Well, here we are. The end of Ange Postecoglou's first season at the helm of Tottenham Hotspur. How will it be defined?
A blistering start to post-Antonio Conte life reinvigorated the north London club and hinted at the success that could be on the cards, with Postecoglou winning a hat-trick of Premier League Manager of the Month awards to start his English career.
Injuries, setbacks and dismal drops in form have pulled Spurs into fifth place with one fixture left to play, but travelling to relegated Sheffield United, Tottenham need just one point to stave off the advance of resurgent Chelsea, who are three points behind and host Bournemouth.
Postecoglou will be confident that his team can close the campaign on a high but will do so nursing a host of injuries. Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Timo Werner and Destiny Udogie remain sidelined, with further fringe players also ruled out.
Still, Postecoglou could enforce two changes to the team that lost to the champions-elect on Tuesday evening.
1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario
Guglielmo Vicario has been one of the most consistent performers in Tottenham's squad this season but he was unable to stop Erling Haaland from clinching a double last time out, thwarted after some impressive early saves.
Still, the Italian hasn't missed a minute in the Premier League this season and holds down one position that the Lilywhites need not worry about in the market this summer.
2 RB – Pedro Porro
Despite a few setbacks, Pedro Porro has been fantastic under Postecoglou and will be in with a shout for the club's Player of the Season. Rarely substituted, he's likely to make his 35th starting display at Bramall Lane.
Matches played
34
Matches started
34
Goals
2
Assists
7
Pass completion
79%
Big chances created
13
Key passes per game
1.5
Ball recoveries per game
5.7
Tackles per game
2.6
Duels won per game
4.6
3 CB – Cristian Romero
One of the most aggressive, tenacious and fear-inducing defenders in the Premier League, Cristian Romero has been immense this season (red cards notwithstanding).
The Argentine 2022 World Cup winner is sure to be on the shopping lists of some high-profile outfits this summer but Spurs will fight desperately to ensure he's still down N17 come September.
4 CB – Radu Dragusin
Radu Dragusin enjoyed an impressive performance against Manchester City, dispossessing Haaland early on and being handed an 8/10 match rating by football.london's Alasdair Gold.
He's been used infrequently since signing from Genoa for £27m in January but with Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies out injured, he's found a great opportunity to showcase his skills at the season's late stage.
5 LB – Micky van de Ven
Having cut his teeth as a full-back with FC Volendam in the Netherlands as a youth, Micky van de Ven has covered for Tottenham's injured left-backs superbly, lively and coming out on top in four duels during the recent defeat.
The 23-year-old's qualities are best served in central defence but his ability to impress and maintain fluency in a makeshift role speaks of his high-level ability.
6 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur cut an incensed figure after being substituted after 55 minutes against the Premier League's foremost force. But he caught the eye against City and will hope to end the season on a high after venting his anger on a defenceless chair.
The Uruguayan has endured a protracted period of frustration after spending most of 2023 out injured and failing to recapture his one-time form.
But with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's error-strewn display leaving much to be desired, the Danish "monster" – as he was once hailed by countryman Morten Bisgaard – must be benched and Bentancur handed the keys as the holding midfielder.
7 CM – Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr played further forward than usual against City but is probably going to move back into deeper, more familiar territory against the Blades.
An extremely talented but still unrefined midfielder, the 21-year-old Sarr ranks among the top 19% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and progressive passes, the top 20% for pass completion, the top 15% for assists and the top 17% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.
8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham have enjoyed the best and the worst of Dejan Kulusevski's attributes in 2023/24, who, after an excellent start to the season, has lost his footing and has started 11 of his past 16 games.
The Sweden international has only posted one goal and one assist apiece in 2024 but impressed off the bench earlier in the week, causing 'plenty of problems for City' – as Gold put it.
9 AM – James Maddison
James Maddison has started to find his feet again after struggling to replicate his pre-injury form in recent months, and now he must prove to Gareth Southgate that he's fit and firing ahead of this summer's European Championship.
As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old completed 90% of his passes, placed four key passes, succeeded with his one attempted dribble and won seven of his eight duels during the defeat against Manchester City.
More of the same, please.
10 LW – Brennan Johnson
With Kulusevski likely to be back in the starting line-up, Brennan Johnson's position-hopping finish to his first year as a Lilywhite will continue, with the Welshman back on the left.
He earned an assist during his last foray on that side of the frontline at Anfield and will cause a host of problems to the beleaguered Blades.