Ben and Rob's best of 2023

Ben Haines, Spurs fan, presenter of Inside Spurs, The Warm Up and The Review Show and Club commentator Rob Daly were there every step of the way - as we step into 2024, here's their take on 2023...

Goal of 2023

Ben: "It would be totally remiss of me not to mention Harry Kane’s 267th goal for the club, an unbelievably special moment at home against the champions, Manchester City, to win the game 1-0, but the moment that Dejan Kulusevski's strike against Sheffield United hit the back of the net there was a noise in the stadium like no goal I’ve heard in our new home. It was like an explosion of pure joy and euphoria leading to some of the best scenes we’ve ever had at full time."

Rob: "For me, it's hard to look past Lucas Moura scoring against Leeds at Elland Road on the final day of last season, his final touches as a Spurs player. It looked like his last days were going to be a little sad, sent off against Everton, defeat in his last home match, but it was an extraordinary moment in Yorkshire as he held off four defenders to score, rekindling that magic from the Ajax night."

Save of 2023

Ben: "I know Guglielmo Vicario didn’t know a huge amount about it, but the save against Everton to ensure we won the game was special and for me shows why he's so special as a keeper. He is the perfect hybrid of someone who does all the basics incredibly well, whilst also making match winning saves - you could easily have picked his save from Danjuma’s shot in the same game, his fingertip save against United, his save vs Fulham or his save against Forest from point blank range."

Rob: "This may be a case of recency bias, but Guglielmo Vicario's save from Arnout Danjuma in the closing stages of the Everton game, not the one where it hit the crossbar then his knee, although we'll give him credit for being in the right place at he right time, but the left-footed shot that took a slight deflection off Eric Dier, changing the direction of the ball, Vicario clawing it away, an extraordinary save."

Match of 2023

Rob: "I'll have to go for Manchester City and the 3-3 draw at the Etihad. It felt like a great demonstration of how Spurs are evolving and closing the gap on the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool, for me, the three best teams in the Premier League at the moment. Spurs really got a foothold playing their football in the second half, despite all the injuries, completely unsettled the European champions, twice behind, then Deki Kulusevski scoring for the third-successive season at the Etihad, and a mad away end, great stuff!"

Ben: "I would agree with Rob that the City game was the match of the year because of what it represents. But, as he's gone with City, I'll go with something else - the north London derby at Arsenal. Everyone was saying, 'it's all good doing it against this team or that team, but can you do it against a rival?' but we went there and were incredible. We took our game to them, a brilliant game, yes, a draw, but you came away with the sense that this team is not only up for the challenge, but will also be able to take this style of football anywhere."

Moment of 2023

Rob: "My moment is Harry Kane breaking the club's all-time goalscoring record, 267, a goal that proved to be the winner against champions, Manchester City. Everyone stayed behind to hear Harry speak to the crowd, it really felt like a special day and a special win."

Ben: "I'm going for a bit of a bizarre one for my moment of the year - two players sent off against Chelsea, and seeing the team with eight outfield players defending on the halfway line. Then, at 2-1 down, Eric Dier volleying home only for it to be called offside and Rodrigo Bentancur's chance. It's not about the game, as such, more the moment, Ange saying afterwards, 'even if we're playing with five, we'll have a crack'. That, for me, was the moment - things had changed, things were different, down to nine men and taking the game to them. It was phenomenal, a new era at Spurs."

Overview of 2023

Ben: "It was a bit of a strange year! If you look how it moved across January, February, March, difficult results, tough periods. Then, Ange coming in and changing everything. By week one of the Premier League, we were looking a completely different team. Now, at the end of 2023 going into 2024, everyone comes away loving the style of football, feeling such an affinity and connection to the club, the players, the coaching staff that, now, no-one can imagine us playing in any other way, any other style. Personally, I never want to see us going away from this style, front foot, positive, attacking, every player wants to be on the ball, every player wants to make an impact. I've loved every moment of 2023/24 season so far, and very excited to see where it takes us in 2024."

Rob: "It felt like a year where the club re-established what it wants its football team to be. The Conte era brought a return to Champions League football, iconic wins against Arsenal and City, but in terms of style, the redirection of the team to be possession-based, bold and play in a more expansive way, feels like what Spurs should be doing. I think the fans would echo that. It's not just about playing this way, as Ange has said numerous times, he feels this is the best way to win matches. Not only that, but so many players are 24 and under, like Porro, van de Ven, Sarr, Kulusevski, Johnson, and more, but this feels like the proper start of a new cycle."