The former club captain says there is “a lot of positivity around the players” after Ange Postecoglou’s first year in charge

Former Spurs captain and League Cup winner Michael Dawson has spoken about his thoughts on the upcoming season in N17 and what the club can achieve this year.

Speaking on behalf of Sky Sports as part of its start-of-season football campaign which brings together 92 passionate football fans from each team across the Premier League and EFL to share their hopes for the 2024/25 season, Dawson said: “Tottenham will be aiming for the top four, for sure. Do I see them winning the Premier League? I think it’s a bit unrealistic at this point in time. To go from finishing fifth to winning just like that.

“The squad is getting better as Ange Postecoglou puts his stamp on it; people understand now how he works. He wants to be a winner – it’s clear when you listen to his interviews that he’s all about winning. A trophy will be something he’ll be looking at, and for me, a trophy and top four will be success.

“They just need to focus on doing better than last year – get more points, finish in the top four and try and win a trophy.

“You’ve got to look at where Tottenham were last year – just missing out on the Champions League, and they’ve got European football this year. Brennan Johnson has been here for twelve months; Archie Gray has come up from the Championship and Lucas Bergvall has joined too – these players will get an opportunity to play European football this year.

“Spurs’ aim will be to finish in the top four. They’ll also want to add a trophy as we all know how long it’s been, but I also know how hard it is, with the semi-finals, and finals they’ve been in. To get over the line is hard, but there will be a lot of positivity around the players after what Ange Postecoglou did last year.

“Are they behind Manchester City and Arsenal? Unfortunately, yes. Aston Villa were brilliant last year but now they’ve got Champions League to contend with which is hard and relentless. I don’t know how Chelsea will do; I feel they’ll improve slightly. It blows my mind that they got rid of Mauricio Pochettino and got Enzo Maresca in, how do you have any continuity? Manchester United have to improve to where they were last year – it was a disastrous season albeit winning the FA Cup in their last game. “

Dawson also shared his thoughts on the Spurs defence.

“I’m a huge fan of both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. I was fortunate that I played alongside a top-class centre back in Ledley King.

“Cristian Romero plays on the edge; he plays to win the ball, and he makes tackles – you take that away from his game and he’s not the same player. I’m a huge fan and don’t know how you can’t be. With Radu Drăgușin as backup, we’re strong in that area. I think that last year, Micky van de Ven was one of the signings of the season. His pace and distribution were top drawer.

“You look at the centre-back partnerships that Spurs have had, and they are certainly up there with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Micky has everything – he’s 6’3, he’s quick and he also came up with a few important goals. The recruitment that we made last year was important and he was a real positive. He’s only 23 and still going to improve, but the way Spurs play with Ange and inverted full backs, your centre backs need to be able to move and cover ground quickly. Romero and van de Ven can both do that well.”

Watch the Sky Sports start-of-season campaign video:
Visit youtube.com/watch?v=gGDDTAecQ7s

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