Tottenham 2021/22 season review: Antonio Conte does the impossible | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur completed one of the more remarkable runs to the top four with Antonio Conte showing his class on the touchline.

Questions though, still remain.

Competition breakdown

Premier League – 4th

“I know how much Nuno and his coaching staff wanted to succeed, and I regret that we have had to take this decision.

“Nuno is a true gentleman and will always be welcome here. We should like to thank him and his coaching staff and wish them well for the future.”

That was Fabio Paratici on November 1, 2021 – the day that Tottenham’s season really began.

Nuno had been Spurs’ seventh choice for the job and he lasted just 17 games before he was sacked with the club in eighth place.

Spurs went all out to hire Antonio Conte and the Italian was announced just one day later.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing in his six months in charge – the defeat to Burnley in January springs to mind – but Conte completed his mission for the season and got Spurs into the Champions League.

A truly remarkable feat of coaching from one of the very best.

Conference League – Group stage

Tottenham’s early season woes were summed up by their ignominious exit from the Europa Conference League.

Arguably the worst defeat in the club’s history came away at Slovenian side Mura before a Covid cancellation meant Rennes were awarded a 3-0 win and Spurs were kicked out of the competition at the group stage.

FA Cup – Fifth round

Morecambe and Brighton were both beaten 3-1 as Tottenham eyed an end to their trophy drought with a first FA Cup since 1991.

Chris Wilder’s Middlesbrough had other ideas though, and unceremoniously dumped the north London side out of the competition at the fifth round stage.

EFL Cup – Semi-final

Tottenham had dispatched Wolves, Burnley and West Ham to reach the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Antonio Conte’s side however were totally outclassed in their two-legged semi-final against Chelsea, losing 3-0 on aggregate.

Player of the season: Heung-min Son

Harry Kane may scoff but this has been the season that Heung-min Son has come out of the Englishman’s shadow and showed just why he’s considered one of the very best forwards on the planet.

There’s not a team in the world that wouldn’t want Son in their starting XI and this term the South Korean international has been at the heart of everything Spurs have done well.

The 29-year-old has been involved in 49 per cent of all their goals in the top flight, which really says it all.

Game of the season: Man City 2-3 Tottenham

After three defeats in a row at the end of January, Tottenham were staring down the barrel of their European ambitions when they travelled to Manchester City on February 19.

What followed was one of the most dramatic matches of the entire campaign.

City thought they had claimed a late equaliser thanks to Riyad Mahrez’s stoppage time penalty but Harry Kane’s 95th minute winner kickstarted a Spurs revival.

Top goalscorer: Heung-min Son

Scoring goals in the currtent Liverpool side is, let’s be honest, pretty straightforward.

Scoring goals for Tottenham this season though, is anything but.

And yet, Heung-min Son has kept pace with Mohamed Salah this season and totalled 23 goals in 35 appearances.

A remarkable achievement from a remarkable player.

Rising star: Alfie Devine

Tottenham’s top goalscorer in Premier League 2 this season with 10, England’s captain at Under-18 level and Spurs’ youngest ever player and goalscorer.

The future is bright for Alfie Devine and next term could be the year he goes stratospheric.

What comes next?

Despite having guided Tottenham to an unlikely fourth place and Champions League football, doubts still remain as to Antonio Conte’s long-term future at the club.

Links of a move to Paris Saint-Germain just won’t go away but if the Italian does decide to stay then surely Spurs have everything in their locker to challenge for at least one trophy next season.

The coach will almost certainly ask for financial backing in the summer but as long as they manage to keep hold of Kane and Son, Tottenham really can dream of a bright future.