Too late to do the job
Only this wretched season could throw up a final match that showcased Spurs eventually doing the job they needed to in a difficult atmosphere and yet it ended up meaning absolutely nothing.
It unfortunately was just reward for all of the times this team has crumbled in the face of any kind of pressure this season and those days and nights came back to haunt them as Aston Villa's win against Brighton ensured Tottenham Hotspur will be without European football next season for the first time in 14 years.
Events elsewhere eventually ensured Leeds United would lose their place in the Premier League but Spurs kept hitting them with hammer blows that prevented them from ever really getting their hopes up.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Leeds: Harry Kane, Pedro Porro, Yves Bissouma and Lucas Moura shine
Goals within two minutes of both halves starting, from first Harry Kane and then Pedro Porro, had the hosts reeling and even when they managed to get a goal back through Jack Harrison, Kane was there just two minutes later to score his 30th Premier League goal of a season in which he has achieved wonders amid such mediocrity.
Leeds had their chances but they never really looked good enough to make them count and their desperation in pouring forward left them vulnerable to Spurs' favoured approach with this squad - the counter attack.
Tottenham scored four goals but with the right pass or finish could have scored far more in what was their first victory outside London in the Premier League since October and that comeback win at Bournemouth which now seems a lifetime ago.
"We had a job to do and all we could do was come here today and win the game in difficult circumstances," Ryan Mason said afterwards. "We did that and I think we were good value for it as well.
"We scored some really, really good goals but also defended our box really well so I was pleased with today and how today went. Obviously the bigger picture is disappointment over how the season has gone as a whole because we've finished outside of Europe for the first time in a long time. We need to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Spurs ended the season stripped of a lot of their senior figures from the start of the campaign. There was no Hugo Lloris, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Eric Dier, Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristian Romero or Ivan Perisic on the pitch at Elland Road.
While some of those players will have a big part to play in Spurs' long-term future, perhaps the stripped-back version of Tottenham will end up being the way forward once again.
When Mauricio Pochettino arrived in 2014, after three months or so of struggling with the same old players he ripped out the core of the squad and created a new spine with younger, hungrier players with less ego and more pride in wearing the shirt.
It is somewhat ironic that with the Argentine now about to take charge across London after Daniel Levy decided not to drop him a call, it is time to pull apart a squad that still contains so many of his former players.
Spurs finished the game with a 17-year-old alongside two 20-year-olds in the midfield as Mason handed out debuts to George Abbott and Matthew Craig alongside a big prospect from outside the club in Pape Matar Sarr.
It was only for a few minutes but it stirred echoes of Tim Sherwood doing similar in the months before Pochettino came along in handing experience to the youngsters who would go on to shine under the Argentine, including a certain Harry Kane.
"I think obviously that period [under Pochettino] we were quite fortunate because we had some outstanding young players," Mason told football.london on Sunday. "I'm taking myself out of that as I don't want to blow my own trumpet. We had Harry Kane, Andros Townsend, Alex Pritchard, Adam Smith, I could name so many players that went on to play in the Premier League and have incredible careers.
"But I would say the most important thing is to have people who have energy, who feel that pride to wear this shirt. Those two lads that came on I said it to them afterwards that they are an example of what an academy player should look like in terms of their work rate.
"I've been in the academy, I know both of them very well and that's not a gift for either of them. That's hard work, consistently every day, doing it right, so they deserve that moment and I really value young players in any squad, because when you've got a player that feels the club and knows what it's like to represent the football club it can be powerful."
Spurs need to change - they finished 11 points worse off than last season - and to streamline and get hungrier might just be the way to become more powerful in the future.
Porro, Bissouma and Sarr show glimpses of what's to come
Two of the bright spots of Tottenham's final weeks of a dismal season have been the return of Yves Bissouma in every sense within a different system and the continued adaptation of Pedro Porro to life in the Premier League.
Bissouma has returned from his ankle surgery to a club that no longer contains Antonio Conte or seemingly the shackles that were preventing him from bringing what he did at Brighton as one of the Premier League's best midfielders.
The Italian clearly was not impressed with what he saw when he first began work with the Mali international, claiming the midfielder was struggling to take on the tactical instructions asked of him and that he needed to improve his defending.
Bissouma had little moments here and there of showing what he once was, particularly his display against Liverpool, but he never looked likely to oust Hojbjerg and Bentancur as Conte's midfield pairing of choice.
Then came the stress fracture in his left ankle and more than three months out. He returned to a Spurs side further down the table and with its third head coach of the season but it was one in Ryan Mason who would give him more freedom to express himself than within the repetitive patterns of Conte's drilled-in system.
Against Leeds Bissouma was dominant for long periods and he used the ball well, with a pass success rate of 94.9%. His work in his own half brought three tackles, three interceptions, three clearances and he blocked one shot.
His partnership with Skipp is a better fit than the one between the Dane and the England U21 international who are too similar in their skillset. Alongside Bissouma, Skipp looks more assured of his role and he matched his partner's defensive stats, adding one extra tackle with four as well as a key pass. However, his overall passing success was far lower with 71.7%, only Porro having worse among the starting outfield players.
Bissouma's displays in these final matches have provided a reminder of what he will bring after a full pre-season under a progressive new manager.
Then there is Porro. There may well have been growing concerns about what to do with a wing-back who will cost Tottenham £40m in the coming weeks when their next manager may not even use such a system.
It was a questionable decision in buying a very specific player for a manager who was expected by everyone to leave before the next season began and duly did.
At least Porro has proved in recent weeks that he could have a future further up the pitch as a winger - the opposite journey to Perisic on the left.
The Spaniard has had four direct goal involvements in his past six matches, scoring twice and laying on two assists, making it three goals and three assists in 15 Premier League appearances. In total this season he has 14 assists and six goals to his name for Spurs and Sporting, a total most wingers would be proud of.
On Sunday, his intelligent early run inside was picked out by Emerson Royal and led to the opening goal. Then he ran through on to Kane's deflected pass after the break and buried his shot in the bottom left corner with a finish the striker would have been proud of.
He then returned the compliment with an assist for Kane's 30th Premier League goal of the season and after using him on the right of the three behind Kane, Mason told football.london that a career higher up the pitch could be in the offing for Porro.
"Possibly because he affects games of football. He scores and creates goals," said the young coach. "I thought today his performance was excellent going forward and also he had the discipline in helping the team from a defensive point of view.
"We're very pleased with his impact. We know it's very difficult to come into the Premier League halfway through the season and I think his character and his personality have allowed him to be some sort of success."
Porro is already a popular member of the Spurs squad, eager to please both his team-mates and the coaching staff and his willingness to adapt and learn have brought gains and he is another who will benefit from a full pre-season under the next head coach.
This dismal season will at least provide a platform for players like Bissouma and Porro to build upon as it will for Richarlison and Sarr, who again showed his composure in an accomplished 25 minutes or so on the pitch. The young Senegalese midfielder did register his first assist for the club with his pass to Lucas Moura although it somewhat fell into the assist bracket in which Jan Vertonghen's pass to Son's Puskas winner goal sits.
There will also be 20-year-old Destiny Udogie to add to the mix after his arrival this summer from a season starting almost every match for Udinese. As with Porro, his task could be to show whether he is ready to become a full-back or a winger if the new manager does not play with a back three.
Next season is set to be an important one for many of the Tottenham players to take the potentially make or break next step in their development.
Miracle man Kane and what next
It's best not to dwell on just how much worse Tottenham's season could have been without Harry Kane and the guarantee of goals and points he brings.
The 29-year-old's 30 Premier League goals have been responsible for bringing in almost half of Spurs' 60 points this season.
He has only got better as the season has worn on as well. Since Spurs' Champions League exit to AC Milan in March, Kane has played 14 times for club and country and scored 14 goals.
His two goals on Sunday made him the first player to score 30-plus goals in two 38-game Premier League seasons and incredibly neither time did he win one of the three Golden Boots he has in the league. The last time Kane hit 30 he missed out to Mohamed Salah and this time to Erling Haaland.
Haaland managed 36 Premier League goals but Kane had a better shot accuracy with 63% to the Manchester City man's 56% and became the first player to score in 26 different Premier League matches in a season.
To think that this season also had that energy-sapping World Cup in the middle as well as the mental anguish of that quarter-final penalty miss that would have haunted a lesser man.
"I think he probably doesn't get the appreciation he should," Mason said after the game. "The goals yes, outstanding, a 30-goal season in the Premier League is incredible but also his overall performances are just outstanding and I also think as well to go through what happened in the World Cup, from a mental point of view, to come back and do what he's done for the past four or five months, I think it speaks volumes for the player and the person."
This final game brought everything great about Kane. One opportunistic run into an unmarked position to fire home to open the match and a perfect curling finish to begin the second half. He does not appear to have been credited with the assist for Porro's strike due to the deflection his pass took on the way through.
There were so many moments of skill and drive that showcased a player at the peak of his powers, with confidence in exactly who and what he is. His second goal was his 280th for Tottenham Hotspur.
Kane was happy to end on a high even if it was to top off a poor season as a club.
"Today was about showing a bit of pride. Of course we had the chance to go up a spot in the league. That didn't happen but all in all it's about fighting for the badge and fighting for the fans. I thought we did that," he said in his club interview.
"This is not an easy place to come, especially when they are in a relegation battle, fighting for every point. We showed great resilience today and it was nice to send the away fans home happy."
On his goal tally, he added: "It's been great to reach that 30 goal mark. I've felt really good this season, I've felt really fit. Obviously playing all 38 games in the league has been great as well," he said. "Overall it's been a disappointing season. It's nice to keep the standards high when you're going through difficult times. Now I'm just looking forward to a little break."
The England captain was pressed by BT Sport on his future and he just straight-batted it as usual while admitting that he's playing the best football of his career.
"That's part and parcel of being a footballer, especially when you're at the top of your game," he said. "I have just been focused on this season and trying to help the team as much as possible. To score a couple today was nice to finish this way. All in all I am just looking forward to a nice break and then a couple of games with England."
Kane posted on social media after the match: "It goes without saying that the season didn't go how we wanted it to but I can only thank the fans for their relentless support all year.
"There were some personal highlights that I'll always remember - becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer fills me with incredible pride. Time for some rest, England duty and some family time!"
It was a season in which he also became England's all-time top goal scorer and broke records galore. Perhaps as importantly for Kane's longevity it marked a third successive season when injuries were not mentioned.
For a player who some were saying a few years ago was always going to be blighted with injuries, in the past three years of football he has missed just three Premier League matches to any, those coming on separate occasions in 2021. The thigh muscle problem he suffered on New Year's Day in 2020 is the last time he missed more than two Premier League games in a row.
The way he has strengthened his body and in particular those once troublesome ankles is testament to his remarkable drive to continue improving and it bodes well for the longevity of his career and his chances of breaking Alan Shearer's Premier League record goal haul.
Kane now has 213 to his name, placing him just 47 behind the Newcastle legend. That record makes a move abroad unlikely, with the striker admitting himself a couple of years ago that such a foreign switch did not interest him.
Spurs fans will be hoping that Kane breaks the record at Tottenham because that would more than likely mean he stays beyond the end of his current contract barring the most incredible of seasons next time around.
Pundits have pointed to Shearer as the example of someone who stayed at his boyhood club to try to make them successful but he had already won the Premier League title before he joined them. Kane deserves titles and trophies.
The current feeling within the club at this early stage is that Kane is less likely to leave this summer and instead will give at least one season to Spurs before the power falls back in his hands with his contract situation.
Tottenham maintain they have no intention of selling him. For Daniel Levy, the costs and risks of trying to replace Kane this summer with two players - a goalscorer and a playmaker - outweigh what Kane's sale would bring and there is no guarantee of replacing him effectively. If anything it's something Spurs have always struggled with and Mason spoke in the week of them needing to have succession plans for players as well as staff.
For Kane, the only viable option in England would likely be Manchester United and as well as there being no guarantee of silverware there, there is little confidence within the Old Trafford club that they can convince Levy to part with the player even with just 12 months left.
That all lends itself to another 12 months of Kane and while that brings with it the risks of him leaving as a free agent it also gives Levy and Tottenham more time to try to convince their talisman that they will build a team around him that he can get excited about.
Kane might wonder whether in 12 months' time Haaland could end up moving to Real Madrid, opening a spot at City, a place where there is a near guarantee of trophies, and a Chelsea reunion with Pochettino could be there to truly break Spurs fans' hearts.
For now though there feels less of the tension there was in 2021 when it was clear he wanted a change.
That of course could change as he sits down for a well-earned rest and assesses his options this summer but with his body stronger than ever and the contract power heading back under his control, time appears now to be on his side. Tottenham will hope he is in theirs.
The perfect farewell for Lucas
Everyone knew how much it meant for Lucas Moura. When the 30-year-old slalomed in trademark style past three challenges and dinked the ball past Joel Robles in the Leeds goal with almost the final kick of the game it was the perfect final touch of his Tottenham career.
For Lucas' career has been about moments. The biggest being that night in Amsterdam which scrawled his name into Tottenham Hotspur's history but also other big nights in places like the Camp Nou and Old Trafford. The Brazilian was often a man for the big occasion.
So when that ball hit the back of the net in his final match for the club the emotions poured out on the touchline. An ecstatic Pedro Porro and the Brazilians led the substitutes on a charge up the touchline as the whole squad gathered around a man who has always been popular among them.
He was lifted up on their shoulders in front of the noisy travelling fans to enjoy their support one last time.
The Tottenham faithful sang his name one last time moments later with a rendition of 'there's only one Lucas Moura' when he returned with tears in his eyes after the final whistle to thank them and wave goodbye.
It has been a farewell tour for the Brazilian this week. His goodbye at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a mess due to the result, the empty ground and the club drowning out any connection with the fans on the post-match lap around the pitch with deafening music.
Thankfully this goal gave him the closure he needed in front of the travelling support. All week Lucas has been making his way around the Hotspur Way training complex, saying goodbye to everyone who has touched his time at the club.
He even came down to shake the hands of some of the journalists waiting for Ryan Mason's press conference on Friday to thank them for their coverage "even when you criticised me".
Every farewell has been with tears in his eyes, whether he was hugging the ladies on the club's reception desk or talking to the academy players he has helped hugely in recent weeks.
Sunday finished it all off with a bow on top.
"He deserved it," Mason told football.london after the game. "It's probably the kind of moment he would have been dreaming of last night and thankfully he came on, he was in a position where he could help the team. The goal itself was outstanding and we're all very happy for him."
Harry Kane added: "Amazing for him. He's stayed really professional in this moment. It's never easy when you're running down your contract and you're not sure where you're going to be next year.
"He stayed professional, he kept working hard and he's been ready for any opportunity. That was just proved today and what a lovely goal to finish his Spurs career on."
Lucas had more tears in his eyes as he spoke one last time to the club afterwards.
"What a way to finish my adventure here. I'm very happy. The last game on Saturday the feeling was a bit strange because we lost the game and now we won and I scored," he said.
"I was looking for this goal. My first of the season. It has been a tough season and then I could score, I could help the team and I could finish my adventure here in the best way. Thank you."
When it was put to him that his Spurs career has been built around moments he nodded.
"It's true. I keep every one of these moments in my heart. It was great. It was special. Five and a half years. I will keep everything in my heart. I don't have the words to say how thankful I am, how grateful I am to have lived this adventure here. It's special, very special," he said.
"I will miss everyone, I will miss everything, every single day, every single team-mate. I will miss it. It was great. Time for the next challenge but I will be back to visit you and I will keep supporting Spurs forever."
The debate will always be whether Lucas ever truly found his best position or anyone ever got the best out of him.
As he pointed out himself, Sunday's final strike was his first goal this season in its last game and for a player of his ability he should have scored more than just 20 Premier League goals across five years and 152 appearances with only 16 assists.
However, it is those moments that he gave Spurs fans that they will remember forever and one magical night in particular.
Time for the future
Ryan Mason signed off on Sunday as a man who knows what he has achieved inside Tottenham Hotspur even if it might not be apparent on the outside.
The expectation is that the 31-year-old will not get his chance at the permanent role at Spurs just yet at this stage in his career but there remain high hopes that he will one day return to take on the role he dreams of.
For if you speak to anyone inside Tottenham, people within various departments, they all say the same thing - that Mason has put plenty of things in place to help the club kick on under their next manager and make the transition an easier one.
The young coach has gone about improving the environment, bringing departments closer together and getting everyone pulling in the same direction. He has not devoted time to those who he feels have their own agenda as the priority.
While he is not expected to get the job this time around, many of the players would happily play for Mason, not least his close friend Harry Kane, but now it feels like time for the young coach to step out from within the Tottenham bubble and put everything he has learned into practice elsewhere until the opportunity arises to return.
When football.london asked him how he will look back on this second spell in charge, he replied without hesitation.
"When I go on my summer holidays I would hope and expect that everyone inside of our training ground knows who I am, who my team is and what we stand for" he said. "The hope and expectation is that you guys and everyone else sees that too. I know we've done a great job. I really do.
"The circumstances were very difficult. I think anyone in the world coming into this situation for six games coming off the back of what had happened and the position we were in was going to find it tough. Also if you add into that being on an interim basis, where there's uncertainty it makes it even tougher.
"But we've stuck to what we believe in, we've transitioned a little bit I believe in a short space of time and the players have responded, they've given us everything and ultimately that's all I can ask."
Mason will interview well for whatever jobs he applies for in the months ahead and clubs will be won over by his vision for how football should be played and how clubs should operate.
Even at Tottenham, he has balanced the need to stay respectful to the club he loves and wants to employ him at some point with the desire to challenge them and shine a light on the mistakes that began at the very top that must be improved.
Mason has called for the club to stop lurching from one style of manager to the next and instead stick with an identity to make it easier to bring in new coaches and players to fit a successful and attractive style and philosophy.
While he said Levy has been let down at times by others he also pointed out to the lack of a clear vision at the club and that can only come from the very top.
In the weeks ahead Levy and the club could do a lot worse than listen closely to what Mason has been telling them.
"I think there are some huge decisions to make for the football club. First of it all it's to understand who we want to be and where we want to go going forward. Then it's realising who fits that, members of staff and also players as well. It's an important few weeks now and hopefully we make the right decisions," the young coach said.
When asked what he meant by huge decisions, Mason replied with a laugh: "A manager! Honestly, we need to understand where we want to go and who we want to be and that's the most important thing. Once you decide that then you can employ the people that fit that and then I think everyone is quite clear on the direction we would like to go.
"We have quite a big squad. Whoever is in charge in pre-season, there are a lot of players and decisions to make. Ultimately I think we need to get back to who we want to be, who our fans want us to be and then going forward we will have better results on a more consistent basis."
When it was suggested that Tottenham should be aiming for the best, Mason appeared to aim his answer towards previous managerial appointments.
"I don't know what people think the best is because the best isn't always necessarily the best option," he said. "The most important thing for any football club in world football is to have an identity, know who you are and who you want to be and stick to that.
"Then I think you can employ people along the way, people who fit into something as opposed to trying to make people fit into something and compensating. I don't think that works. That's the key decision. That's the big decision and that's the commitment that I think we need to make."
Next season will be a Tottenham Hotspur without European football and the downsides and one upside that brings.
It's less money coming into the club and the absence of Champions League football and its allure will make it harder for Spurs to attract top tier players. That could naturally force them towards younger hungrier players but most of all it will lead to a streamlining of that squad.
Without all of the midweek football there is no need for a big group of players. With less fixtures to hand out minutes, a bigger squad would only result in unhappy players pulling in different directions. Instead a tighter squad with the academy turned to in order to flesh it out will likely be the way to go.
While Spurs can never turn down a route to a trophy with their long silverware drought, the next manager will have full weeks to work and prepare his players to the utmost for many of their games - ironically something Antonio Conte excelled with.
It's no coincidence that many of the clubs who have overachieved in recent seasons have done so without the extra fixtures of European football.
One such club this season has been Brighton who have played some marvellous football under Roberto De Zerbi, although there is a certain irony that after a campaign in which they have had praise deservedly lavished on them from all sides, they only finished two points ahead of a poor Tottenham side, both winning 18 matches in the Premier League.
That either exemplifies the raised expectations at Tottenham or shows just how much having Harry Kane - one of the world's best players - in your team delivers you a certain base level of points.
The hope is that Spurs will move quickly now the season is done to tie up their preferred head coach and director of football and the unfolding events across London at Chelsea happening so quickly after the campaign has ended are only going to shine the spotlight more brightly on them.
Tottenham cannot allow a repeat of 2021 when their new coach was installed just days before pre-season began - and left just four months or so later.
There needs to be clarity for all involved and a clear plan from which to work and adhere to, for the sake of players and future transfers in and out of the club.
This was a long and difficult campaign and next season must be different. The mess at Tottenham at least represents the chance to clean things up and therefore the opportunity for change.
Spurs need to be better, Levy needs to have some conviction on the direction he wants to head in and back the people he appoints to take them there regardless of whether there are a couple of backwards steps in the march forward.
At the end of the day, Tottenham Hotspur have to make their fans believe in them again.
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