i bleed hotspur

At this point, Spurs are looking solid (knocking on wood as I type). But do Spurs have what it takes to secure 4th? Let’s look at some key areas of strengths & concerns:

Injuries

If someone told me at the beginning of the season that we would reach a point where Lennon, Hudd, Woodie, Jenas, and King (actually, Ledder’s isn’t much of a surprise) would be missing due to injuries simultaneously, it would have been unimaginable. I mean, how would we survive? That’s a proper bulk of our starting eleven. There would be no possible route for survival… no possibility of challenging for a Champions League spot.

Not quite apparently.

The teams around us have been somewhat inconsistent in form. While Spurs have also been inconsistent in their own right, we have managed to raise the level of our on-pitch performances. Spurs are at the best shape (aside from injuries) we’ve seen in a long time. We are playing some beautiful football and that is a major sign of a team on the up. A team that is beginning to gel harmoniously.

Coaching tactics

During the season, it has happened on numerous occasions that supporters criticized Harry’s player selection (i.e. Keane on the left wing). I was one of them and I still think till this day, that we were in our right mind to so. Nothing good came out of placing him there, but every manager has to be given the opportunity to try new things. None of us truly knows what goes on in training, and it’s easy to judge looking in.

The main area of concern here is Harry’s ability to change the game plan when needed. In recent times, he hasn’t been afraid to change things around when it comes to players, and  mind you, that is the healthier approach for any squad. Players need to know that they might be called on to fill certain gaps, positions and roles when they least expect it. Let’s assume Palacios gets his next yellow, what will we do? What can we do? We have recalled young Livermore and we also have Kaboul to help in the area. Are they capable of filling in the General’s shoes? Probably not. But we do need to keep our options open.

Regarding Harry, it seems that he is beginning to address his issue with squad selection and tactics. The real tests for him will be against the likes of Man City, the Arse, Chelse and Man U in the coming months.

Consistent goal-scoring

JD, Pav and Crouch have done well this season. JD has broken his previous-best scoring record, with a minimum of 10 games yet to be played. Pav has recently replaced Crouch, who has hit a bit of a slump, and has been a scoring threat ever since. But is it enough? None of our forwards are as dangerous as Rooney or Drogba. Is it possible to make it and remain in the CL without a single striker of their calibre?

Defence

The only depth we have at this point is Kaboul and the Premier-League-untested Walker. YIKES! So we know that is a major area of concern for the remainder of the season, and for next season as a matter of fact. Daws and Bassong are a great pairing for the Premier League, but how about when facing the top players in the world? I must admit, Dawson has been quite impressive as captain so far. His development in the decision-making department has gotten much better; maturing if you will. Bassong has also shown a gain in confidence recently. But with their direct substitutes missing form the bench week-in week-out, is it fair of us to rely on them to carry the team in defence?

When it comes to the wing-backs, I feel we have enough depth to pull through: BAE, Bale and Corluka. Although at times I want to strangle the latter, I have to constantly remind myself that he is only 24ish. Plus, I personally liked Kyle Naughton and think he has a place with this team in the time to come. We are building a team for the future people. Now all we have to do is retain these kids. Make it happen Levy!

Midfield

We may come off as weak in the midfield, but I’m beginning to think that this could be our strongest area. Sure, injuries have plagued our roster, but it isn’t that bad really when considering the long-term. Tommy Huddlebones just signed a new contract keeping him at Spurs until 2015. We have Niko Kranjcar, Modric, Lennon, Bale (can play on the left flank when required), Palacios, Jenas, O’Hara (if he returns), Danny Rose (needs more playing time to improve) and now potentially (according to reports) Sandro from Brazil making his way over, English dictionary in hand, in the summer. Our midfield is looking solid if you ask me.

Players on loan & questions that need answering

Keano has gone to Celtic and looks to be the player that left us high & dry the first time around. Impressive stuff from Robbie with a recent hat-trick to his name. Will he return to Spurs? God knows what’s been discussed behind closed doors. If he continues this run, then I would definitely have him back. I think all he ever needed was a confident boost. What say you?

Giovani Dos Santos is out in Turkey. Started out a bit rough, but has shined in certain moments. I don’t understand him. He knows he has the potential to be a great player, but doesn’t take his chances. It’s frustrating. But I can only understand that when Harry took over, it must have been very frustrating for “little Barca boy”. Ramos probably promised him the world, seeing he was coming from Barcelona under a Tottenham Spanish manager. Can he come back and cement himself in the squad?

Last but not least, the talented Taarabt. Adel is a fancy footballer. Skilled in the crafts department. In his mind, a return to Tottenham could be the nail-in-the-coffin of his career. Competing with Modric is a tough gamble to take on, and you really cannot blame him. But he needs to be confident enough to come back to the team and showcase what he’s got, otherwise, we’ll never know. Can he pull that off with his mouth shut?

Not many games left as I wrap this post up, and it’s only going to get tougher from here, but do we have what it takes to make the top 4 and stay there? COYS!

Tags: 4th Place, Champions League, Football Squad, Harry Redknapp, Premier League, spurs, Squad Selection, tactics, Tottenham Hotspur

This entry was posted on March 16, 2010 at 4:13 pm and is filed under Rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.