The ultimate Tottenham team of the decade

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Tottenham may be finishing the decade without winning a piece of silverware, but there his no doubt that the 2010s has been a massive 10 years in the club’s history.

Spurs are settling in a new phenomenal stadium and have serial winner Jose Mourinho as manager going into the new decade.

The North London club have established themselves as top four regulars in the Premier League and are now considered one of the elite teams in England.

Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood have all been in charge this decade, but it will be remembered for the incredible work of Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino and there was no bad blood with his dismissal back in November.

He had been with Spurs since 2014 and lead them all the way to a Champions League final last season, but couldn’t quite get over the line for a trophy.

There are some world-class players to pick from for the team of the decade, but it does mean leaving out some stars that are unlucky not to be included.

Dele Alli was a £5million (BBC) bargain Pochettino signing that is at the heart of the team now but he misses out, while Brazilian Lucas Moura also doesn’t make the cut despite his heroics of a hat-trick against Ajax to seal qualification in the Champions League semi-finals.

Here is the ultimate Spurs team of the decade:

Hugo Lloris (Goalkeeper)

Lloris is perhaps one of the easiest picks in this team, as he’s been with the club since 2012 and is the captain now. The Frenchman shot-stopper has 107 clean sheets in 307 Spurs appearances and has been one of the best in his position across the Premier League for this decade.

Kyle Walker (Right-back)

Walker may have gone on to greater things with Manchester City since leaving Spurs in 2017, but he was a Rolls-Royce defender when he was at the club and use to fly forward from full-back. His successor Kieran Trippier was never able to quite hit the same form at club level.

Toby Alderweireld (Centre-back)

Alderweireld has been such a composed defender that when at his best makes the game look simple and fans have adored him. Spurs great Ledley King did play for the club in the early stages of the decade, but doesn’t qualify on the basis that his career was winding down at that stage and his glorious years were in the previous decade.

Jan Vertonghen (Centre-back)

Vertonghen has very much come as a pair with Belgian compatriot Alderweireld and there was a time when as a partnership they looked dominant. Vertonghen is an authoritative figure that leads from the back with his performances and has been a huge leader on the pitch.

Danny Rose (Left-back)

Rose may have hit a downhill spiral in the last year or two, but for the majority of the decade he’s been a brilliant performer on the left flank and on his day is quality. He has been tremendous one-on-one defender that is so hard for opposition wingers and supporters should not forget his best days.

Luka Modric (Central midfielder)

Modric may have left for Real Madrid in 2012, but his outrageous form at the beginning of the decade is enough to squeeze him into the side. The deep-lying playmaker dictated possession for Spurs and won the club’s 2011 player of the year.

Mousa Dembele (Central midfielder)

Dembele gave seven years to the club between 2012-2019 and it’s safe to say the fans were extremely lucky to have the Belgian at his peak. The left-footed midfielder was impossible to stop when in full flow and extremely underrated by others outside of the club.

Heung-Min Son (Right-winger)

Despite the brilliance of current teammate Moura, Son has to be involved in the team of the decade due to his individual skill and the amount of times he’s come good for his side. The South Korean has won over fans with his immense work-rate and smile, but he’s a class act in front of goal and delivers consistent numbers.

Christian Eriksen (Central attacking-midfielder)

This was the most difficult position in the team to select, with Alli and Rafael van der Vaart missing out by the smallest of margins. Eriksen just pips them to a spot despite his mixed form this season, as for the most part the Danish playmaker has been a key player for Spurs. He has 68 goals and 89 assists in 296 appearances for the club.

Gareth Bale (Left-winger)

Bale may have left Spurs for Real Madrid in 2013, but he won the PFA Player of the Year twice with the club this decade before his departure. The Welshman exploded onto the world stage during his time in North London and some of his performances on the left flank will stay with supporters for a lifetime.

Harry Kane (Centre-forward)

Kane is probably the easiest selection in the team, as he’s already cemented himself as a club legend and he’s only aged 26. The English goal machine has enjoyed a sensational rise to the top that has seen him smash plenty of goal records and in the 2017/18 campaign he managed 41 goals across all competitions.

Honourable mentions: Dele Alli, Rafael van der Vaart, Lucas Moura, Michael Dawson, Jermain Defoe