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Match Report: Spurs 3 – 1 QPR

October 31st, 2011 Posted in Match Reports, Premier League

Oct, 31 2011

THFC1882 present a guest report from Rob:

Spurs team: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Parker (Sandro 86), Modric, Bale; VDV; Adebayor

Goals: Spurs – Bale (20, 72), van der Vaart (33). QPR – Bothroyd (62)

TheLilywhites go marching on with their sixth win in seven league games as they deservedly toppled the Super Hoops at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The first half was a sight to behold as we played with free flowing possession football and created chances galore. The second didn’t live up to the first but we were always in control and had extra gears to move up to, barring 15 minutes of pressure at the start of the half.

I was already in a positive mood for the game even before I got to my usual watering hole pre match. My little boy sent me on my way with a big COME ON YOU SPURS as I got to the bus stop, on my way to the mecca of football. I had his £2 in my pocket so I could put some money on for him on first goalscorer and the 10 all draw he predicted the night before. Obviously only one of these bets had any money put on them but don’t tell him that! I put the other quid on my own prediction of a 4-1 scoreline. The ground looked wonderful again and the atmosphere superb as I took my seat in the Park Lane upper. Then came the nerve jangling music as Spurs and QPR made their entrance onto the hallowed turf.

Spurs were on the front foot straight away and could easily have been in front within 3 minutes as van Der Vaart should have scored when 6 yards out one on one with Kenny. It needed to be a quickly taken chance as he was under pressure from a couple of defenders, Bale nearly forced the rebound in. Spurs were immediately keeping possession well, with little triangles between them all, as QPR couldn’t get any rhythm going or a foot hole in the game. Another chance came when van Der Vaart curled in a quality ball from a free kick on the left. Adebayor found space but missed the target from 6 yards when really he should have scored. Another quick move down the left and Bale’s cross was almost met by Adebayor. QPR quite simply couldn’t handle us but there was still no breakthrough.

That came on 20 minutes. After QPR’s first real attack, which ended with Helguson ski-ing a shot over our bar, Friedel launched the ball downfield from the goal kick. Adebayor won the flick on and found van Der Vaart, he turned with great skill and laid the ball into Lennon’s path who was coming cross field. He drew Anton Ferdinand in, then slipped the ball into the path of the onrushing Bale who with a first time sweet left footed shot found the bottom corner to make it 1-0. The players, like the crowd smelt blood, as from then on for the rest of the half it was one way traffic.

Van Der Vaart, always eager to shot and why not with his goalscoring record, tested Kenny to his right and Bale fired over when he should of at least hit the target from a Benny cross. We finally doubled our lead when King up from the back decided that he would try his luck from 30 yards out. The skippers shot was sliced badly but found its way perfectly to Rafa who was onside, on his own and 15 yards out from goal. He then proceeded to send Kenny the wrong way with his eyes and coolly slotted it into the bottom corner of the net. Total class by the Dutchman and it continued his goalscoring run to 5 games which has equalled Sheringham’s and Keane’s record for us. We weren’t finished there for the half though as we upped through the gears. Modric went close twice in as many minutes, one from an old Anderton/Sheringham type corner rountine, where van Der Vaart chipped the ball to him from a corner and he controlled it and volleyed just wide with Kenny rooted to the spot and the other he poked wide from the middle of the box after a neat one-two. Adebayor was sent clear after a great surging run by Walker and although a tad wide still tried to curl a shot into the top corner when power may have been a better option.

As the half time whistle went QPR must have been shelled shocked and very relieved to only be two down.

Neil Warnock made his final two changes at the break, as he was forced to substitute Fitz Hall after 9 minutes due to injury, both of them were attacking ones. Taarabt came off after showing nothing, glad that one didn’t come back to bite me, along with Shaun Derry. On in their places were Jay Bothroyd and Jamie Mackie with Barton moving more centrally. To the aways team credit they came out stronger and forced their way back into the match. It certainly didn’t help that Spurs were still thinking of their exquisite first half display rather than concentrating on the rejuvenated team in front of them.

Before QPR had their 15 minutes of pressure, Van Der Vaart still had time to almost increase our lead after shooting from just outside the edge of the box from a Walker throw. After that QPR came to the fore with Spurs looking strangely lacklustre. Spurs were giving away possession far too easily when they had it and not applying any real pressure when they didn’t. Whilst QPR weren’t carving out any real opportunities the balance of power had shifted during this period. That changes after the hour mark. Helguson had a shot deflected over by Modric and from the resulting corner they got their deserved goal. Helguson outjumped his marker and Bothroyd had the simpliest of chances from 6 yards out unmarked, which he took to score his first goal for the club. That was the jolt Spurs needed to get them going again and whilst they still weren’t able to dominate like the first half, you just felt that they weren’t going to blow this like they have in previous seasons in the same position.

The fans desperately wanted a third goal though, just to make sure! It could of come for us when Kenny spilled a straight forward free kick effort from van Der Vaart, Adebayor was quickest to the ball and teed up Bale but Kenny saved well. He also pulled off a great save to deny a screamer from Assou-Ekotto from 20 yards. Friedel got down well to a Faurlin effort as chances were being made at either end.

The settling goal finally came after 71 minutes and what a beauty it was! Scott Parker started the move as he cut in from the right, feed van Der Vaart, who not for the first time during the game made a yard of space and played it into Bale’s path who was more central. He exchanged passes with Lennon who was on the left and then produced a magnificent curling effort that was in the top corner before Kenny could hardly react. Fantastic football from the boys.

Adebayor could have, and probably should have added to the lead but scuffed his shot wide from 10 yards. It wasn’t his day in front of goal but his hold up and link play was good once again. A few half chances were created but nothing major and the last action of the match was Kaboul clearly off the line to stop QPR getting a second goal which they didn’t really warrant.

Overall a very solid and positive display from the boys. Not perfect by any stretch but some of the football we played during it made the mouth water and showed we are serious contenders for 3rd place this year. Player wise, Scott Parker was superb and I saw that Harry likened the display to the great Dave Mackay after the game. Whilst I never saw Mackay play, if Harry’s right then Parker, by the time his Spurs career is over could be in good company. Van der Vaart was great all game, always wanted the ball as well as finding intelligent positions and space on the pitch, my only criticism of him was that he tried to feed Adebayor too quickly on occasions. Bale wasn’t at his terrifying best with running at the defence but both his strikes were class. Always quality to have Ledley back and he showed his composure and calmness and Barton was quoted as tweeting that Modric is the best player in the league. The only player that I thought had a poor game was Lennon. Yes he made both Bale goals, but apart from that his lack of movement and willingness to receive the ball and run at players was evident to see. Maybe he isn’t quite fit enough yet.

A special mention to the QPR fans, they sang all the way through the match and had a great sense of humour with it.

I made my way home after seeing a good display, 3 points in the bag, 5th in the league and my sons £12 he won for asking his £1 to be placed on Bale to score first. A thoroughly good day.

COYS

Rob (Follow Rob on Twitter: @essexlad13)

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Adebayor, Gareth Bale, Ledley King, Lennon, Parker, Premier League, QPR, Rafael Van der Vaart, Redknapp, Spurs

Match Preview: Spurs v Arsenal

September 30th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Previews, Premier League

Sep, 30 2011

5 Comments »

Premier League, White Hart Lane, Sunday 2nd October 2011. Kick off 4pm. Sky Sports HD1 & 1

It’s North London Derby time again. On paper Spurs should have this game sewn up before kick-off. Football however is still played on grass and therefore the form book and comparative squad strengths go out of the window. Something Spurs themselves, have proven many times over the last 10-15 years. Sure, until the last couple of seasons there weren’t many Lilywhite victories, but there were more than enough hard fought draws against a team that was mostly far superior to Spurs. God that’s hard to admit, even harder to commit it to the internet. Of course, that’s not so much the case anymore; in fact it’s quite easy to argue that Spurs have the stronger first team available and probably the edge on overall squad depth.

But again, none of that matters. Arsenal and their manager especially, are under pressure and they will know that a big victory on Sunday will appease their fans immensely. For many Spurs players, this will be the first time that they take to the pitch as genuine favourites for a derby and it will be interesting to see how they react to that. Harry Redknapp will need to be on top of his game to make sure his players know exactly what is at stake and the way they must approach this game.

It’s hard not to be confident of success, sure Manchester City’s feeder club are coming off the back of 3 succesive victories, but they were against League 1 Shrewsbury, 10 man Bolton and a poor Olimpiacos side. Spurs meanwhile have put Liverpool to the sword, buried the ‘W’ team hoodoo with wins away to Wolves and Wigan and also seen the reserves show spirit to beat Shamrock on Thursday night.

Arsenal’s defensive woes are well documented, with Olimpiacos unlucky not to get more than one goal midweek and Blackburn – the worst team in the Premier League in this blogs opinion – putting 4 past them recently. And it would be remiss not to mention the 8 that Manchester United buried at Old Trafford.Their new centreback, Per Mertesacker, is a big lump who is not easily beaten in the air, but is one of the most immobile footballers ever. If Spurs can display the kind of slick passing and movement that tore apart Liverpool and from the first half at Wigan, the big man could have a derby baptism of fire. His partner Koscielny is capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous, Spurs will hope for the latter. Spurs also need to try and expose the flanks, Bacary Sagna remains one of the leagues best right backs but Gareth Bale on top form can give him nightmares. On the other side, Kieran Gibbs is a potential weak link, Redknapp may be tempted to start Aaron Lennon and look to use true width. Then again, it’ll be hard to change from the team and formation that started at Wigan. If that’s the case, one man right wing, Kyle Walker will be the one to test Gibbs.

One compelling reason to stick with the 4-2-3-1 is that Scott Parker and Sandro will give Spurs a supremely solid base to nullify the creativity of Arteta and Ramsay. This will hopefully allow Bale, Luka Modric and Rafa Van der Vaart to swamp Song – the least defensively minded defensive midfielder – and get at their suspect back four.

The man who will look to prosper from the creativity in Spurs midfield is of course, ex Arsenal man and Spurs new goalscoring hero, Emanuel Adebayor. Sure to be a target of abuse from the travelling support, this is the kind of game on which Adebayor thrives. He will look to take that abuse and throw it back in the faces of fans that used to adore him. Adebayor’s impact at Spurs cannot be understated, the way he created the first at Wigan is something Spurs have lacked since Berbatov and Keane were doing their thing a few years back. His all round game is up there with the very best in the Premier League and Spurs midfield are able to supply him with the ammunition to put this game out of Arsenal’s reach. Nothing will give Adebayor greater satisfaction than putting one over on his old team mates and he could well be the key to a Spurs victory.

At the other end, one of his former strike partners, Robin van Persie, poses the biggest threat to Spurs chances. The Dutchman appears to be taking it upon himself to rescue Arsenal’s season and he always seems to score against Spurs. However if there is one man who can keep him under lock and key, it’s the imperious Ledley King. On his weekly outings this season King has shown the kind of form that make him the best English centre back for a very long time, maybe as far back as Bobby Moore. His developing partnership with Younes Kaboul is encouraging news for Spurs and has helped the French international grow in confidence himself. With Benoit Assou-Ekotto hopefully back at 100% and his Wigan error forgotten – if not forgiven by his harshest and unfair critics – he can keep Walcott quiet. On the other wing Kyle Walker will look to cement his growing reputation and keep Gervinho from posing a threat. Both goalkeepers are also in fine form. Brad Friedel has given Spurs a commanding and dominant presence that Gomes never could. His opposite number Szczesny is, van Persie aside, the only Arsenal player to be showing consistently good form, but with his defence often pulling ‘Keystone Kops’ moments that may not be enough to keep Spurs forwards at bay.

Additional: Since publishing this preview it’s been announced that Harry Redknapp has won the September Manager of the Month award. Always happy to give credit where it’s due, I’d like to congratulate the boss on this achievement. Let’s hope the curse of the award doesn’t strike and that the team continue to perform.

My Prediction

Even writing all this, I find it hard not to be incredibly confident about Sunday. Yet something nags away at me and says that they will get flukey and snatch a draw, or worse. I hope that’s just the eternal Spurs pessimist in me and that the form book and squad strength will stand up. I’m going to stay pessimistic and predict a 2-2 draw and hope that I am happily proven wrong.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @Studub on Twitter )

The Odds

Spurs win: 11-10

Draw: 12-5

Arsenal win: 5-2

My prediction (2-2): 14-1

First Spurs Scorer:

Adebayor: 4-1

Defoe: 6-1

Van der Vaart: 7-1

Free bets at Freebetssport.com

Adebayor, Arsenal, Bale, Ledley King, Modric, North London Derby, Parker, Premier League, Redknapp, Spurs, Van der Vaart

Match Preview: Spurs v Liverpool

September 17th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Previews, Premier League

Sep, 17 2011

4 Comments »

THFC1882′s Stuart Watts presents another guest appearance by Ciaran Griggs, previewing tomorrows match:

Spurs vs Liverpool. Premier League. White Hart Lane. Kick off: 1.30pm Sunday 18th September 2011.

Following on from their Thursday night exertions in Greece, Spurs return to Premier League action with a potentially difficult home match against a new look Liverpool side. Spurs rested all of their key players meaning that we should not face any of the post-CL fatigue issues that we suffered during parts of last season.

The two sides had contrasting outings last time in the Premier League. A newly balanced Spurs team, shorn of Rafael van der Vaart, played impressively in beating Wolves 2-0 at Molineux, a feat not many other teams will achieve this season. Both debutants were involved in the goals, Parker with an assist and Adebayor with a goal to continue his feat of scoring on his debut for Premier League sides. In contrast, Liverpool suffered a 1-0 away defeat to Stoke, a side Martin Samuel claims are genuine 4th place contenders. Kenny Dalglish defied his dour demeanour to launch an attack on the refereeing decisions during the match but might be wondering to himself how he could have expected to win the game with such profligacy up front.

So how will the two sides fare against each other in an early meeting of two of the sides supposedly battling it out for fourth place? Without a huge amount of early season form to go on, it’s perhaps easier to look at the potential line-ups for the match and see where we think the two sides’ strengths and weaknesses may be…

Goalkeepers: Friedel appears to have made the Spurs number 1 his own for the time being, with Gomes apparently unhappy about his demotion to the understudy role. Friedel has made some excellent early saves, defying his age at times. The save from Karl Henry low to his right last weekend was a particular highlight. For Liverpool, the consistently excellent Pepe Reina is in goal and with his record of clean sheets in the league, it’s difficult to argue against Liverpool having the stronger of the two keepers on show.
VERDICT: Liverpool edge the keepers

Defence: Liverpool surprisingly chose not to strengthen their defence significantly during the summer. Carragher and Agger are a decent, if somewhat slow and uninspiring pairing. Many Liverpool fans see Carra as a player in decline, evidenced by the clumsy fashion in which he clambered over Walters for the Stoke penalty last weekend. New left back Enrique has decent potential and Skrtel is a good Premier league squad player. None of them would get into the Spurs defence tomorrow though. King and Kaboul patrolling the centre back roles with Walker and BAE rampaging is a strong defensive unit. BAE is a mainstay of our defence and Walker has shown hints of play that suggest he is close to cementing a regular place in our starting XI. King brings a sense of calm to the Spurs defence that elevates them far past the levels they achieve in his absence. Every Spurs fan will be hoping he passes a late fitness test on Sunday, and that he has liberally oiled his creaky knees in anticipation of a 90-minute masterclass.
VERDICT: Spurs clear winners in the defence

Midfield: A very interesting area, very difficult to call. Liverpool have neither supremely attacking nor defensively minded players. Adam had a good season last year with Blackpool but as yet has failed to reproduce that kind of form for the Merseyside club now paying his wages. Parker and Modric should be able to overpower and outplay Adam and Lucas in the centre. Parker was in good form last time out and brings a defensive edge we missed in the first two games with Sandro still injured (everyone remember Niko and Luka in the middle? I’m trying to forget it). Luka showed some modicum of his old form against Wolves last weekend. Now that the transfer window is well and truly shut, he can concentrate on doing the things that led to many Spurs fans labelling him the best player they’ve seen in a Spurs shirt for many a year. On the wings, Stewart Downing is in excellent form for club and country and needs to be watched whilst Henderson is still finding his feet and shouldn’t cause too many problems playing in an unfamiliar wide right role. If Bale is put on the left (hear that, Harry, LEFT) wing we should just edge the midfield battle. Rumours are gathering pace that Van der Vaart will make a miracle recovery from his injury, potentially returning 4 weeks ahead of schedule, to further strengthen our midfield options.
VERDICT: Spurs edge the midfield battle with some cunning play backed with Parker steel.

Attack: Here is where the difference in the teams transfer policy really shows. Liverpool have set about bolstering their forward line with a £55m outlay on Andy Carroll, a young English talent in the old-fashioned number 9 mould, and Luis Suarez, a player deemed too lightweight for Spurs but who has already showed some sublime touches and excellent play early on in his Liverpool career. Liverpool have also shrewdly brought Bellamy back into the club after he fell out of favour at Man City. Bellamy has genuine pace and on his day is a top, top striker and a threat against which we need to pay careful attention, particularly if he is used as an impact sub late on in the game.
Spurs on the other hand have only the 1-year loan signing of Adebayor to bolster a forward line short of form and goals. Ade is in possession of genuine quality but there’s always a nagging doubt about his ability to display this consistently. Defoe may continue his form into this game although if Van der Vaart is fit, I can see Harry playing our top scorer from last season behind Adebayor, a 4-4-1-1 system that has potential, though sometimes leaves us lacking the ability to press against slower defences. Past that we lack any real strength in depth with our third choice striker, Pavulychenko, turning in a very poor performance in PAOK match.
VERDICT: Liverpool take the striking gong.

A closing thought. Spurs fans should console themselves with the knowledge that it’s 3 years since Liverpool finished above us and despite consistently outspending us over the past 2 years, they have failed to gel sufficiently well to displace a strong Spurs side. There is no longer an expectation of struggling to get a result against England’s second most successful domestic side. We simply don’t fear them anymore. They’re our competition; they’re part of the peer group of clubs within which we now operate. We can, and I think will, win this game and then we will really be off and running this season. My prediction 3-1

COYS

Ciaran Griggs ( @LordFIMM on Twitter )

Adebayor, Dalglish, Liverpool, Modric, Parker, Premier League, Redknapp, Spurs, Van der Vaart

Match Report: Wolves 0 – Spurs 2

September 11th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League

Sep, 11 2011

4 Comments »

THFC1882′s Stuart Watts brings you another guest writer. This time Ciaran Griggs gives his view on yesterdays match.

Finally We’re Off

After two painful early season results against the unstoppable forces of Manchester (good and evil, I’ll let you decide which is which), many a fan and journalist alike had billed our away fixture to Wolves as both the real start and also, laughingly in my view, a make-or-break game to signal our intentions for this Premier League season.

Before the international break, the two sides’ fortunes had been somewhat contrasting. Wolves on a high after 7 points from 3 matches and a newfound belief in their status as a Premier League side. Spurs were propping up the foot of the table and, after a relatively quiet transfer window, a large number of our fans were writing off our chances – a distinct sense of gloom settling over N17.

So which Spurs team would turn up for the 3pm Saturday kick-off at Molineux? Comeback kings, marauding attackers or the rather meek, porous team from the back end of the 2010-11 season? Looking at the starting line-up, I think that most fans would have been relatively happy, with a standard Spurs 4-4-2 being employed. Van der Vaart’s absence had divided many Spurs fans. He is a genuinely high quality player, of that there is no doubt, but much like Lampard for England, Spurs have a tendency to become shapeless when he is in the side. Given the importance of the fixture, a solid line-up was essential, with both banks of four working together to close down any opportunities for the home team. Parker and Adebayor were handed their Premier League debuts. The former to add some steel and fight to our midfield with the injured Hudd and Sandro not available, the latter to add some much-needed quality to our faltering forward line. Maybe the biggest surprise was Gareth Bale reprising his newfound Wales role on the right-hand side of midfield, with Niko occupying the space on the left-hand side.

For Wolves, the absence of tricky winger Matt Jarvis was the most notable change to the line-up that had performed so well until now.

The game started fairly evenly with both teams finding gaps in the opposition but with few genuine chances carved out by either team. Henry and Parker were patrolling the centre of the park well for their respective sides and Spurs best early movement came from the full-backs, particulary Assou-Ekotto, moving forward into the space vacated by the more centrally-minded Kranjcar. Walker looked assured in the right-back role, moving ever closer to being a first-choice regular with each appearance. Adebayor also looked sharp – he loves a debut, having scored on both his Arsenal and Man City bows – and showed some good early movement, holding the ball up well, allowing our midfield to move forward and offer some assistance, a skill his predecessors, Crouch and Pavlyuchenko, have lost/never had.

Our earliest chance was almost scored by a Wolves player with a skimming BAE cross nearly turned in by the excellent Roger Johnson, forcing Wayne Hennessey into action, only to parry the ball to Kranjcar whose follow-up was cleared off the line. Our intent was clear. Wolves also had chances with Jamie O’Hara stinging Friedel’s hands with a well struck, if somewhat central, strike at goal, easily parried. Wolves’ best chance of the half fell to Henry whose low shot was brilliantly tipped around the right-hand post by Friedel. He’s certainly getting enough chances to show off his goalkeeping ability…The game continued to be of decent quality, without ever reaching good quality and we reached half-time 0-0, a solid start to the game.

The second half continued as the first with some half-chances created but nothing of real import. In the 60th minute, the game changed with Bale returned to the left wing, his best position, to link up with Modric. Both players instantly looked better and we looked simultaneously more balanced and threatening. This yielded results in the 67th minute with Scott Parker finding some space and slotting the ball through from 25 yards (he only passes sideways, right?) to Adebayor, who showed good composure to round the onrushing Henessey and slide the ball back across into the empty net. Make that three debuts, three goals in the Prem for the Togolese forward. He’s an ex-Arsenal player, you say? Tell that to the Spurs fans, roaring out the “Yiddo, Yiddo, Yiddo, Yiddo” chant in full voice.

Spurs continued to push on with Wolves failing to establish any kind of foothold during the following minutes. In the 80th minute, the pressure told with Kranjcar feeding Defoe in the area to the right of the goal, with a trademark Defoe shot, low with power, flying into the net from ten yards out. 2-0 Spurs and hopefully, game over. We saw the game out well, with Harry continuing to apply pressure rather than sitting back. Giovanni came on for Defoe in the 89th minute to keep Wolves guessing. Hopefully he’ll get a few games this year, he’s a great option if he gets his head down and trains hard.

In Summary, Spurs are off the mark, we’re up to 13th. For those panicking, or downplaying a victory against a rather quiet Wolves side, let’s review the positives. We kept a clean sheet, both our strikers scored, our 2 new players played well and all of this with a squad joint top of the PhysioRoom most injured players list. Sandro has signed a new 5-year deal (ssh, don’t tell Harry), Hudds, Van der Vaart, Lennon and Dawson are all set to return to bolster the squad. The depth of our squad should see us through – can Arsenal, Liverpool, or Stoke (ask Martin Samuel, they’re challenging for fourth where we are not apparently) boast a squad as strong as ours? I don’t believe so. Onwards Spurs, we believe again.

COYS

Ciaran Griggs (@LordFIMM on Twitter)

Adebayor, Bale, Defoe, Parker, Premier League, Spurs, Wolves

What now for Spurs midfield?

September 3rd, 2011 Posted in Articles

Sep, 03 2011

9 Comments »

As 11pm came on Wednesday there was a palpable sigh of relief from many Spurs fans. Finally all the press speculation about who was on their way in and out of the club could be put to bed and now the focus would be on the football. At least until December, just before the next window opened. Surely?

No. Not 48 hours into September, The Evening Standard – a publication that has had issues with Spurs for years now – was touting the Modric to Chelsea move for January’s window. This is just another example of certain sectors of the press who seem to have a vested interest in Modric moving to West London. They must all be on a cut of the deal. Or fear Abramovich’s ‘contacts’ from his homeland.

Whatever the media’s motivation, one things for sure, they aren’t making life easy for their favorite manager, Harry Redknapp. This Modric situation will push the famed man-manager to his very limits. It’s going to be Redknapp’s job to make sure there are no repeats of the ‘my heads not right’ situation before the United and City games. While Modric may not be terribly popular with Spurs fans right now, it would take a very short sighted person to believe that the team is better without him (if he’s on form). Where else is the creativity going to come from? Especially with Rafa Van der Vaart sidelined with injury.

Scott Parker may bring battling qualities and much needed character to Spurs midfield he’s not exactly a creative genius like the Croatian. Niko Kranjcar is fine in the middle against Hearts but Premier League opposition is an entirely different prospect, not one that any Spurs fan will look forward to with any relish after Sunday. One man who has shown potential forever is Tom Huddlestone. With superb technique and ability to hit a pass off either foot with deadly accuracy, he’s long been hailed the spiritual successor to Glenn Hoddle. Unfortunately his athletic abilities are equal to Andy Reid rather than Hod – who was hardly famed for his physicality - and his injury lay offs are always followed by long searches for match sharpness. Once he returns from injury Sandro will look to take his game to the next level, he though again, isn’t a creative force. Whilst it would be great to dream that youth may get it’s chance, in reality it’s unlikely that Redknapp will risk it other than in the cup competitions. Therefore with Parker’s arrival, Jake Livermore’s impressive start will be slowed down, that much is made clear by the fact he was offered to West Ham in a loan deal. Another youngster who will hopefully play in the cup competitions is Tom Carroll. Even played out of position in the second leg against Hearts, he showed that he already has a good range of passing and the vision to go with it.

If Redknapp is unable to work his magic on Modric then Spurs midfield will be severely lacking in it’s spark and ability to carve out openings for an Emmanuel Adebayor led strikeforce. This will lead to more responsibility for the wide players. Gareth Bale looked to be hitting his stride in pre season but like many of the team didn’t do himself justice in the first two Premier League games. On the other wing, there are even more concerns, Aaron Lennon has a groin injury but that aside has been woeful at the start of the season. Unlike the left with Andros Townsend, Steven Pienaar and even Niko Kranjcar there isn’t a lot of back up for Aaron. Unless Giovanni Dos Santos is finally going to be given a chance. It seems beyond belief – Redknapp is clearly not a fan despite the Mexicans abilities – but is the only viable option unless Iago Falque really outdoes himself. Dos Santos is better suited to playing just off the striker and using him on the right could lead to similar problems suffered when Van der Vaart is deployed there. Both players are more comfortable drifting in onto their left foot and are prone to wander, leaving the right hand side woefully exposed.

If Redknapp is forced to use a solid, workmanlike central pairing then he risks his team becoming one dimensional and easy to nullify. As seen repeatedly in the Premier League last year, Gareth Bale can be marked out of games, particularly if opposition wingers are disciplined, track back and help their full back. Spurs Welsh wing wizard needs to really work on his game this year if he’s to be the main man. He can do it, he’s shown he has the skills, he just needs to develop his footballing intelligence and realise when his trademark ‘push the ball past the man and sprint’ trick is going to work and when he needs to try something different. If teams are able to keep Spurs wing threat quiet then it will most likely result in repeated Dawson ‘Hollywood balls’ punted at Adebayor’s head. Having watched that happen every time Crouch played over the past couple of seasons, it really isn’t what Spurs fans want to see and can be just as easily snubbed out as a threat by marking the men looking for the knock downs.

All this brings us back to Redknapp and Modric and finding a way to motivate the Croat playmaker to perform while wearing the ‘chicken badge’. It’s clear that Modric wants away but he must now accept that he’s a Spurs player until January at least and will be expected to play his part or rot in Spurs non-existent reserves. Harry Redknapp may even use the Chelsea move as a motivating tool, telling him that if he’s not playing or playing poorly then Chelsea may drop their interest.

All of this will surely challenge Redknapp to the fullest, he’s already said it’s been the toughest pre-season he’s ever had – of course no mention of how tough it’s been for the club – and this could well be his hardest season in football. Obviously the defeats against the best two teams in the country need to be taken in perspective but even so, confidence appears low and it’s crucial that the team that takes the field are all convinced that their team mates are all on the same page. Redknapp has repeatedly said what a good professional Modric is, only to then destroy that image by revealing Luka’s state of mind to the press. He now needs to turn it back around and get Modric on the pitch, performing to his best. If he can do that, Spurs can get themselves into a position to challenge for the top four and then if Modric is still wanted by Chelsea, targets can be identified that can take his place for what will be a fraction of any fee received for Modric.

Just as vital as Redknapp getting Modric on the pitch in the right mindset is the Spurs faithful getting behind the manager and team. Modric is not going to be everyone’s favourite player but whilst he’s in Lilywhite needs to be supported, even if it’s only for a few more months. Those months could be crucial in shaping Spurs, not just this season but for many to come.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @Studub on Twitter )