It is always interesting to see the outcome of each club’s Player of the Year awards at the end of the season.
Supporters who watch their teams week in, week out are often best placed to judge who has been the standout performer across the whole campaign, while there is often less of a bias towards attacking players than in the Premier League-wide prizes handed out by the Professional Footballers’ and Football Writers’ Associations.
Tottenham Hotspur appear to have more contenders than most for their club’s accolade in a season in which they have surprised everyone by launching a sustained challenge for the title.
Monday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea ended their hopes of lifting the trophy, but it has still been a fantastic year for Mauricio Pochettino and his players, who remain on course to secure the club’s first top-two finish in over half a century.
While Tottenham’s success this season has largely been based on a strong collective, there have been some terrific individual contributions.
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Captain Hugo Lloris has turned in some brilliant performances between the posts, while vice-captain Jan Vertonghen has been far more consistent and reliable in the heart of the backline.
Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies have impressed at full-back to varying degrees, providing the width that allows the likes of Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela to drift inside from the wide positions. Those two attacking players have also been important, Eriksen offering a dash of creativity and invention, Lamela setting the tempo for Tottenham’s pressing game with his ferocious work rate and application.
The five main contenders for the award, though, are Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Toby Alderweireld.
Kane, the Premier League’s top scorer with 25 goals, has proved to be more than a one-season wonder after his magnificent breakthrough in 2014/15.
The England international, 22, has been even better this season, linking up with teammates to greater effect and establishing himself as one of the most clinical finishers in the league.
The emergence of fellow youngsters Dier and Alli has been equally remarkable. Dier, 22, spent last season playing at right-back and centre-half but has been a revelation in a holding midfield role this year. Meanwhile Ali, 20, has exploded onto the scene since moving to White Hart Lane last summer, making the jump from League One to the Premier League seem insignificant.
Dembele, 28, has a great deal more experience under his belt than the aforementioned trio, but he too has exceeded expectations.
After making just 10 league starts last season, the Belgian midfielder has been an essential part of Tottenham’s season. Dembele has frequently powered his side forward from the centre of the park, his blend of strength, energy and dribbling capabilities making him vital to a team that likes to play on the front foot and with a high tempo.
Perhaps the leading candidate, however, is Alderweireld, the centre-back signed from Atletico Madrid last summer who has made such a difference to Tottenham’s defensive record.
Last season, Pochettino’s team conceded more goals than 13 teams in the Premier League — including relegated Hull City — with their backline breached on 53 occasions. Fast forward a year and the statistics tell a completely different story: no side has conceded fewer goals than Tottenham (28) after 36 matches.
The presence of Alderweireld is one of the major factors behind the transformation, the former Southampton loanee bringing a calming presence to Tottenham’s defence. His distribution has also been important, Alderweireld regularly launching attacks from the back and even recording two assists, more than every other centre-back in the top flight but Damien Delaney.
He would be a worthy winner of what is sure to be a hotly-contested Player of the Year award.
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