After ups and downs during the first half of the season, Tottenham will be looking to find some consistency and claim a top-four spot in the Premier League.
Since 2023 began, Spurs have failed to break back into the Premier League top four, winning three and losing three games as Antonio Conte's side struggle for form. Harry Kane has been a saviour at times for Spurs this season with the striker scoring 17 league goals so far as the Lilywhite sit in fifth, one point behind Newcastle United.
There was plenty of activity at Spurs in the January transfer window, with Pedro Porro, Arnaut Danjuma and Jude Soonsup-Bell all signing. Djed Spence, Bryan Gil and Harvey White all departed on loan deals last month, whilst Matt Doherty had his contract terminated to allow a move to Atletico Madrid.
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So, could Tottenham find some consistency and cement a spot in the Premier League top four this season? Let's take a look.
We simulated the remainder of Spurs' 2022/23 Premier League season
We used the Football Manager 2023 editor to update all teams, managers and playing squads of all Premier League teams, whilst also using the Football Manager 2023 editor to replicate the current Premier League table as it is in real life. We then simulated from February 9 until the end of the season in-game.
In the remaining 16 games of the season, Spurs lost just twice which sounds like the second half of the season must have been a raging success. But it was actually the opposite, with the Lilywhites winning just five games and drawing nine as Conte was sacked and Spurs finished fifth.
A run of eight draws in a row between the beginning of March and the end of April saw Conte sacked, with the Italian being replaced after the sixth consecutive draw. Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim was appointed as the new boss, and in his first seven games in charge, Spurs won three, drew two and lost two.
Frustratingly, Spurs' inconsistent end to the season earned themselves a fifth-placed finish, finishing just two points behind Newcastle in fourth and one ahead of Brighton in fifth. Kane continued his fine scoring form as he finished runner-up in the golden boot race with 25 goals, whilst Dejan Kulusevski scored in each of Spurs' last seven games to end the campaign in 11 Premier League goals.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Spurs XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is how the best Spurs XI looked in 2022/23 according to FM23.
Full Spurs best XI (3-4-3): Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Dier; Porro, Hojbjerg, Bissouma, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
After returning from injury, Fraser Forster kept Hugo Lloris out of the side with some impressive performances, earning the keeper his spot in the Spurs best XI for the season. January signing Porro was included in the squad, whilst Rodrigo Bentancur missed out to Yves Bissouma in midfield after missing most of the second half of the season with a consistent thigh issue.
After a 1-0 loss against AC Milan in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg, a Kulusevski hat-trick secured Spurs' spot in the next round, beating the Italian side 3-2 on aggregate. Amorim's side faced another Italian side in Napoli in the quarter-finals, but that's where their run ended, with the Serie A leaders beating Spurs 2-1 over the two legs.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Spurs could just miss out on the Premier League top four in the second half of the season, with Antonio Conte being replaced due to a nine-game winless run in the Premier League that ultimately cost them a Champions League spot for the following season.
Would you be happy with this outcome for Spurs at the end of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign? Let us know in the comments below!
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