Posted on 15 September 2009.
A 100% record goes down the toilet on the back of a pitiful performance by Spurs against the red half of Manchester. Spur’s attack-first philosophy has finally come back to bite them, as it did so often last season.
As long as they were overrunning their opponents in the final third, defence was never really an issue. A lack of bite in midfield in the last match has cost them dear, with Man U never having to stretch themselves despite a man down.
So without further ado, I submit the reasons why Spurs will falter once again:
1) Lack of midfield flexibility
Hold on: isn’t Luka Modric the best winger this side of North London? If he’s injured, big deal: Niko Kranjcar will cover for him.
Here’s the bad news, ladies and gentlemen: Modric is out for at least six weeks with a fractured leg (not counting rehabilitative training), having been the inspiration behind many of Spurs’ goals. The Croatian magician had a hand in both goals against ‘Pool, and Spurs have looked noticeably bereft of ideas whenever he’s not on the pitch
Kranjcar will be counted upon to fill the breach, but Modric’s countryman is arguably not on the same level and at the very least, is an unproven option.
Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone are solid combative midfielders, the former a destroyer of opposition attacks and the latter a Michael Carrick in the making, but they lack that spark of genius to unlock defences.
With Jermain Jenas a shadow of the box-to-box midfielder he once was, and in no way any sort of cover for the boisterous Palacios, Spurs will be left sweating over the fitness of Modric and Palacios.
2) Defensive solidity (or lack thereof)
Spurs have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League this season. Hardly a concern when your attack simply bangs in more goals. However, as Man U have demonstrated so emphatically, a halt to the haemorrhaging of goals will be required at some point if the strikers don’t perform for some reason.
When faced with a side employing deft one-touch football and a fluidity of movement, the Spurs defence simply go to pieces and ball-watch, gaping as they are cut to pieces. ‘Arry has to instil some sort of defensive resilience, fast, or Spurs will end up challenging for the right to lead the bottom half of the table, and not the top. The continual worries over the fitness of Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King remain perennial concerns.
3) Lennon’s one-dimensonality
One of Spur’s best and brightest, Lennon’s instinct to run, run and then run some more is still a problem after many seasons. The winger is blessed with the pace of Hermes, but his final delivery of the ball into the area is sadly wanting, never mind his shooting accuracy. Lennon’s inability to dribble or to take the ball onto the other foot will mean that opponents have a much easier time marking him out of the game.
4) Peter ‘The Robot’ Crouch
At first seemingly an astute buy, Crouch has always been a gamble of some sort. The beanpole striker is an obvious candidate for the employment of the direct route to goal, yet his ball control and eye for goal are up for debate. Missing two sitters against Man U has not helped his cause any, not that his ability to knock down the ball for a speedier strike to latch onto while on England duty has been effectively replicated for Spurs. Crouch will need to stand up and be counted, any puns notwithstanding, or the journeyman forward will soon be adding another club to his impressive resume.
5) Dissension within the squad
Palyuchenko’s rumblings of dissent (despite official statements to the contrary) are just the first of many potential conflicts with the squad this season. With so many talented players jockeying for places, and this being the season before the World Cup, egos will be bruised and tempers will be expressed. ‘Arry has expressed this situation ‘as a good problem to have’, but he will be aware he is balancing a huge squad on a knife’s edge.
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