Despite the 2014/15 campaign representing yet another season of transition, and ultimately disappointment for Tottenham Hotspur as they missed out on a Top 4 finish, it would be unjust to deem new Argentine boss Mauricio Pochettino’s first campaign as Spurs' manager as a complete failure.

In fact, the development of previously unused and underappreciated players was the stand-out achievement, as players who previously were deemed on the fringes have developed into key members of the North London club’s match day squad.

It certainly could be argued that this is largely down the complete failure of players with hefty price tags such as £26m Spanish forward Roberto Soldado, or £17m Brazillian midfielder Paulinho - but without doubt the transformation of these players has completely reshaped the identity of this Spurs side. It is now one of the youngest among European contemporaries and this youthful spirit has clearly rubbed off on the team’s style of play during much of the season.

Here are the five players whose performances have benefitted most from the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino:

1) Harry Kane

Firstly, I must apologise for stating the obvious: Harry Kane’s rise from relative obscurity to scoring 31 goals in all competitions for Spurs - whilst also scoring after 71 seconds of his England debut - is now a well-documented success story. But that won’t dissuade Spurs fans from reminiscing about what a spectacular season Kane has had.

Pochettino made Kane wait for his Premier League chance until November, making his goal scoring achievements even more impressive - but this was actually an ingenious move from the Argentine. Leaving Kane to watch the failing Adebayor and Soldado stoked his hunger and by the time he did get his chance he was ravenous to say the least.

Harry’s transformation from a player who even his own fans couldn’t take seriously, despite relative success upon introduction last year by Tim Sherwood, into one who is almost universally feared by Premier League defenders, is a remarkable one, and the way he carried Spurs at times during the season was something nobody could have predicted this time last year.

Receiving the PFA Young player of the year award was a deserved reward for an amazing breakthrough year which nobody could have seen coming.

2) Danny Rose

Despite Kane’s heroics, it is arguable that Danny Rose’s improvement at left back has been just as impressive. Last season, Rose was frequently berated for lack of defensive abilities and naïve, misguided attacking. A lot of this was misdirected, as the complaints could often have been targeted at the majority of the team, however elements of truth were present in these criticisms.

Rose was poor last season under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, and often he looked the weak link. It seemed difficult to take him seriously after his ill-fated attempt at a Cruyff turn on the half way line, which gifted the old enemy Arsenal a decisive goal in the FA cup tie. Following this, Rose receiving the ball would result in a collective wincing by Spurs fans.

As a result Ben Davies was brought in from Swansea, and unfortunately for Davies, this was a catalyst for Rose, who returned more motivated than ever to retain his left back spot. His performances ever since have been unrecognisable.

His driving runs forward from left back have been an often-used source of chance creation, whilst his positioning and tackling have been much improved. Unfortunately, Spurs’ defensive problems have continued this term, but without Rose’s vast improvement it would be unlikely that Spurs would be able to finish as high as they did.

3) Nabil Bentaleb

Now to be perfectly honest, last season - not this season - was Nabil Bentaleb’s breakthrough season, and a vast amount of credit must go to Tim Sherwood for bringing through the Algerian. However, the midfielder’s impact this season has been astronomically more pronounced.

Last season under Sherwood he was a tidy ball player, who tended to go missing against strong opposition – after a time it looked a bit much for him. Mainly this was down to Sherwood’s blasé management style, which despite affecting some players positivity was not what Bentaleb needed at the tender age of 19, and he was left with no specific role – as Sherwood often enjoyed to splutter out “Attacks attack, defenders and midfielders do a bit of both.”

However, Pochettino has managed Bentaleb impeccably and as a result he is now an integral member of the Spurs team. With Bentaleb sat in front of the back four, aggressively closing down oncoming attackers, pressure is taken off of the back four, whilst also Bentaleb is able to win the ball and distribute with immediacy to the players further forward. It’s no coincidence that Bentaleb was most impressive in Spurs’ best performances of this season against Chelsea and Arsenal at White Hart Lane. His vast maturity was on show on the last day of the season when he stepped in to play left back – he performed admirably, looking as if it was his natural position for the majority.

The worries around his unrest over a new contract are testament to the fans admiration of his efforts this season, with many including myself backing him to captain the side in the not too distant future.

4) Nacer Chadli

Similar to Rose, Chadli was often berated in his first season in the Premier League. Often viewed as being too sluggish, lazy and weak - in attack and defence - he only scored one goal in his first campaign in England.

After a World Cup in which he hardly tore up trees, however, Chadli returned looking stronger and fitter than previously, and he marked the start of a new era as he scored two goals in the 4-0 defeat of QPR on the second weekend of the season. Since then the Belgian has been a regular source of goals for Spurs this season, scoring 11 and assisting five more in a much improved season.

The highlights have to be his goal at the Emirates which sent the travelling Spurs fans into uproar as they took a 1-0 lead, but also his performance against Chelsea on New Year’s Day where he scored one and assisted two more as Spurs overcame their London rivals 5-3.

Consistency is an area for him to work on, however more of the same must be the message next season after what can only be described as a highly impressive second season for a player who had a difficult start to life at White Hart Lane.

5) Ryan Mason

I will hold my hands up and say that I knew barely anything about Ryan Mason this time last season. The academy graduate had made only two first team appearances prior to this season, spending most of his time out on loan after an injury struck period in his early twenties.

However, Pochettino was keen to use him during the pre-season tour of USA and he impressed showing significant maturity. However, the best was yet to come from the Englishman. Following a pile driver to send Spurs into the next round of the Capital One Cup, Mason made his Premier League debut in the North London derby, and held his place down following this, even earning an England call up.

Mason’s energy and tireless work rate is an attribute needed by any side, and credit must go to Pochettino for putting faith into a player low on confidence following a prolonged frustrating spell on the sidelines. Mason’s form dropped off a little towards the end of the season, but despite this it seems inevitable that he will play a key role in Pochettino’s future Spurs team.

So where to improve…

First thing's first, Mauricio Pochettino must improve the defensive aspect of Spurs’ game. Their defensive record last season was poor, and it is yet to be seen whether Harry Kane can continue to carry Spurs when it comes to goal scoring with the same magnitude he did this year.

Pochettino may want to improve his presence in midfield alongside Nabil Bentaleb, and hence could look to Milos Veljkovic if he is keen to bring through another academy prospect. Veljkovic can play at centre back and in central midfield, and plays in a style similar to fellow Spur Jan Vertonghen. He is currently representing Serbia at the U20 World Cup.

Otherwise, he may look to Benjamin Stambouli, signed from Montpellier last summer; however he has failed to make an impact thus far and his future looks uncertain. More likely, Pochettino will look to sign Giannelli Imbula, from Marseille, who Spurs have been linked very strongly with recently. Dubbed the “next Makelele”, he could form a formidable French-speaking central midfield partnership.

Furthermore, the Spurs boss may look to improve his attackers’ output in terms of goals, just in case Harry Kane fails to recapture the form he showed last season, which could occur as a result of a summer playing for England U21s in the European Championships in the Czech Republic.

To do this he may look to bring a new striker into the squad to increase competition for Kane, allowing for increased rotation. Spurs’ depth in the forward positions is not huge, and I would be surprised if 17 year old Ismael Azzaoui was called up to the first team squad.

Spurs have been linked with forwards Charlie Austin and Christian Benteke who were prolific for their clubs last term, however it seems unlikely that either would be keen to play second fiddle to Kane or even for Pochettino to change his preferred formation to accommodate for them.

More likely Pochettino will look to improve his attacking midfielders’ goal tally, and could do this by going straight to academy graduate Alex Pritchard, who had a fruitful season on loan at Brentford last term, or even Joshua Onomah, who made his maiden White Hart Lane appearance as a substitute last year.

​However, Spurs have been linked with Ligue 1 midfielders Ezequiel Lavezzi and Andre Ayew from Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Marseille respectively. These players’ age makes it unlikely that Pochettino will pursue them strongly, however their experience would undoubtedly improve Spurs no end.

Ultimately Spurs must look to cement themselves in the top 5 next year. The competition at the top of the table is stiffer than ever, however this doesn’t make a top 4 finish and Champions League qualification unachievable, and should Spurs put together a good string of results, especially those against top 4 rivals, at the right time, there is nothing preventing them from achieving the Holy Grail that Daniel Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy are so desperate for.