With 2022 coming to a close, it is as good of a time as any to reflect on the year that has passed.
Just as my colleague Mitch has done (read his piece here), below are my personal picks of the best and worst that Tottenham Hotspur has served up in 2022.
Omar’s Player of the Year: Harry Kane
Although I was tempted to go with Heung-min Son, given that the goals that won him the golden boot helped secure us Champions League, a lot of those goals were created by Harry Kane, who for me has been a more consistent performer than Son in 2022.
He recovered from a wretched start to last season to smash in the goals from the advent of 2022, and although he has not looked quite right at times this season, he is our top goalscorer in the league with 13 goals and has bailed us out many a time so far this season.
Omar’s Young Player of the Year (under 23): Dejan Kulusevski
Who else? Kulusevski has been sensational since his deadline day arrival from Juventus in January, and his dribbling and devastating left foot have been an irresistible asset up top with Kane and Son. Deservedly won the Swedish Ballon d’Or earlier this week and his return from injury has been a timely boost to a side that had stuttered its way to the international break. Here’s hoping he kicks us on to new heights in 2023.
Omar’s Moment of the year: Harry Kane’s penalty vs Burnley in May
Not a glamorous moment, like Kane’s late header at the Etihad, or Bergwijn’s winner at Leicester, or even the glorious North London derby in May, but one that has been long forgotten despite its importance.
With Burnley in town on a sunny Sunday afternoon fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table, Spurs were set to endure a tough afternoon against the Clarets, running into constant claret and blue brick walls despite needing a win to leapfrog Arsenal in the battle for the final Champions League spot.
When VAR intervened to award Spurs a controversial penalty after a handball by Ashley Barnes, the white half of North London held its collective breath when Kane stepped up to slam the ball past Nick Pope from the penalty spot.
This gave Spurs the precious advantage that they held on to from that moment until the end of the season, securing Champions League football at the Gunners’ expense.
Omar’s Unsung Hero: Ben Davies
This was a tough one to give, given the amount of ‘unsung heroes’ in our team. Eric Dier gets too much stick for me, which makes him an unsung hero of sorts, and if it wasn’t for his injury at Villa Park in April, Matt Doherty would be in for a shout. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur get enough plaudits from our fans now to the point where I’d hardly call them unsung, so that leaves me with Ben Davies.
Even though we consistently get linked with sexier, more glamorous left-footed continental centre-backs, such as Alessandro Bastoni, Josko Gvardiol, or Pierro Hincapie, Davies has done nothing wrong and filled in impeccably in the left centre-back slot when many had genuinely written him off.
He has also netted in crucial victories over Newcastle, Bournemouth, and Leeds, bringing a goal threat that the rest of our defenders lack, and I look forward to seeing the battle between him and Clement Lenglet for the left-centre back slot unfolds in the latter half of the season.
Omar’s Flop of the year: Lucas Moura
I’m not overly enamoured with this category, as it’s a bit of a race to the bottom, and the players have generally given their all under Antonio Conte, but for me, it’s Lucas Moura.
Granted, I acknowledge that this is harsh as the chap has been injured for the best part of this campaign, but even before then, he has not been coming up with the goods in the final third. I had hoped that Kulusevski’s acquisition would see him step things up a bit but he’s been rather blunt when called upon, and despite his best efforts, has not complimented Kane and Son as effectively as the Swedish youngster. Worth cashing in on him in January if we can be replaced in my opinion.
Omar’s Best Goal of the Year: Harry Kane winner at Manchester City
Everything about this goal was perfect. For starters, the timing was impeccable, coming right after Riyad Mahrez’s injury-time penalty had floored the lads, and just late enough to prevent a third City comeback. Second, the fact that Kane netted against the side that had broken their necks to try and sign him made it all the sweeter.
In the midst of all the jubilation and the drama that followed that goal, it is easy to forget what a lovely team move it was too, starting with Cristian Romero wriggling out of a tight corner to feed Bentancur, whose immaculate ball to Kulusevski gave him licence to whip in an inch-perfect cross that was just begging for Kane to head home. The perfect goal, if such a thing existed!
Have your say on Spurs’ highs and lows of 2022 on the Vital Spurs fan forum here: https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/forums/to-dare-is-to-do.27.