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Club Focus - Tottenham - Fighting on three fronts
Despite the lack of European action at White Hart Lane this season, there is still plenty for Tottenham to play for. With the club flying high in the Premier League and Champions League qualification a real possibility, there is also a chance for Carling Cup glory and the FA Cup still to look forward to.
League matters were the main focus of the weekend, and whilst the scoreline was very different to a week earlier, the feeling of a job well done will have been similar. After a 9-1 mauling of Wigan, Spurs travelled to Aston Villa and came away with a very creditable and deserved point. Having fallen behind early on, when Gabriel Agbonlahor scored in spite of Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s best efforts on the goal line, Spurs hit back with a dominant second half showing. Defender Michael Dawson’s forward’s finish levelled the scores and only a fine showing from Villa keeper Brad Friedel denied the visitors all three points.
There will no doubt be disappointment that the victory proved elusive, but there will be a great satisfaction at the level of the performance and at having avoided defeat in a tricky fixture. Villa are an attractive, well-organised team who will be challenging alongside the Lilywhites for a place at Europe’s top table come the end of the campaign. The phrase ‘six-pointer’ is usually a cliché reserved for the final weeks of the season, but the sentiments ring true for Spurs when considering games against teams like Villa. The key objective would have been to not cede any ground in the standings to Martin O’Neill’s team, and the confidence gained from the performance will do the players the world of good. Moving above Arsenal with the point earned will be an added bonus.
Villa Park has often been used as an FA Cup semi-final venue, as has Old Trafford, and having visited the former in the league, Spurs now visit the latter in the Carling Cup. Having reached the final of the lager-sponsored League Cup for the past two seasons, winning once and losing on penalties the other time, the current Tottenham team have a real pedigree in the competition. A two-legged semi-final awaits the winner of the visit to Manchester United and Harry Redknapp’s side are familiar enough for the home-and-away format of the next round to hold no fears. First Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have to be overcome but Redknapp’s biggest test will be second guessing the line up that the Red Devils will opt to field.
United have injury problems at the back so a similar back four to their recent games is likely to start, unless Fergie decides to scrape the barrel of the youth team for fresh reinforcements. Further upfield, the footballing Knight is spoilt for choice, but the same can be said of Redknapp. Harry has several quality players who he has the luxury of bringing in without seeing the strength of his team significantly diminished. He said: “We've players who need matches like Alan Hutton, Gareth Bale, Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane. We'll change a few around and freshen things up a bit. The good thing is we've plenty of options.” There will be a few absentees with central defensive pairing Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King injured and Niko Kranjcar cup-tied after featuring previously in the competition for Portsmouth this season.
The draw for the third round of the FA Cup was made on Sunday and as always that meant the introduction of the big boys. Redknapp’s men were the first name out of the hat and were rewarded with a home tie against Championship bottom side Peterborough. Posh are having a tough season in the second tier following promotion and have already parted company with manager Darren Ferguson. In place of Fergie Junior has come Mark Cooper, a man with an excellent record with minnows in the Cup. At Tamworth, he reached the third round two years running, even managing to draw at Stoke before going out on penalties in the replay. With Kettering, he reached the fourth round, the joint furthest the Poppies have ever ventured in the competition. A cupset seems unlikely, but Spurs cannot afford to switch off come the first weekend in January if they harbour ambitions of going all the way to Wembley.
Joining Spurs in the third round are Brentford, who progressed with help from loanee John Bostock. The young Tottenham midfielder set up the Bees’ goal in their 1-0 win over Walsall, his corner headed home by Leon Legge. Another young player on loan who helped his team in to the draw was defender Calum Butcher who is enjoying a spell at Barnet. They drew 2-2 with Accrington Stanley and will face a replay to join Butcher’s parent club in the next round.
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