Wednesday 30 March 2011

A Real Chance for Spurs?

AFTER yet another a week of international nonsense, the time has come for girlfriends and wives to be again put to one side as the Premier League season restarts. Since the Premier League was put on hold temporarily, we have learned that Wales really are rubbish, Ghana fans are still brilliant, and that not even slight traces of radiation in the UK can speed up Joleon Lescott’s feet. As Premier League and Champions League action returns, the business-end of the season is ready to rock and roll.

As English Champions League TV executives licked their lips at the prospect of putting together yet more montages featuring John Terry kissing his armband, Wayne Rooney gesticulating towards officials, and Fernando Torres yet again losing possession, the rest of the nation looks forward to the two Premier League giants lock horns in what could be an explosive clash, or again a piss-poor anti-climax.

With the taste of Nandos still lingering badly in the mouth of Rooney after his clash with ex-Benfica defender David Luiz in the 2-1 defeat to the Blues earlier this month, the in-form (at last) England striker will aim to shoot down a defence he has a half-decent recent scoring record against. Conversely, Torres himself has a decent record against United, but faces a battle to stay on the pitch (and on his feet) long enough to do Sir Alex Ferguson’s team any serious damage.

Across London, it is the excitable fans of Tottenham Hotspur that are most eager to get the quarter-finals under way, as they host Spanish giants Real Madrid. Spurs have taken to the Champions League brilliantly, with fans at White Hart Lane continuing to create the passionate noise that has arisen from their terraces over the last few seasons. The atmosphere has coincided with an obvious improvement in the fortunes on the pitch. Winning the League Cup in 2008 and qualifying dramatically late on for the Champions League last season has gave the fans something to shout about at last, rather than abusing Sol Campbell, whether he is playing or not.

It is a shame that the club have openly expressed their desire to move from White Hart Lane. As the 2012 Olympic stadium was completed ahead of schedule this week, Spurs are still miffed about the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s decision to award the stadium to West Ham United following next year’s games. True, Spurs wanted to instantly rip up the running track, let a lot of dogs come in to do their business, and also build a brand new ground from scratch, but they were willing to pay for renovations to the existing Crystal Palace athletics stadium to make it into - a superb athletics venue to rival the, er, Olympic Stadium. Sigh…

The White Hart Lane ground is one of Spurs’ biggest strengths, and is one of the few remaining in English football to create that cauldron of noise that English stadiums used to be known for. The club has partaken in some memorable games in recent seasons, and combined with an attacking attitude that Spurs fans often demand, Harry Redknapp’s boys seem to have the right mix as it stands. Like Liverpool’s Anfield saga, the argument for whether a slightly larger capacity would do the club much good if it cost them millions is for another day.

Spurs’ refreshing attacking qualities have lit up the Champions League this season, and it is almost a throwback to the times where English clubs dominated in Europe playing a modified 442 system with outright wingers. This is in stark contrast to the tighter, more conservative set-up that the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all used successfully in recent seasons in Europe. Opposition clubs on the continent have found it harder to set out their stall against a Spurs side whose inexperience and naivety in the Champions League is one of their biggest strengths.

Not that Spurs have gone radically gung-ho this season. Rafael Van Der Vaart’s role just off a lone striker has proved Redknapp has tactical nous as well as decent man-management skills. However, with the Dutchman struggling for full fitness recently, and also struggling to shake off tabloid rumours of a deteriorating relationship with Redknapp, Spurs fans must wait with baited breath that everything is hunky dory with the midfielder.

Redknapp has also managed to find the talismanic Luca Modric his best position at long last - playing in the centre of the Spurs midfield - although this may now mean that Manchester United are finally convinced enough to pay £30m for the talented Croatian, an increasingly arduous price which we see in the Premiership all too often. Whatever happened to top flight players switching clubs for that magical fee of £800,000? Modric has toughened up since his arrival in 2008, and his passing and movement rivals any player in the Premiership.

Despite injury problems to the Tottenham backline throughout the season, and seemingly throughout every season since time began, Redknapp has held his defensive unit together admirably, albeit sometimes with rope and a spirit level. The Tottenham boss has a plethora of midfielders who can sit in front of the back four to cover Michael Dawson and his injured cronies, with Brazilian midfielder Sandro impressing in particular over the two legs against AC Milan in the last round.

Of course, Spurs defenders have yet to face the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil this season. Indeed Ronaldo looks to have shaken off the ‘injury’ that forced him out of the recent international weekend, although Benzema himself may have done just the opposite by injuring himself in midweek for France against Croatia. Madrid, on the back of an 11-game unbeaten run and a fine derby win against Atletico, will also be boosted by the return of Argentinean striker Gonzalo Higuain, who should feature more prominently in the second leg rather than next Tuesday’s first leg for manager Jose Mourinho’s team.

A few neutrals fancied the chances of Spurs meeting up again with Mourinho’s former club Inter Milan in the quarters - the team they banged six goals in against in the group stages. Brazilian sometimes-defender Maicon wouldn’t have been too impressed at the prospect of facing Gareth Bale again, even if the Welshman has struggled with niggling injuries ever since the group phase finished.

Tottenham’s other flanker Aaron Lennon was arguably almost as good against AC as Bale was against Inter, with the Leeds-born winger offering a lightning-quick attacking threat to scare the Maicon out of Marek Jankulowski on numerous occasions in the 1-0 victory last month at the San Siro. Indeed it was Lennon’s superb run that set up Peter Crouch for a simple goal that he tried hard to miss. The pace and directness of Bale and Lennon could be as crucial to Tottenham’s progress as the defensive set-up of Redknapp’s men against Madrid.

Redknapp and his right-hand man Joe Jordan need to be careful not to relinquish the attacking responsibilities of the two wingers if they want to progress. Jordan’s amazing non-response to Genaro Gattuso’s shocking antics last month showed that the Scot is more than equipped to curb any urge to attack, but he and Redknapp must not be afraid of trying to expose Madrid’s deficiencies at the back. The Spaniards may well have conceded only 21 goals in the league this season, and only two in the group stages, but any top English club has a chance of scoring against an attack-minded defence featuring Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.

Up front, whether it is Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe or Roman Pavlyuchenko, Spurs forwards have bags of goals in them. However, Redknapp’s tendency to rotate his strikers suggests more that he doesn’t know who is best forward is, rather than who he feels is best for a certain game or situation. This problem will have to be addressed if Spurs’ transition into a major and consistent force in Europe and the Premier League is to be completed, but for a cup competition this is not such a problem.

Not that Spurs have had it easy in front of goal this season. Goals at White Hart Lane in particular have strangely been harder to come by, although goalless draws at home to West Ham United and Manchester City were the consequence of a combination of bad luck and erratic finishing rather than a struggle to create. Redknapp would have loved to blamed Darren Bent again, but fortunately for the England striker, he was too busy gasping for air in Gerard Houillier’s sinking ship.

Of course, with the abundance of world-class talent at their disposal, Madrid should create plenty of chances themselves over the two legs. Even without attacking full backs, the midfielders and attackers offer enough variety and flair to trouble any team. However, their full backs may well be the key in offering Spurs hope.

In 2006, Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal overcame Madrid over two legs with a masterful tactical display by Arsene Wenger’s men. Wenger’s side were already traditionally superb on the counter attack, but they were ably helped by the gaps left by Brazilian full backs Cicinho and Roberto Carlos. Arsenal sat back then swarmed forward at will, in a display that although left you praising Wenger’s tactical acumen also left you flabbergasted at the ineptitude of Madrid’s strategy.

Arsenal defeated Madrid 1-0 that evening, but it could have been a lot more. If Spurs can soak up the inevitable pressure from Ozil et al, and release Bale and Lennon on the break, then Spurs could have considerable success. It’s just a shame Crouch doesn’t quite have the pace of a 2006 Thierry Henry, although it’s not as if Henry has the aerial threat that the beanpole striker does, and Crouch’s record against top-class teams is nothing to be ashamed of.

Tottenham have always been categorised as a ‘cup team’, but they certainly won’t be complaining at the tag if they are holding aloft the coveted trophy at Wembley in May. Stranger things have happened. Redknapp’s teams always emit great belief, so if Harry believes that he won’t be mugged by a group of Spaniards for the second time this season, I’ll believe him.

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