All this week The Good of The Game is bringing you their own insight into the teams pushing for a top-four Premier League finish. Yesterday, Aston Villa's chances were unpacked by our columnist, and found to be showing great promise but perhaps suffering from an overly-pragmatic approach which may prove to be simultaneously their greatest strength and the biggest weakness. Today is the turn of perennial under-achievers Spurs, who have grown from the ashes of Juande Ramos's ill-fated reign to being one of the most eye-catching sides in the country under the guidance of Harry Redknapp.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs invariably provide the Premier League with more entertainment for your money than any other side. For supporters, Spurs create great moments of euphoria and belief, followed by troughs of humiliating defeat, indignation and doubt. For the neutrals there are periods of exhilarating attacking football, and more than enough slapstick comedy to keep them as the most talked about side never to have qualified for the Champions League.
This season so far has been typical of the roller-coaster ride that Spurs almost always promise to deliver. From the unusual excellent start, to the helplessly elevated expectations of supporters, to the humbling against great rivals. From emphatic victories to frustrating defeats, Spurs have kept us guessing all season.
What's true about Spurs is that their first XI is undeniably bursting with talent and is at times a joy to watch. In Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon Spurs have two of the most exciting attacking midfield players that the Premier League has seen in years. They mix the creative elements of electrifying pace and scheming short-game that characterised Arsenal at their greatest, and are comfortable playing a skewed midfield with only one genuine wide man because they have players who are comfortable interchanging positions during the course of a game in the tradition of the great Dutch sides of the 1970s.
Spurs have the in-form striker of the season in Jermain Defoe and while Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane have been subjected to criticism this year, they bring something different to the table and show enough glimpses of brilliance to justify their places. Goals have not been in short supply this season, but defensively Spurs still look vulnerable at times. Of course, any team would miss the defensive duo of Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King, and while Michael Dawson and Sebastian Bassong have proved as able deputies as you're ever likely to find in the Premier League, still there is a nagging feeling that Spurs are one slip away from conceding a goal at any point in any given game.
This has been proved when points have been dropped at home to Stoke and Wolves, while a soft goal conceded away to Aston Villa in November made hard work of a game that Spurs really should have won. The feeling is that Spurs are perhaps one or two central midfielders away from being genuine contenders this season. Wilson Palacios has vindicated the decision of the Spurs board to splash out £14m on him almost a year ago, but he has at times been rendered helpless by the lack of defensive support he receives from those around him. Tom Huddlestone can produce sublime moments of skill and technique, but there are still doubts about his desire to win and he certainly doesn't impose his considerable physical presence enough in key games. Spurs look likely to address this problem in January with the signing of the Brazilian prodigy Sandro, but whether he is able to adapt to the English game quickly enough to make a positive impact on this season is open to question.
Yesterday Aston Villa were described as perhaps overly pragmatic in their approach to the game, but there are lessons that Spurs could learn from their sometimes cautious approach. It is hard to think of a more markedly different approach than that seen by Villa and Spurs, which was clearly on show when the two sides met at Villa Park last month. The old saying goes that "fortune favours the brave", but the eagerness of Harry Redknapp to throw a spanner in the works against top sides this season, by changing the Spurs system, has so far proved fruitless.
Redknapp is not afraid to make big selection decisions and mix his team up in order to try and keep an element of surprise about Tottenham's play, but it is arguably when Spurs have a settled starting XI that they are at their most effective. When Redknapp arrived just over a year ago he found a side struggling for any kind of form and seemingly lacking both a sense of what was their best XI and any kind of tactical approach to the game. Redknapp quickly sorted this problem out and Spurs went on a terrific run to pull themselves out of the mire.
With Luka Modric returning from injury, perhaps Spurs will once again return to their tried and tested formula, though it would be a travesty to see the excellent Niko Kranjcar dropped given his current form. Many will point to the fact that Spurs have a squad with great strength in depth, and that they should use all of the tools at their disposal, but if you remove three or four of those tools, as Redknapp is expected to do in January, then the squad starts to look a little lacking in depth. This could be a blessing in disguise as it will force Redknapp to pick his best XI every week, but could Spurs regret moving those players on later in the season? Aston Villa have shown last season what happens if you lack genuine squad depth and have addressed the problem this term. Spurs would be well advised to heed that warning.
So we look forward to seeing which Spurs side will show up for their next game away to Blackburn, and remain secure in the knowledge that all is as it should be at N17 - completely unpredictable. Tottenham will continue to impress and frustrate in almost equal measure, but looking at the strength of the challenge posed their rivals, they may just have enough to propel them into the footballing elite this time round.
Check back tomorrow (19/12/09) for The Good of The Game's evaluation of Manchester City's chances of gaining a top-four place this season, in the last of the series.
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