They were at the top. They fell. Spurs began to impress in August. Under the new leadership of Ange Postecoglou, the future looked bright.
With an ever-more attacking style of football, and despite the absence of Harry Kane, Tottenham began on an upward trajectory, before being knocked off their perch and knocked down to fifth place in the Premier League table.
Flying start
Tottenham's first few months in the Premier League were spectacular. Win after win, and those from the start of the season, everything looked promising.
The players were already adapting to Postecoglou's system and philosophy, and everything was going to plan. Thanks to the commitment of the new recruits, and that of the senior players, the balance had been found, unlike some of their opponents.
In fact, the north London club proved on more than one occasion that they were far more in tune than their rivals. In the derby against Arsenal, for example, there was widespread surprise.
But the impression left by that 2-2 draw has only enhanced the praise for Spurs. Also 2-1 winners over Liverpool, the club proved that it is capable of beating big names while remaining at the top of the Championship.
They have also shown resilience against lesser teams. Their 1-0 win over Luton proved that, despite facing opposition as imposing as their opponents' defensive unit and picking up a red card at half-time, victory was still within their grasp.
According to Opta, Tottenham's start to the season has been so 'easy' that it has been their best ever. And not even the Australian coach would disagree.
Asked after the 2-0 win over Fulham at the end of October, he replied: "We've worked hard. I think our work off the ball was outstanding, as it has been all year, and I think that's what won us the game."
Except the success would not last that long, and the results have been painful.
Difficulties revealed
It's quite simple. The last three games the Londoners have played have ended in failure. The first came against Chelsea at the beginning of November. It was a shocking 4-1 defeat and the first blow to the edifice built by Postecoglou.
Far from taking the defeat lying down, Tottenham tried to get back on track before going down again, this time to Wolves. It was another slap in the face when you consider that Wolves are currently 12th in the Premier League.
Continuing their slide, the club suffered another defeat last weekend against Aston Villa. The team is far from being at its best, despite some good performances in the last three games.
That will help them against Manchester City on Sunday, but the same problems will remain. It will be difficult to bounce back and climb the table.
But there are still around 20 games to go and nothing is decided yet. And as Postecoglou announced after the third defeat in a row: "It may take a little time, but we'll get through it and as long as we show the same will and play the football we've been playing, I have no doubt we'll be a very good football team when we get there".
