Tottenham Hotspur 2010/11 Season Preview

This season, for the first time in 49 years Tottenham Hotspur will feature in European football’s premier club competition. Remarkably in less than 19 months, Harry Redknapp has turned a team that was bottom of the Premier League into one that gate crashed the seemingly unbreakable private club that was the ‘Sky 4’. However, the task that lies ahead for Redknapp is even tougher than the one he inherited from Juande Ramos.

Tottenham will have little time to settle into this season, the opening fixture interestingly pits them against Manchester City, the team who came closest to deny Tottenham that crucial 4th place last term. Tottenham fans will be hoping for a similar performance and result as in last season’s opener when another pre-season title contender came to White Hart Lane and left empty handed. That 2-1 victory over Liverpool kick-started Tottenham’s season and erased the memories of the distinctly sluggish starts of previous campaigns. Next up will be the all important Champions League qualifier with a trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke sandwiched uncomfortably in between. The qualifier will be no means a formality, with possible opponents including Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica. Everton fans will not need reminding how quickly a previous season’s hard work can be wasted by failing to qualify for the group stages.

Surprisingly the well oiled revolving door at White Hart Lane has been quiet to date. Much has been said of the strength and depth of the current squad which compares favourably to both Arsenal and Liverpool’s. There are no obvious gaps in any position, although the continued fitness issues of both Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate mean that an extra body will be needed to help out the improving duo of Michael Dawson and Sebastian Bassong. In the full back positions Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Gareth Bale, Vedran Corluka and Younes Kaboul will be backed up by the ‘two Kyles’ Walker and Naughton.

The midfield positions are extremely crowded, with Redknapp facing the problem of how to accommodate so many creative players. The one exception is Wilson Palacios. Known as the ‘Beast’, Palacios was an instant hit with the White Hart Lane faithful upon his arrival from Wigan. His type of player had long been missing from previous Tottenham squads but the burden of being the sole holding player saw a dip in form during the 2nd half of last season. The arrival of Sandro and the recent bid for Scott Parker shows Redknapp’s intention to create competition in the position whilst giving the possibility of resting Palacios in order to help him recapture his form. Without doubt the re-emergence of Bale was key to Tottenham’s strong finish to last season. The prospect of facing Aaron Lennon and Bale on alternate wings will scare even the meanest of defences, add to this the flair of Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric and the creation of chances should not be a problem. Redknapp could still have the luxury of calling upon Niko Kranjcar, Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley or Jamie O’Hara if need be.

Upfront, Tottenham boast a formidable four in Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlychenko and Robbie Keane. However, whilst all proven in the Premier League, none are rightly deemed as world class. Here lies the one issue with the Tottenham squad; they lack a Rooney, Torres, Gerrard, Drogba or Fabregas.

To improve on the squad, Tottenham need to spend big, both on fees and wages. The recent Joe Cole transfer saga may highlight Daniel Levy’s reluctance to break the current wage structure to acquire the ‘marquee’ signing for which the fans crave. I fear the fans will be disappointed when the transfer window shuts, Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and Micah Richards would all be valuable additions to the squad, but no more. Following the progress made last year, it is not inconceivable that one or more of Modric, Lennon, Defoe, or Bale make the step up to the next level; this may be more likely than the arrival of Luis Fabiano, Mesut Ozil or Luis Suarez.

Tottenham have been rightly criticised in recent years for lacking bottle at the business end of the season. Crucial victories over Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in last season’s run-in should give a significant boost to the player’s self-belief. This attribute has occasionally been in short supply, especially away from home and against the established top 4. Tottenham will need to break the hoodoo’s of places like Old Trafford and The Emirates if they are to progress from last year. The key for Tottenham this season will be to hold onto that coveted 4th place. The Champions League will be a source of great excitement for the fans and a big learning curve for most of the squad, with a realistic target perhaps being to reach the knock-out phase.

Tottenham have a young, talented and large squad, capable of playing exciting attacking football, but with the cheque book open at Manchester City and Liverpool looking to bounce back from last years disappointment a 4th place finish would be an even bigger achievement than last year.