They are unstoppable at the moment. They come like a wave, from left, from right and from centre. They have style; they have quality and above all a winning mentality. They are the Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs are arguably the best team on show in the English Premier League at present and they are on a roll this festive season. Twice they went down to 10 men, but despite the numerical disadvantage they outplayed their opponents. First it was Jermaine Defoe sent off against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, then it was Younus Kaboul shown the red against Newcastle United 2 days later, but the new-found belief in Spurs didn’t let them go on the backfoot and on both the occasions they were able to dominate and win in style.
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On New Year’s day Tottenham pulled off yet another victory and this time it was in the London derby against Fulham. The scoreline might have read 1-0, but Spurs’ attractive brand of soccer was yet again on display. Gareth Bale got the winner, his second in 2 games, and Spurs moved above Chelsea to number 4 in the table.
Tottenham’s astronomical rise from a mid-table club to a title contender must be attributed to its manager Harry Redknapp who has instilled the winning mentality in the side. His influence has helped the Spurs believe that they can win from any situation. A team that used to fall apart once the opposition began to dictate terms, has now started closing games. The manager off course has been complemented well by his players.
When Spurs attack they attack with a lot of purpose. The chicanery of Bale on left, the lightening pace of Aaron Lennon on right and the magical touch of Luka Modric in central midfield has made the difference this season. The two wingers set the pace for them and keep testing the opponents’ defence. Bale has been a phenomenon this term. A few months ago whenever Bale featured in the starting lineup Tottenham went on to lose. The trend continued for a record 24 premier league games. However, it has all changed now and the young Welshman has turned that curse into a blessing.
The presence of Modric provides the calming effect in the middle. He has all the tricks in his bag to create deliveries out of nowhere. Behind Modric is Tottenham’s 2009-10 player of the year Wilson Palacios, who is dogged and hard to break, while in front of the Croat playmaker is the lethal Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaat, who has been in a sensational goal-scoring form this season. Up front Jermaine Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch have been a constant threat for the opponents. The defence is bit of a concern for Spurs as it has been leaking a few goals. However a back four consisting of Allen Hutton, William Gallas, Michael Dawson and Assou Ekoto is no mug.
The presence of Jermaine Jenas, Tom Huddlestone and Ledley King in the squad makes it even more formidable. The quality of the team is such that high-class players like Robbie Keane, Nico Kranjcar and David Bentley have fallen out of favor with the manager and all three might be moved out in the January transfer window.
Redknapp is looking to get David Beckham on loan in January. It would be interesting to see how the veteran is used by the manager and how well he fits in a side that is red-hot with sky-high ambitions.
