Tottenham Hotspur's season so far: A quiet revolution in N17

A look at how Spurs have fared at the mid-season point, and what they need to push on

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The season so far

Surprisingly chilled, especially given the meltdown happening elsewhere in the club.

Half a season in, Spurs have exactly the same points (20) as they accrued across the whole season last year. They are currently fifth, just two points below the Champions League places and five above the team in sixth. This is a pretty astonishing start for a team that ended last season one place above relegation and then brought in just two new players in the summer. All the more so given an increasingly long injury list – three players, including two starters, are out with ACLs; another has a long-term knee injury, and three more are currently out with indefinite return dates.

It is rare to describe any WSL team as consistent, especially a team outside of the big four. But across the first half of the season the outcome of every Spurs game has been directly correlated with the league position of their opponents: they lost heavily to City, who currently top the league; lost more narrowly to Chelsea, currently second; drew with Arsenal and United, lying third and fourth; and recorded wins against all the bottom six teams. Only the away loss to London City Lionesses, currently one place below Spurs, falls slightly outside this pattern.

The consistency was repeated in the League Cup, with Spurs winning against WSL2 sides, beating Aston Villa on penalties, and then losing to United.

In some of these games Spurs have ridden their luck. But to call Spurs’ season so far lucky ignores the overall pattern. Taking these games together, it is increasingly clear that under Martin Ho Spurs have become a team that maximises the opportunities available.