One era ended, and another one began at Spurs during the chaotic 2019-20 season. Despite the changes, several players stood out as club players of the year.
It seemed that fans of Tottenham Hotspur had not suffered enough. They had years of their club getting close to winning a trophy only to fall short. Now, Spurs were seeking the biggest prize in Europe in the Champions League Final in Madrid.
On the first of June last year, Mauricio Pochettino led his team on to the pitch after a remarkably thrilling journey to reach the final. Now, they could see the trophy that had filled the hopes and dreams of the players and fans.
In just 24 seconds, the dream faded.
A pass from Liverpool’s Sadio Mané struck the arm of Moussa Sissoko in the penalty area. A minute later, Mohamed Salah drilled the penalty kick home putting the Reds up 1-0.
Tottenham went on to lose the match 2-0. For Pochettino, it was the beginning of the end of the road as the manager of Spurs.
Amid a free-fall that was brought on by team stagnation and exhaustion, the Argentine manager was let go during the November international break.
He was replaced by the legend turned television pundit, José Mourinho. The Portuguese “super manager” had been dumped by Manchester United a year previously and had missed coaching more than maybe life itself.
Jose Mourinho: "I want to train, and I am desperate for the Premier League to return as soon as it is safe to do so, particularly now we are seeing other leagues preparing to return to action." ⌚ pic.twitter.com/X90NI1BXyV
— GOAL (@goal) May 14, 2020
José was able to pull Spurs out of the spin cycle and guided them from 14th to 8th place in the Premier League table. At the pause of play, Tottenham had won eight, drawn three, and lost six in league play under their new “special” boss.
In a season fraught with disappointment and flickering hopes, Tottenham still had many stand-out performers.