Tottenham Hotspur fans entered this year’s season with smiles on their faces. After years of suffering, they’d finally won a trophy — defeating Manchester United to win the Europa League final.

Surely, Spurs kick on from here. Right?

Wrong.

The Lilywhites currently find themselves 17th in the Premier League, just one point ahead of the relegation zone.

They’ve gone from European glory to struggling to avoid a one-way ticket to the second division, all while their biggest rival — Arsenal — is poised to win the Premier League. Here’s the story of Tottenham Hotspur’s season.

The year began with news that Tottenham sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, a rather controversial decision.

It’s hard to say whether a Tottenham under Postecoglou’s reign would have had success in the future, given the fact that Spurs had finished 17th in the league the season prior, but his style of play resonated with the football world at large — especially as major teams began to gradually switch to a defense-first style of football.

Plus, “Big Ange,” as he is known by fans, was seen as a father figure to a lot of the younger players at the club.

At this level of football, a manager’s job focuses on harmonising the locker room and helping younger players feel at home, especially considering how many players leave home at a young age. Postecoglou did just that.

Either way, following their Europa League win, Spurs announced that they banished him back to the kangaroos — he’s Australian — and replaced him with Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

And the season started brilliantly.

Spurs got themselves one of the best up-and-coming managers in the world in Frank, and signed some brilliant footballers, including Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons.

They went on to win three of their first four Premier League games, conceding only one goal.

They even walked through the UEFA Champions League (UCL), finishing fourth and gaining automatic qualification to the Round of 16.

But then the goals dried up. The defense did everything but defend. Players picked up needless red cards. Thomas Frank was seen drinking from an Arsenal cup.

Surely, they were reaching a tipping point. No club of this size can languish near the relegation zone for so long without signs of improvement.

It’s clear that’s what the club’s hierarchy thought, as Thomas was Frank-ly sacked on Feb. 11, following a 2-1 loss to Newcastle, which was preceded by a 2-0 loss to Manchester United.

Spurs announced Frank would be replaced by Igor Tudor.

Tudor’s first game would be against Arsenal, Spurs’ biggest rivals. This was his chance to make history — to somehow revitalise a struggling Spurs side, beat their rivals at home and crush their title charge.

Spurs lost 4-1. Was anyone even surprised?

Igor Tudor was in charge of Spurs for a grand total of seven games.

He lost each of his first four games before scrambling to a draw vs. Liverpool, after which Spurs were knocked out of the UCL by Atlético Madrid. Tudor’s tenure as manager ended in a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, who are themselves contenders for relegation this season. 

Tudor’s points-per-match figure of 0.57 was all Spurs needed to see, and they announced he was leaving the club with mutual consent on March 29. 

Even literal circuses have better retention rates.

On Tuesday, Spurs announced that Roberto De Zerbi is going to be their next manager, becoming one of the highest-paid managers in the world in the process.

De Zerbi’s football at Brighton was widely accepted as revolutionary, yet his inability to commit to a long-term project, in addition to frequent emotional outbursts, are all factors that make it fair to question his appointment at this stage of the season.

Lewis Dunk, a centerback for Brighton, called De Zerbi’s training regiment “baffling,” and required a long adjustment period when the manager first arrived at Brighton. To expect him to come to one of the biggest clubs in the world — a club that’s languishing in 17th — and change their fortunes instantly is a long shot. 

I have my doubts.

That said, Spurs do have some excellent players. Xavi Simons, James Maddison, Mathys Tel, Destiny Udogie and Archie Gray, among others, are so, so talented. Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, and Conor Gallagher are important contributors to the squad. 

The talent is there. But is there passion, fight and desire? Or will a club the size of Spurs find themselves in the Championship next season?

I’d be surprised, but given it’s Tottenham, you never really know.