What a difference 12 months makes at Tottenham Hotspur. This time last year, shambolic scenes marked the return of crowds to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the final home game of the season after Spurs lost 2-1 to Aston Villa with a meek performance. The annual 'lap of honour' was cancelled at the last minute with the fans told to leave the ground over the stadium sound system.
Only some didn't. Instead they booed and some chanted 'Levy Out' and eventually the Tottenham players were awkwardly shoved back out on to the pitch in their tracksuits in front of the remaining supporters, in turn angering those who had left the stadium as told and missed their reappearance. Add into that what seemed to be a farewell walk around the stadium by Harry Kane and you can just about sum up the wretched mood at the club and where it was heading.
Fast forward a year and a full Tottenham Hotspur Stadium cheered their players lap of honour with full voices on Sunday afternoon after they had just put themselves into fourth place with one match to go.
READ MORE: Eric Dier calls on Antonio Conte to stay at Tottenham and continue 'special relationship'
Antonio Conte has got the Spurs fans eating out of the palm of his hand right now. They were singing his name with barely two minutes gone of the match. The Italian was waving to them all after the game and even for Kane, this felt like a different day for the striker. He was joined by his family on the pitch, with one of his daughters sprinting across the turf in to his arms.
Son Heung-min once again deservedly swept up most of the post-match awards - One Hotspur Player of the Year, Junior One Hotspur Player of the Year and Official Supporters’ Clubs Player of the Year. He missed out on only one award as Steven Bergwijn took home the Official Supporters’ Clubs Goal of the Year prize for his last-gasp winner at Leicester.
It's a happy camp at Tottenham Hotspur right now and those post-match moments on the pitch felt more akin to the family feel of the Pochettino era. Spurs' managing director of football Fabio Paratici could be seen filming moments from it on his phone like one of the fans.
The tired smiles were ones of players who had battled through the fatigue caused by a bruising match played less the 72 hours after a north London derby.
On top of that, a stomach bug had hit the camp with captain Hugo Lloris, Dejan Kulusevski, Pierluigi Gollini and Harry Winks all suffering with either vomiting, fever or stomach problems.
Yet all four took their place in the matchday squad even if Conte had to put a third goalkeeper on the bench in Brandon Austin, just in case both Lloris and Gollini had problems during the game. As it was Lloris, who somehow started the game after having a fever, battled on and made a key save from Maxwel Cornet in the first half.
"Hugo had a fever but it was strange that this type of situation for Hugo and also Gollini, but no chance to miss an important game for Hugo and for Gollo," Conte told football.london. "They showed to be very professional, to understand very well the moment, the importance of the moment and the players for sure not in 100% the physical condition at the top but Hugo is our captain and I think that never, never he wanted to miss this game."
It was a game about battling through and in the second half you could see the exertions of the three days start to catch up with the Spurs players.
That's when the defensive players stepped up to shine. Davinson Sanchez continued his near seamless return to the backline with two key tackles, one interception and three clearances. Eric Dier marshalled the defence while Ben Davies again threw himself at everything that came his way, taking the hits at every turn.
Even Joe Rodon came off the bench to make an important contribution, a huge strong header towering above Burnley players in the final moments as the visitors threw everything at the Spurs box.
Ryan Sessegnon, down the left-hand side, was also in fine form, defending well and motoring up and down. On another day with better finishing from others, he could have ended the day with a couple of assists. The 21-year-old, if he can steer clear of hamstring problems, could end up being the first choice left wing-back for Conte, who has high hopes for him.
When Davies walked into the tunnel at the end of the game, following the grinning but limping Rodrigo Bentancur, the experienced Welshman pumped his fist at one of the stadium staff and high-fived him. The clean sheet and the win meant everything.
It was a far more harmonious tunnel scene to the ones sparked at half-time as the Burnley staff made their feelings known over the penalty awarded for Ashley Barnes' handball. Quite why they were so livid about a player with his arms raised like he was doing a star jump is unclear but Spurs assistant head coach Cristian Stellini was seen strongly debating the subject with a Burnley substitute.
As tensions rose so those watching what was happening in the stadium's luxury Tunnel Club, where fans can see what is happening in the tunnel through a ceiling to floor glass window, suddenly found that glass frosted by the flick of a staff member's switch.
"I think 200 per cent a penalty, not 100 per cent," said Conte afterwards, the Italian having had a shouting match with one member of the Burnley staff on the touchline during the incident. "It was so clear. It was very difficult to understand the complaints, if your arm is in this way and you take the ball, I think it is very, very clear, honestly."
At the end of the day, Spurs once again did the job and Conte was a happy man. On the pitch after the encounter he stood and watched the season compilation video put on the big screen with a content smile on his face, clapping when he saw Bergwijn's dramatic goal at the King Power Stadium and then applauding the fans at the end before the lap of honour.
There's definitely a growing connection between Conte and Tottenham Hotspur and the uses of 'we', 'us' and 'our' are becoming more and more prevalent. Yet even during the post-match ceremony there was a question for some of 'will this man still be here next season'.
Dier was asked by BT Sport after the final whistle and he said: "That’s above my pay grade but I can speak for the group of players, and I think the manager would agree as well, the relationship between this group and the manager is something special and I really want to continue to build that relationship. There’s so much room for improvement. With this group and this manager, it would be a shame for it to end now."
That's a view definitely shared by the Spurs players. They have bought into The Conte Way and with the physical toll it demands it's clear when someone doesn't and they do not hang around for long.
Ensure Conte does not walk away from the remaining year of his contract and you ensure that the players Tottenham do not want to leave this summer will have no intention to.
The man who can make it all happen is Daniel Levy. The club chairman, who looked down on the post-match lap of honour with a smile from the director's box, is not someone to be held to ransom by anyone but he must be able to see what could be possible under Conte.
Whether Spurs finish fourth or fifth next weekend, the transformation of the club on and off the pitch has been remarkable when you remember the fragmented mess they were when the Italian took over in November.
Levy's annual end of season 'Chairman's Message' for the matchday programme and club website - it did not appear on the club's social media channels perhaps for fear of the response - was a tentative affair when it came to Conte.
The head coach was named just twice, once to state that he was hired and the second time to acknowledge that "we had faith, however, in our squad and we knew Antonio and his coaching staff would need time to instil their methods and increase fitness levels".
Indirectly Conte was referred to later on when Levy's statement did dish out some praise: "It is testament to the incredible work of our new coaching staff and the application and determination of our players."
Perhaps there's some kind of negotiation element to it all. It is Daniel Levy after all. Don't let that Italian chap know just how much we need him otherwise we'll be ruined this summer, particularly after Conte's frequent use of the words "big money" when talking about the only way clubs can compete at the top.
There was a reference to the summer transfer window in Levy's message, although if the fans were looking for some inspiring words about exciting plans to come, they had come to the wrong place.
"When we reported our June 2021 year-end financial results we set out our vision for the club and underlined that, whilst we had invested significantly in the squad, we needed to improve our recruitment and the January transfer window showed how important this can be," said Levy. "We shall continue to support investment in both our first and women's teams and our academy."
There was one important word missing from the entirety of Levy's very safe and dry end of season message and it is the one that Conte craves - ambition.
About as exciting as the future got during the chairman's statement was: "I firmly believe we are well positioned to go forward into next season. The desire and determination to see success on the pitch is felt by everyone at the club."
To be fair to Levy, last year's message brought the promise of a new head coach who would provide "free-flowing, attacking and entertaining" football. Enter Nuno Espirito Santo, so the Spurs supremo may well have been reluctant to promise anything this time.
Yet that's exactly what Conte needs. He's emotional, very aware of how good he is and he must be an nightmare to manage for those above him, but he's a winner and he will drive Tottenham to be the big club they've spent the past 20 years falling short of becoming on the pitch.
This week brought a perfect example of the little details he sees. Conte questioned why the club had not dug their heels in over having to play Burnley in the Sunday 12pm kick-off after a Thursday night north London derby.
"A top club has to pay attention to the fixtures," he said. "Before the game you don't think this situation can cause you this type of trouble, but afterwards you realise it could affect the result and you are angry and it's too late. You need to be angry before. The club has to pay more attention. If you want to win you have to take care about all the details because the details move the final result."
The post-season meeting between Conte, Levy and Paratici is likely to be an uncomfortable one in some aspects. The head coach has delivered plenty of what he sees as home truths to the chairman and the club staff since arriving this season. Some inside the club claim that Conte has spoken to Levy more frankly than any of his predecessors ever dared.
What will help everyone sitting around that table is if Tottenham can go into next season with Champions League football on the menu.
All eyes will be on St James Park on Monday evening with the hope that Kieran Trippier & Co can prevented Arsenal from winning. Anything other than a victory for Mikel Arteta's side and the initiative is back in Tottenham's hands.
The pressure is on. Not only on the pitch but off it in north London.
