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ADL Daily - Spurs unity could see Redknapp's side through to the Champions League knock-out stages
Thursday 04 November 2010
Tottenham Hotspur’s victory over Inter Milan in Group A on Tuesday night not only underlined their aspirations in the Champions League, but it also proved that they are a match for any team in the competition. The White Hart Lane faithful enjoyed a convincing performance by their team against current holders Inter, and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp argued that the reason for his side’s victory was down to the unity of his squad: “When you have a bit of spirit in your camp, you have a chance.” However, while this unity is integral in producing determined performances, it would be impossible to divert attention from the individual talent in the Tottenham squad. Gareth Bale was the thorn to the Inter defence once more, while Luka Modric was instrumental in the heart of the Spurs midfield.
Bale had Brazilian right-back Maicon on the back-foot throughout the match, using his speed, skill and confidence to take on the Inter defender and set up Peter Crouch for the second Tottenham goal. The Welshman was equally instrumental in Spurs’ third goal after knocking the ball past centre-back Lucio, racing after it before releasing it to Roman Pavlyuchenko to assure Spurs’ triumph. When Rafael van der Vaart was replaced at half-time due to injury, the Tottenham fans looked to Modric to pull the strings in the heart of the midfield and the Croatian playmaker did exactly that. His agility, power and eye for a pass was too much for the Inter midfield and defence to contain and Spurs looked increasingly likely to extend their deserved lead. Together, Bale and Modric drove the Spurs team forward at every opportunity, with attack proving the best form of defence for Redknapp’s side on the night.
Currently, Tottenham find themselves at the top of the Group A table with seven points and a victory against Werder Bremen would guarantee passage into the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League. Although Spurs appear to be able to challenge any side at White Hart Lane, it will be interesting to see just how far the North Londoners can progress in the European competition. The knock-out stages will not only test the unity of the Spurs squad, but the difficult away games will also trial the quality of the squad on the most prestigious stage.
The 3-1 victory over Rafa Benitez’s Inter proved that Spurs deserved to be in the Champions League after a tense qualification campaign. However, only time will tell if Harry Redknapp’s side can remain consistent in their performances throughout the competition and if they are successful, they can help to re-establish the threatening presence of English football .
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