Tag Archives: Harry Redknapp

5 Conclusions from Tottenham 3-1 Manchester City

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1. Andre Villas-Boas knows how to adapt

If there was one particular problem that wound up Spurs fans during Harry Redknapp’s tenure in charge at White Hart Lane it was his apparent lack of a plan B. If things weren’t going his way, Redknapp’s inconsistent and uninventive substitutions often caused much grumbling amongst the Tottenham faithful. Thankfully for Spurs supporters, Andre Villas-Boas has no such problem in changing the game plan if it isn’t working, as we saw during this game. In the space of 9 minutes, off came useless space-waster Emmanuel Adebayor, hit-and-miss midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and tiring battler Scott Parker and in their stead appeared Jermain Defoe, Lewis Holtby and Tom Huddlestone.

Holtby offered the dynamism missing from the central midfield, Huddlestone the sumptuous passing and Defoe the deadly accuracy and will to shoot so clearly missing from Adebayor’s game. Within 4 minutes of the final of these substitutions (Defoe), Tottenham had equalised at 1-1. Seven minutes later, Spurs had struck with 2 more goals to send a dazed Manchester City to a defeat that looked so highly unlikely in the first half. Kudos, AVB.

To use a meme:

3 goals in 7 minutes

3 goals in 7 minutes

2. Roberto Mancini has an interesting approach to substitutions

Having seen his side surrender their deserved 1-0 lead, a lead they’d gained during a fairly comfortable and impressive first half performance, Roberto Mancini still had 2 substitutions available to him. The minute after Bale scored to make it 3-1, the Italian decided to replace Edin Dzeko with Scott Sinclair. That’s Scott Sinclair with 14 appearances and 0 goals for City this season; as opposed to the equally available, Sergio Aguero… 34 appearances, 15 goals.

Not only that, but in the last couple of minutes, Gael Clichy the pacy full-back came off for… lumbering centre-back, Joleon Lescott, who inexplicably was sent up front in a desperate attempt to grab a goal.

If Manchester United do win the league against Aston Villa, surely Roberto Mancini would have preferred to go out fighting than go out with self-defeating, mind-boggling, bizarre substitutions in a game they should and could have won.

3. Jermain Defoe should be Tottenham’s first-choice striker… always

Jermain Defoe may not be as consistent as the very top goalscorers in the Premier League but as finisher he is the equal of any of them. His venomous  instinctive strike past Joe Hart against Manchester City summed up exactly what has been missing from Spurs’ team. It is lucky for Tottenham that Gareth Bale has stepped into the breach and performed so excellently in 2013; with both men in the team, have Spurs now got the firepower to carry through their challenge for 4th?

4. Emmanuel Adebayor has had one of the worst seasons in the history of time

28 appearances, 6 goals in all competitions, 20 appearances, 3 goals in the Premier League. Emmanuel Adebayor’s record doesn’t do his performances justice… he’s been worse than they suggest. Tired, slow, poor reactions, bad touch, Defoe’s return surely spells the end of Adebayor’s unimpressive stint up front for Spurs.

5. The battle for 4th will go down to the wire, the ‘battle’ for 1st won’t

That’s it then. Unless something extraordinary happens, Manchester United will win the Premier League tomorrow night at home to Aston Villa. Whilst Paul Lambert’s team have finally started to show themselves to be better than 11 strangers straight out of school, it’s hard to see past a United victory. And there will end Manchester City’s title defence, as disappointingly surrendered as it was insanely won last season.

As for a place in the top 4, it is deliciously balanced following Tottenham’s impressive victory and Liverpool’s controversial late equaliser at home to Rafa’s Chelsea. The table now has Arsenal in 3rd, 63 points, 34 games played, Chelsea 4th, 62 points, 33 games played and Spurs 5th, 61 points, 33 games played.

Arsenal still have Manchester United to play, although Ferguson’s men will probably already have the title in the bag by then, so next Sunday might prove a good time (if there is such a thing) to play the reds. Spurs, meanwhile have 4 of the bottom 8 to play before the end of the season and Chelsea have still to face Manchester United and Everton. The big game, however looks likely to be the showdown at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea take on Tottenham on Wednesday the 8th of May.

Will The Levy Break?

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The burden of standing up to the big boys. Will the Levy break?

The burden of standing up to the big boys. Will the Levy break?

Daniel Levy has proven himself to be a shrewd and often ruthless operator during his 10 years in charge of Tottenham Hotspur. The bespectacled Cambridge graduate has overseen Spurs’ development from perennial mid-table under achievers to contenders for the Champions League places and conquerors of Milan and Inter.

Levy expressed on Saturday in entirely equivocal terms, Tottenham’s apparently immovable stance on the sale of Luka Modric. Following the Croatian’s statement outlining his desire to move to Chelsea, many thought it a foregone conclusion that the midfield maestro would depart White Hart Lane in the very near future; the pre-eminent dominance of player power to win through yet again no doubt.

It was in this context that Levy released his categorical statement on the future of Modric in particular and Spurs’ best players in general; the statement is reproduced below.

“I wish to make it absolutely clear, as I have said previously, that none of our key players will be sold this summer. We are building a team for the future to consistently play at the highest level and retaining quality players is crucial to that.

“In respect of Luka Modric, we are not prepared to sell, at any price, to Chelsea Football Club or any other club.

“We made our stance on this issue abundantly clear in writing to Chelsea. They chose to ignore it and then subsequently made the offer public.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, let me reiterate that we shall not enter into any negotiations whatsoever, with any Club, regarding Luka.

“We now consider this matter closed.”

This short statement has put Levy in a potentially difficult position. He now cannot sell Modric without arousing legitimate outrage amongst the Tottenham support and without irrevocably damaging his and the club’s reputation. The sale of the central midfielder would also effectively end Tottenham’s pretensions of establishing themselves as genuine title contenders.

Many fans respect the ‘no dice’ attitude of Daniel Levy. He has taken a stand against the prevailing practice of players moving clubs when they want, on their terms. Levy has taken the view that Spurs must retain the services of their best players to have any hope of challenging at the top of the table and thanks to his prudence in tying Modric and Bale to long-term contracts, he is in a position to say, ‘we will not sell’ to the Premier League’s big boys.

Chelsea, for their part, were cute in their approach to a potential transfer – the risible offer of £22m (just £6m more than Spurs paid Dinamo Zagreb for the Croatian in 2008) was clearly not a serious transfer offer. Rather, its aim, which was successfully met, was to unsettle the Coratian and to plant in his mind the seed of possibility – ‘we want you, look what you could be winning’. Cue player requesting a move to Stamford Bridge. The Blues presumably expected Levy then to crumble and accept an improved bid, probably in the region of £30m-35m; indeed, Chelsea were probably as surprised as most at the unambiguous nature of the statement released by Daniel Levy on Saturday.

Assuming that Levy sticks to his guns over the sale of Modric, he will be left with a tricky situation. When a player says, in no uncertain terms, that he wants to move on, his wish, in modern football, is normally granted. Clubs tend to take the view that they should not force a player to remain as he would lose motivation and negatively affect team morale, and the club itself would lose out on a transfer fee.

Levy has effectively told Modric he will definitely be staying at White Hart Lane for the foreseeable future; how then will the mild-mannered, apparently genial midfielder react? It is hard to imagine a repeat of the sulking and skulking that characterised Dimitar Berbatov’s acrimonious departure reoccurring with Modric, who by all accounts has an excellent relationship with Harry Redknapp, his manager.

The best way to assuage Modric’s concerns over Spurs lack of title-winning credentials would be for Levy to demonstrate that he is willing to match the club’s lofty ambitions with an aggressive transfer policy. The chairman’s belligerence in retaining Modric needs to be equally expressed in the clubs acquisitions this transfer window. Harry Redknapp never tires of suggesting that Tottenham are two or three “top, top” players away from creating a credible team ready to contend for the title; after insisting on the retention of Modric, Levy must now put his money were his mouth is.

The summer is still young and this is but one of the many sagas that will reach conclusion before the transfer window shuts in August. However, this particular story is more engaging than most as the futures of not just Luka Modric, but Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, hinge on what happens in the next two months.

Big Time Charlie?

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Not so long ago, most fans south of the border would not even have been aware of the talismanic midfielder who’s name is now on everyone’s lips: Charlie Adam.  In 2009, the 25 year-old Scot, after a few years playing for Rangers had slipped down the pecking order at Ibrox and was packed off on loan to lowly Championship strugglers, Blackpool.

Having signed for the Tangerines for just £500,000 that summer, Adam set about making a name for himself, playing a key role in Blackpool’s amazing run to promotion from the Championship.  Fast forward to January 2011 and Adam has become a red-hot property in the Premier League, to the extent that a beleagured Ian Holloway is having to bat away bids from the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and Liverpool.

So what do these clubs see in the tenacious midfielder and will they be back in for him in June? To put it simply, what is all the fuss about Charlie Adam?

Why is he so highly-rated?

Anyone following Blackpool’s unlikely rise over the last year and a half could not fail to see the impact Adam has had on the club who paid out a record fee for the Scotsman in August 2009.  The tireless midfielder managed to bag a very impressive 16 league goals for Blackpool in 2009/10 and his scintillating form has continued into the top flight.  The Tangerines have surprised everyone with their blockbusting debut in the Premier League, and it has been due, in no small part, to the drive and determination of their captain.  Adam has attempted and completed more passes in the Premier League than any other player, an astounding fact, when you consider the calibre of the team he plays for.  From midfield, Adam displays his pumped-up, committed style which incorporates tough tackling, sweet passing and accurate shooting; he also takes responsibility for corners, free kicks and penalties – all in all a versatile and dynamic central midfielder who brings an extra edge to his team.

Will Spurs and Liverpool come back for him in the summer?

Difficult to say.  Spurs’ bid for Adam was a desperate lunge at the last minute.  The signing would almost have been a token gesture; Harry Redknapp explained the conversation with his Chairman, Daniel Levy, as follows:

“Daniel rang me late on and asked if I like Charlie Adam. I said ‘yes, he’s a fantastic footballer’. He said do you want him, I said ‘can we get him?’ .

Surely if the manager had his heart set on bringing the player in, this conversation would have happened a long way before 10.40pm on transfer deadline day?  Spurs midfield is over-flowing with midfielders as it is, there are currently ten in the squad to squeeze into 4 or 5 positions.

If we accept the Tottenham midfield, at full strength, to be: Bale, Modric, Van der Vaart, Huddlestone & Lennon – it is difficult to see who Adam would replace.  The only possibility really is Huddlestone, yet Redknapp has placed a lot of faith in the former Derby midfielder, especially in the wake of the dip in form of Palacios, and the big man’s technique and range of passing suits Tottenham’s style of play.

His all-action performances for Blackpool have been impressive, but would Adam fit in with the fast-paced, slick, attacking tactics of Tottenham? Maybe, maybe not; either way he would be battling to get into the first team and would be likely to spend a lot of time warming the bench – a situation that benefits neither player nor club.

As for Liverpool, it’s possible that, with time now both to consider who’ll be available and to send scouts on missions across Europe, Kenny’s gaze will be drawn by other, more experienced and, dare I say it, better value players.  Equally, if you try and think of a dynamic midfielder who has, as Hansen would say, ‘got the lot’, then you’ll probably end up thinking of Steven Gerrard; Adam is perhaps too similar in style to the Liverpool captain to warrant a place in the team – see Lampard at international level.  Having said that, maybe Adam merely needs the opportunity to shine at a higher level, who knows, maybe he could take over from Gerrard when the England midfielder begins to slow?

Unfortunately for Adam, even if he did secure what would be a big money move to Anfield or White Hart Lane, it’s quite possible he’d end up like certain other central midfielders, such as Steve Sidwell, Scott Parker and Danny Murphy, who made a step-up to a bigger club, found chances at a premium and were forced to move back down a notch just for the opportunity to play.

The brief window of opportunity to play for a big club may have passed for Adam, for now; but even if Spurs and Liverpool decide not to re-register their interest, there are plenty of other Premier League clubs who could do with a player with the qualities of Charlie Adam.