Tottenham Continue to Show Promise in Late-Season Victories

The Premier League season is over, and Tottenham's late-season flurry leaves them in an interesting position.

Having risen to the fifth spot, Spurs were able to confirm their place in the Europa League group stage and finish above both Liverpool and Southampton. 

This is an achievement that is worth recognising. Both were, at times, excellent sides that seemed to be contending for the top four and Champions League football. 

In a season that always had to be one of rebuilding and preparing for later campaigns, Spurs have arguably exceeded expectations. 

Fifth place and a cup final, albeit a losing one to a bitter rival, is a very solid season. 

The 1-0 match against Everton was a great sendoff to a season that has been difficult to analyse at times. 

That Spurs could, on the final day of the season, beat the blue men of Merseyside and move above the red ones is probably the clearest indication of their progress under Mauricio Pochettino. 

Liverpool fell agonizingly short of the league title last season, while Everton were a revelation under Roberto Martinez. Both finished comfortably ahead of Spurs in that campaign but troubles with European competition, injuries and some bad luck have conspired against them. 

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Spurs have been there before and were far better equipped to absorb those problems and survive. 

Their young team were excellent in patches against Everton, and Harry Kane simply had to be the man to score the goal. 

Kane's remarkable season has been the highlight, and his delightful header against the Toffees was simply another example of how good he is.

Having passed potential in mid-winter, Kane is now one of the Premier League's best strikers.

Eric Dier, the man who fired in the assist for Kane's goal, has been a revelation in his first year with Spurs. Before this campaign, Dier was the answer to a trivia question about English players playing abroad, but now, he is one of Tottenham's best players and continuing to show great promise. 

Ryan Mason, the local boy who few expected to ever make a first-team impression, has become an England player this season, and he continues to show his place in the team is based on merit. 

Pochettino has proven himself a manager who selects his team on that basis, and his reliance on younger players ahead of more established ones has helped Spurs develop an identity. 

Nabil Bentaleb is central to what Pochettino's team can become. Still just 20, Bentaleb has shown incredible poise and looked entirely at home in a Premier League midfield. Alongside Mason (23), Kane (21), Dier (21) and Christian Eriksen (23), Bentaleb is part of an outstanding young core. 

At their best, Spurs have been bright and exciting. Victories over Chelsea and Arsenal at the turn of the year should be the blueprint for Tottenham's next campaign.

Those performances showed the aggression for which Pochettino's Southampton side were renowned. 

Perhaps fans hoped Spurs would immediately become that kind of team after Pochettino was appointed, but it took most of this first campaign for him to identify which players could adapt to the system and how he needed to adapt his approach. 

Spurs now have a style of play and a group of players they know they can rely on. They face a seismic transfer window and, with the right tweaks, could push their way into one of the Champions League places next season. 

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There are flaws in Pochettino's team. The defence is still cause for alarm, and the potential exit of Hugo Lloris is the ever-present sword of Damocles, but if the club can navigate those difficult waters, they will emerge as a team with huge potential. 

Their core is established, and if they can build around their young stars, there is every reason to believe they can grow into a contender.

Only Manchester City and Crystal Palace matched Spurs with back-to-back wins to end the season. Consecutive clean sheets, too, send Spurs into this summer in the best way possible. 

The positivity around the club now will help in the long weeks of summer. 

This season had to be a transitional one. 

Pochettino has exceeded any reasonable expectations in his first campaign, but next term, there will be far more pressure. 

Spurs are in position to be the breakout team next season. Expectations will rise, but the fans have every reason for optimism.