Spurs began the season in impressive form. Under the new leadership of Ange Postecoglou, the future looked bright.
With an incredibly attacking style of football, and despite the absence of Harry Kane, Tottenham began on an upward trajectory, before being knocked off their perch and sent down to fifth place in the Premier League table.
Flying start
Tottenham's first few months in the Premier League were spectacular. Win after win, everything looked promising.
The players were already adapting to Postecoglou's system and philosophy, and everything was going to plan. Thanks to the commitment of the new recruits, and that of the senior players, the balance had been found, unlike some of their opponents.
In fact, the north London club proved on more than one occasion that they were far more in tune than their rivals. In the derby against Arsenal, for example, there was widespread surprise.
The impression left by that 2-2 draw only enhanced the praise for Spurs. After beating Liverpool 2-1, the club proved that it is capable of beating big names while remaining at the top of the Championship.
They have also shown resilience against lesser teams. Their 1-0 win over Luton proved that, despite facing opposition with a strong defensive unit and after picking up a red card at half-time, they still claimed a victory.
Asked after the 2-0 win over Fulham at the end of October, he replied: "We've worked hard. I think our work off the ball was outstanding, as it has been all year, and I think that's what won us the game."
Except the success would not last that long, and now recent results have been painful.
Difficulties emerge
It's quite simple. The last three games the Londoners have played have ended in defeat. The first came against Chelsea at the beginning of November. It was a heavy 4-1 defeat and the first blow to Postecoglou.
Far from taking the defeat lying down, Tottenham tried to get back on track before going down again, this time to Wolves. It was another slap in the face when you consider that Wolves are currently 12th in the Premier League.
Continuing their slide, the club suffered another defeat last weekend against Aston Villa. The team is far from being at its best, despite some good performances in the last three games.
That will help them keep positive against Manchester City on Sunday, but the same problems will remain. It will be the toughest of tests for them to bounce back and climb the table.
But there are still around 20 games to go and nothing is decided yet. And as Postecoglou announced after the third defeat in a row: "It may take a little time, but we'll get through it and as long as we show the same will and play the football we've been playing, I have no doubt we'll be a very good football team when we get there".
