A nostalgic comparison of the Tottenham Hotspur side that finished 15th in 1994 and the current Premier League powerhouse.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Teddy Sheringham (L) and Manchester City’s Michael Vonk
A look back at the Spurs midfield of the early and mid 1990s gives a glowing indication of how far the club has come since then, and like it or not for some critics, how far they have come under the ownership of Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis.
Though Spurs have flirted with success via the occasional cup win, the development of the Premier League and Champions League have made it clear that for a club to develop moving into the 21st century, they have to be finishing as high up the league as they can, as consistently as possible.
Gary Mabbutt in action against Crystal Palace – Picture Supplied by Action Images
Between 1991 (just after the last time the North Londoners finished third, before last year), just before the Lilywhites last won the FA Cup, and 2006, Spurs didn’t finish higher than seventh in the league, with more than half of those campaigns seeing the club finish tenth or lower.
Since 2006, Tottenham have only finished below tenth once, and have nine top six positions, culminating in the third place finish last year.
Current Spurs stars: Dele Alli celebrates scoring the first goal for Tottenham with Harry Kane (2nd R), Christian Eriksen (L) and Erik Lamela (R)
Looking back at the Spurs side of 1993-94, when the club finished down in 15th position – the joint-lowest since relegation in 1977 and promotion the season after – and this year’s team, shows just why Tottenham supporters should be delighted with the direction their club is going.
The 93-94 lineup was just before things got a lot more interesting with the arrival of the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann, a player who helped usher in the age of world class foreign players moving to the Premier League.
There were of course favourites for any long-term Spurs fan, but arguably only one or two players that were among the league’s best in their position.
Spurs XI 1993-94 (decided by most first team appearances that season)
It could have been said that Teddy Sheringham and Darren Anderton were the star players for Spurs in this side, with Nick Barmby still young and Gary Mabbutt another favourite that deserves a mention. But these latter two, and goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt, would have struggled to get in the top five players in their position in the division in the 1993-94 season. The central midfield looks particularly underwhelming compared to today’s side.
By comparison, Spurs now have a squad of players that are among the best in each role, as indicated by the number of internationals Tottenham currently boast and also considering how many players made the PFA team of the Year last season.
Spurs XI 2015-
The line up above is only stronger this season, with Heung-Min Son’s form, Moussa Sissoko, Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen’s arrivals adding more internationals and more quality. The quality in central midfield and at fullback, compared to sides from the 1990s, is drastically improved. Almost every first choice player in the current side could argue that they are one of the best players in the league in their position, and every one is under 30-years-old.
This is a massive indication of how far the club has come, and the positive direction they are continuing in, ahead of a move to a new stadium within the next couple of years.
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