It was a summer of change at Tottenham Hotspur, with Mauricio Pochettino, who arrived from Southampton, tasked with returning the club to the top four.

There wasn't the spend of the previous summer, but fairly modest signings in the shape of Ben Davies and Federico Fazio were among those to arrive.

So, with top four the target, how have Spurs fared in the first half of the campaign? Here, Sports Mole has taken a closer look.

August

Tottenham needed a late winner to overcome West Ham United in their Premier League opener on August 16, with new signing Eric Dier proving the hero at Upton Park.

After finishing sixth in the league last season, Spurs were handed a place in the Europa League playoffs, and overcame AEL 2-1 in the first leg to take control of the tie.

A third straight win in all competitions and second in the league followed on August 24, with Nacer Chadli scoring twice in a 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.

The North London outfit then booked their spot in the group stages of the Europa League with a 3-0 home win over AEL, but the month ended in disappointment as Liverpool won 3-0 at White Hart Lane in the league.

Overall, however, four wins from five games made it a successful August for the capital outfit.

September

Following the international break, Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw at Sunderland, before they opened their Europa League Group C campaign with a goalless draw away to Partizan Belgrade.

Spurs returned to domestic action on September 21, but it became four games without a win when they were beaten at home by West Bromwich Albion.

A much-needed victory arrived on September 24, however, when Spurs opened their League Cup challenge with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.

What was an extremely busy month across three separate competitions concluded with a trip to Arsenal in the league. Chadli handed Spurs a second-half lead at the Emirates, but the points were ultimately shared in a 1-1 draw.

October

Besiktas were the visitors to White Hart Lane in the Europa League on October 2 and the Turkish side returned home with a 1-1 draw.

Spurs finally returned to winning ways in the league against Southampton, with Christian Eriksen scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win. That was just Pochettino's third league win as Spurs boss and his first in five matches.

Spurs were brought crashing down to earth against Manchester City after the international break. The London side had Fazio sent off and gave away three penalties in the 4-1 defeat at the Etihad.

They returned to winning ways in the Europa League with a 5-1 victory over Asteras Tripolis, but then suffered a 2-1 loss at home to Newcastle United as their league form, especially at home, continued to stutter.

Harry Kane was making a strong case to start in the league following his excellent European form, but Pochettino still kept faith with his misfiring forwards.

A spot in the next round of the League Cup was secured at the end of the month, however, as they recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

November

November started with back-to-back 2-1 wins – firstly overcoming Aston Villa at Villa Park in the league, before beating Asteras Tripolis for the second time in the Europa League.

Their next match also finished 2-1, but this time Spurs were on the wrong end of the scoreline as they lost at home to Stoke City.

Home form had been their Achilles heel in the opening weeks of the season and the supporters were starting to show their frustration at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham's away form remained strong, however, and they won 2-1 at Hull City on November 23 to make it four wins from their last five matches.

Two more victories arrived before the end of the month, with a 1-0 win over Partizan in the Europa League followed by a 2-1 success at home to Everton in the league.

November also proved the month that Kane finally settled in the Spurs team, with Pochettino running out of patience with Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor. In addition, the victory over Partizan had booked their spot in the last-32 stage of the Europa League.

December

Tottenham travelled to Chelsea at the start of December boasting three straight wins in all competitions, but they were soundly beaten 3-0 by the leaders.

Next came a frustrating goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace, before they lost at Besiktas to relinquish first position in their Europa League group. As a result, the London side were drawn against Italian outfit Fiorentina in the next round.

Spurs were making a habit of scoring late goals, however, and that was again the case in a 2-1 win away to Swansea City on December 14.

Burnley were the visitors to White Hart Lane one week later, and it was another three points for Spurs, who edged out the newly-promoted side 2-1 to make it four wins from their last six in the league.

Boxing Day took Spurs to struggling Leicester City and the positive run continued as Eriksen scored a second-half winner at the King Power stadium. Manchester United then visited White Hart Lane, but despite a number of chances, could not break the deadlock as the two sides played out a goalless draw.

Position at start of 2015: 7th

Star player so far: Christian Eriksen

Must do better: Roberto Soldado

Where they need to strengthen in January: Defence

Mid-season grade: C

To see Tottenham's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.