EPL Season Preview 2011-12: Tottenham Hotspur- Will Champions League Return to The Lane?

No, that's not White Hart Lane.

While I sat down to write this season’s preview of the Lily whites, I was initially bemused about the actual cause of the London riots. Patrol cars, a double-decker bus and shops were set alight after a crowd of more than 300 people clashed with officers near Tottenham police station. For a football fan, sitting a thousand miles away from the actual scene and reading the breaking news on the internet would have definitely assumed it to be something related to the North London football club.

Let me tell you what I first thought about the riots, I convinced myself that the fans of Tottenham Hotspur were rioting because they didn’t want to lose Modric to their London rivals, Chelsea, for just 25 million pounds. My next bizarre conclusion was that their chairman Daniel Levy sold their star player Gareth Bale for 100 million pounds, which triggered a mass exodus and other important players sent in their transfer requests. Still being unable to decipher the cause of the riots, I forced myself to think that Harry Redknapp somehow returned back to Portsmouth F.C for the third time in his managerial career.

In all this confusion I forgot that I have preview to write and decided to leave the case for the Scotland Yard.

The Season that was…

2010-11 season saw Tottenham Hotspur join the elite league of clubs, competing in the UEFA champions league. After a initial scare against BSC Young in the qualifiers, Spurs qualified with a thumping 4 goal victory in the second leg at home. Spurs first summer signing was the Brazilian midfielder Sandro for an undisclosed fee. Harry Redknapp boosted Spurs defense with the signing of William Gallas as cover for Ledley King, who looks to have some sort of a fetish, to play for all the London football clubs. To match Spurs ambitions at Europe Redknaap decided to chase several star names but in the end he had to be content with Rafael van der Vaart making a stop in London during his Euro tour (played club football in Netherlands, Germany, Spain).

Tottenham Hotspur was drawn into a group with heavy weights like Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and Dutch champions Twente FC for the champions league. After initially stuttering against Bremen and Milan, Spurs produced some great results at home by beating both teams 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Their heroics at Europe did not end here. They achieved the seemingly impossible by defeating AC Milan in the knock out rounds on a 1-0 aggregate. However, their dream run came to an end after Real Madrid took advantage of a Peter Crouch sending off to end the game 4-0, after the second round Spurs exited champions league with a 5-0 aggregate score.

Spurs main aim was to retain the 4th place to further their steady progress as a club. So Spurs fielded weak teams in other domestic competitions and paid the price after they were mercilessly dumped by Arsenal and Fulham from the Carling cup and the FA cup respectively.

With injuries to key personnel during the crucial stages of their season, Spurs dropped points against the bottom half teams and also struggled during a European weak where they lost 3 games and drew 3 games in a league fixture, immediately after a champions league game. Despite winning against the traditional big four sides such as Arsenal and Liverpool, Spurs lost to team fighting in the drop zone like Wigan, Blackpool and West Ham. Losing to Manchester City in the final days of the season ended Spurs hopes of returning to Europe next season.

Transfers So Far…

Tottenham witnessed a busy previous season in the transfer market that saw 6 players arrive including Pienaar in the January window and as many as 4 players leave the club which include notable names like Robbie Keane, David Bentley and Adel Taarabt. Spurs are always on the lookout for an out and out striker who could net around 20-25 goals a season. Last season’s highest scorer in the team was van der Vaart with 13 goals. Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe had a poor season last year with just 8 league goals between them. Peter only figured in the teams highest assists with 9 to his name and 7 goals in the champions league. Defoe had a mixed season, that saw him move in and out of the starting XI. Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a total of 20 goals in his 3 seasons at Spurs, it is time that Harry sells the player and cut his loses.

Players In

1. Brad Friedel:

After guarding the gates of Villa Park for 3 seasons, Friedel became the oldest player to ever play for Aston Villa following the 3-1 loss to Manchester United on 1 February 2011. He was the first and the only summer signing till date by Spurs. Friedel was signed on a two year deal that saw him arrive on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Aged 40, he still has it in him to stand between the best strikers of the league and the back of the net. With Gomes having an occasional seizure in front of the goal which cost Spurs some important games, Friedel’s unwavering hands will be up to the job.

Players Out

Oscar Jansson , Jonathan Obika , Nathan Byrne and Ryan Mason left on loans to other first and second division English clubs.

Pre-Season

Spurs went on a tour to South Africa where they played 3 games with Kaizer Chiefs (1) and Orlando Pirates (2). Their pre-season began with defeat against Kaizer Chiefs. Spurs drew their next game 1-1 against Orlando Pirates. They ended their tour on a high with a 3-0 victory at Johannesburg against Orlando Pirates with van der Vaart scoring a brace and Defoe pulling a late goal. Match Report

Back from South Africa they faced championship side Brighton & Hove Albion in their new American Express Community Stadium in England. They had a close game but won the match 3-2. Match Report

They later hosted La Liga side Athletic Club Bilboa at the White Hart Lane. Spurs came from a goal behind to win the match 2-1 after Crouch and Defoe scored in a space of three minutes in the second half. Match Report

What to Expect

If the club chairman, Daniel Levy resists Chelsea’s attempts to seize Modric, then Spurs will retain that extra edge in midfield over their opponents this season. If Harry Redknapp pulls off another Marque signing, preferably a forward, then we can expect them to renew their challenge for that elusive champions league spot. The manger must also bolster his ailing defense and plug the gaps which let in 46 goals in the league last season. With just one signing till date, Harry has a long season ahead of him. The Spurs still qualified for the Europa League after finishing 5th last season, their depth in the squad will be tested by the rigorous match schedules. So their European commitments should not effect their ambitions for a fourth place finish.

The Talisman

If Modric leaves Spurs for Chelsea, then the midfield duties will fall on Tom Huddlestone. The English center Midfielder will have to carry the team forward after missing out on the action last season, with an injury limiting his league appearances to just nine. Before last season he put in a total of 33 league appearances and helped Tottenham finish 4th in the league. At just 24 years he has come a long way under Harry Redknapp, starting on the bench at Spurs he now features regularly for the Lily Whites. His 6 ft 3 in frame, his ability to split rival defenses, his tough tackling attributes and his eye for the spectacular makes him a model English midfielder to be looked upon. If Modric really needs a like for like replacement then Harry must go searching for another Tom instead of a Croatian. When fully fit, any manager can fully rely on Tom Huddlestone to give his 100%.

Formations

4-4-2

Tottenham Hotspurs traditionally deploy their soldiers in the basic 4-4-2 formation during a league game. Brad Friedel may replace Gomes in the goal this season after the Brazilian made some forgettable errors during crucial games last season. Kaboul and Dawson will form the central defensive pair, till Ledley King reaches match fitness. The midfield will remain the same like last season with Pienaar injured and Kranjcar out of favor with the gaffer. Interestingly Crouch and Pavlyuchenko can form a strike partnership keeping Defoe and van der Vaart on the bench.

4-1-4-1

During their pre-season games Tottenham occasionally reverted back to 4-1-4-1 from their usual 4-4-2 formation. This can be the Lily Whites alternative formation plus line-up. With Bassong coming in for Kaboul and Bale dropping to left back and Hutton replacing Assou-EKooto. Tom Huddlestone will sit just above the defense, Kranjcar and van der Vaart in playmaker roles along with both Pienaar and Lennon in the flanks. Defoe may play the target man upfront and Crouch will be used sparingly as a substitute.

Least Targets

Spurs will be looking to finish once again in the top four, which means that they will have to push at least one of the two London teams- Arsenal or Chelsea- out of the champions league spot. They will look to go beyond the quarterfinals of the Europa League to strength their credentials as a regular in the European football circuit. I don’t think Harry will fret about domestic cup competitions like the Carling Cup and the FA Cup, he will field young players for these fixtures like last season and rest his main team.

To meet all the above expectations of the fans and players alike, Harry Redknapp must sign an out and out striker who would get him at least a 40% of Spurs goals last season.

Check out our other season previews:

Arsenal: Will The Gunners Finally Fire?

Manchester United: All set for a Treble

Valencia CF: Time to Return to Old Glory?

Manchester City: A Dynasty to be Feared?

Liverpool FC: Will They Walk Alone?

QPR: Underdogs or a Real Deal?