the right older players come along.
Paratici's experience of utilising the free agent market will also help fill out a squad with ready-made top players while leaving funds for the priority positions.
The money will be made available even though Spurs do have to sort out almost £100m in transfer fees for players already at the club.
Both Kulusevski and Cristian Romero's loan moves will quickly be made permanent at a cost of near £70m between them, although it's worth pointing out that those fees need not be paid in one go. For example, the Kulusevski deal with Juventus gives Tottenham five financial years in which to pay off his permanent fee.
There is also Sergio Reguilon. His deal in the summer of 2019 was as close to being a two-year loan with an obligation to buy as you can get without it actually being a loan. In essence it was a permanent deal but with the fee payable in two years' time.
Spurs must pay around £28m for the Spaniard, although with Conte preferring Ryan Sessegnon on the left, it could be that the north London club look to sell Reguilon in order to offset his own cost. The player is understood to be happy at Tottenham but that might change if it becomes clear he is not first choice.
Money will be easier to come by for Spurs this season. They have finally been able to spend a full campaign reaping the benefits of their new stadium and all of the different revenue streams that come through it on matchdays but also outside events.
Tottenham fans only concerned about the football may mock the Lady Gaga and Guns N' Roses concerts, the Anthony Joshua fight, the NFL games, rugby matches and corporate events, but all the funds received for those roll back into the club and creates a more stable financial platform for Spurs after the problems of the pandemic.
Spurs wrapping their pandemic losses up into a £250m long-term 'institutional fund' last summer with an average tenure of more than 20 years also put the club into a strong position and of course the inclusion of Champions League football and that major revenue stream adds to it all.
Then there are those long-awaited stadium naming rights. Spurs' chief financial officer Todd Kline spoke about those in a recent appearance at SportsPro Live.
He said he was "happy" and "excited" with where the club is in the process, which he described as having had "as many twists and turns as I would have expected", and he explained the difficulties in making sure such a big, long-term deal is the right one.
"It was really challenging for lots of people who came before me in the environment of not being able to bring people to see and experience the wonder that is that stadium," he said.
"I’ll admit, I’m a stadium geek. I love arenas. I love stadiums. I love clubs. I love seeing them all. And that one is really special. And the reality is that you need people to experience how special it can be. So the world opening up, travel opening up, getting people into the building and really understanding the value that you can provide a brand has been critical.
"We’re running a process. It’s been a rewarding process. We’ve met some amazing people throughout it and I think we’ll land on the right partner for the right venue, and sometimes in doing complicated deals, sometimes patience is the move."
If that patience is rewarded this summer than that will only further arm Tottenham with the financial weaponry to build Conte's new squad.
There are expected to be plenty of outgoings with the Italian to be given the lead role in deciding what he wants Spurs to look like next season, having earned the respect of all within the corridors of Hotspur Way.
Conte, who returned to Italy on Monday to spend well-earned time with his wife Elisabetta and daughter Vittoria, will return for his post-season meeting with Levy and Paratici without the emotions of the season finale coursing through him.
Spurs were very honest with Conte when he first joined about the financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic, but following a full season in front of the crowds, the Champions League qualification and Conte's eye-catching transformation of the club behind the scenes, this follow-up meeting is expected to be one of looking forward with excitement.
Conte will be demanding. He has asked for plenty from bigger clubs than Tottenham and been unhappy with the outcome. While Levy is not a man who will ever be held to ransom, he will recognise as a businessman that this is the moment to speculate to accumulate, particularly as others will bolster this summer to keep up with the elite and to respond to the new five substitutions rule.
Spurs cannot compete in the Champions League with the threadbare squad they had this season. Conte must be able to look at the bench and see similar levels of quality to his starting XI, something he has not been able to do throughout this campaign even without injuries.
Levy's legacy at Tottenham is that stadium and the training ground, but it can be so much more. In Conte he has the man to make that happen.
In January, the Italian said there was an "important gap" between Spurs and Chelsea. Just fourth months later and Tottenham finished the season only three points behind his old team.
That was all achieved with just two new signings and a lot a work behind the scenes. Just think what can be done with everyone following Conte's path this summer from the top of the club to the bottom.
As Dier stated perfectly: "The club needs to take advantage of this moment, this team and this manager."
