Our squad for next season

[pablo73]

Quite a lengthy post - if you can't be othered to read all of it I have summarised the main points at the bottom.

Now then, I'm sure I am not alone in this, but over the many years of being a Tottenham fan, I have often thought we are only two or three players away from having a squad that can really challenge. That kind of thinking has only led to disappointment but I genuinely think we are closer than we have been in a very long time to gaving a squad that can sustain a challenge right at the very top end of the table.

Here's how our squad might hopefully will shape up for next season:

GK: Gomes + Cudicini / AN Other

Gomes is fast becoming a spurs legend and should be our no. 1 for many years to come. Cudicini is an able deputy but should he not recover fully we'll need to get a solid number 2. This is the one position that worries methe most for the rest of the season. Simply put, if Heurelho gets injured, we're fucked.

RB: Corluka + Walker

Charlie is a reliable defender overall, yet to see Walker play but he is highly rated. We also have Kaboul who can play there and possibly Naughton to come back (assume Hutton) will go so we are very well covered.

LB: Bale and Essou-Ekotto

Left back has been a problem positon as far as I can remember so it's very pleasing to have genunie competition here. Based on current form, Bale has to keep his place but great to know if he suffers a dip in form or needs a rest, Benoit is ready and able.

CB:

Dawson, Bassong, Kaboul and King/Woodgate/AN Other

Whether we need to strengthen here, depends on how Woodie and Ledley's ongoing injury problems pan out. If neither are able to carry on (and I think we need to be realistic about how often they are going to be able to play) we'll need an experienced CB as cover, but hopefully one or both will be ok to continue. My personal preference would be to build up a reliable partnership week in week out, eg Dawson & Bassong, with Kaboul and King or Woodgate ready to deputise. Much as I love Ledders, I don't think it's beneficial to the team to stick him in whenever fit. He should be kept in reserve and possible take on a coaching role as well.

CM:

Palacios, Sandro (or O'Hara or Similar)
Huddlestone + AN Other (or Kranjcar/Modders/Gudjohnsen)

This is an area that must be strengthened. Wilson is what we have been crying out for for so long but if he gets injured, we currently have no deputy. Thudd is much improved but can be a little erratic so we need genuine competition for his place. Without getting into a debate about Jenas, in my opinion he has to go. He has had too many chances and is the player who frustrates more than any other. He has obvious ability but it is equally obvious that he lacks the mentality to be a consistently good player, let alone a consistently great player. In an ideal world, I would love to see us replace him with a top quality goalscoring midfielder, but I think we probably already have the personnel in our ranks. I would be quite happy to have Modders or Kranky or Gudjohnsen deputise for Thudd when necessary. So long as we have an adequate back up for Wilson I'll be happy.

RM:

Lennon/Bentley

Nothing needs to be said about Lennon, recent results/performances illustrate his growing importance. If we can have the David Bentley of the last few games as his deputy, I will be more than happy. At a push, he could also deputise in central midfield.

LM:

Modder/Kranjcar

Another historically problem position in which we now have an embarrassment of riches. Could be argued that we lack pace on the left but with Bale at LB (or as a possible LM) option I don't think that's a problem. Personally, I'd love to see us buy Craig Bellamy (although I may be alone here) who would give us much needed pace up front and on the left wing when necessary.

Strikers:

Defoe/AN Other/Crouch/Gudjohnsen

Much depends on how Gudjohnsen does over the next few months. If we can get anything like the player we saw at Chavski or Barca we are in for a treat. Very clever and links up the play superbly. As number 10's, he and Crouch are fine. Number 9 wise, Defoe + someone else with genuine pace which is something we lack a little, especially if Lennon and Defoe are out.
I'd like to see Bellamy or Saha (fitness permitting) or perhaps a very pacy up and coming young striker. I really like Pav and hope he gets some playing time this season but I'd be amazed if he's a spurs player next year. Same goes for Keane, except the part about really liking him...in all seriousness, glad Robbie has gone. He should be lauded for what he has done for the club but in everyone's best interests that he goes.

To summarise:

We have a great squad that is currently worrying deficient in a couple of positions. If Gomes or Wilson get injured, we are in trouble. However, and I have said this before but this time I really mean it (honest), we are only three players away from having a squad that can genuinely challenge. A replacement for Wilson, eg Sandro, a very pacy replacement for Defoe (eg Saha, Bellamy or an up and coming young striker) and an able replacement for Gomes (assuming Cudicini is not able to continue).

We should be able to keep everyone happy as we hopefully we'll be battling on four fronts next season, although I suspect it will be Europa rather than Champions League. I hope I am being unduly pessimistic but I see us finishing 6th (with Liverpool and Man City finishing above us) - not sure if that will be suffient for Europa, can anyone clarify?

 

[pablo73]

I meant to add that whilst I have doubts over Harry Redknapps character and tactical acumen, I believe he is a t'riffic judge of a player. I have a lot of confidence that he recognisse the defficiencies in the sqaud and address them , so we'll go into the 2010/11 season with a very healthy looking sqaud indeed.

 

[Adam456]

I meant to add that whilst I have doubts over Harry Redknapps character and tactical acumen, I believe he is a t'riffic judge of a player. I have a lot of confidence that he recognisse the defficiencies in the sqaud and address them , so we'll go into the 2010/11 season with a very healthy looking sqaud indeed.

Agreed. I'm sure we'll have a great squad going into next season - even if we have to sell before we buy

 

[Jody]

Great squad, which may be enough to have another tilt at 4th.

 

[Twizzle]

great squad till we get to the strikers

I think the only thing between us and a top 4 team is that we are short on strike power imo.

Look at the big 4, then City, then look at what we have up front.

 

[AirTito]

Spurs have a good a squad as anyone... Spurs are just missing 1 or 2 "world beaters" like a Rooney, Gerrard. If Spurs can can sign one or two then anything less then top 4 would not be acceptable

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

Spurs have a good a squad as anyone... Spurs are just missing 1 or 2 "world beaters" like a Rooney, Gerrard. If Spurs can can sign one or two then anything less then top 4 would not be acceptable

what he said. the problem is that to secure those 2 world class players you need one of the following:

1) Regular CL footie + reasonable wages (above our current pay scale)
2) Citeh or Chavski bankruptcy inducing money
3) A youth system that plunders the best talent from across the globe for nada (see the filth down the road)

Sadly I don't see an option 4 and I don't see us being able to avail ourselves of options 1-3.

 

[brett.spurs]

Being blunt, we need a kick ass CM and top top Striker to play with Defoe.

 

[ExpatFan]

I hope I am being unduly pessimistic but I see us finishing 6th (with Liverpool and Man City finishing above us) - not sure if that will be suffient for Europa, can anyone clarify?

Sufficient for Europa if ManUtd win Carling Cup OR Chavs/Man City win FA Cup. If both those happen, then 7th will be sufficient too.
Good post by the way.

 

[dontcallme]

Now then, I'm sure I am not alone in this, but over the many years of being a Tottenham fan, I have often thought we are only two or three players away from having a squad that can really challenge.

While I agree with most of your post, this part is the problem. We always fail to rate our players correctly. As fans we find it hard to say our first team is 9 players short of really challenging the top four so we find a couple of players like Jenas, Hudlestone and Crouch and say they are the weak links. If we can find 3 stronger players to replace them then we'll be challenging at the top. But if we did that we'd start questioning BAE, Krancjar and Corluka and say we are 3 players short of really challenging.

It really is a never ending cycle. The fact is that Corluka, BAE, Dawson, Krancjar, Jenas, Crouch and Defoe would barely kick a ball if they played for Chelsea or Man Utd. Huddlestone might play a bit part in the cups to get more experience.

Unfortunately we are much further off challenging for the top than 3 players.

 

[Samson]

While I agree with most of your post, this part is the problem. We always fail to rate our players correctly. As fans we find it hard to say our first team is 9 players short of really challenging the top four so we find a couple of players like Jenas, Hudlestone and Crouch and say they are the weak links. If we can find 3 stronger players to replace them then we'll be challenging at the top. But if we did that we'd start questioning BAE, Krancjar and Corluka and say we are 3 players short of really challenging.

It really is a never ending cycle. The fact is that Corluka, BAE, Dawson, Krancjar, Jenas, Crouch and Defoe would barely kick a ball if they played for Chelsea or Man Utd. Huddlestone might play a bit part in the cups to get more experience.

Unfortunately we are much further off challenging for the top than 3 players.

Indeed. It will help if we can keep this squad together for one more year, I think, but you only have to look at Carrick and Berbatov's supposed failure at a top side, and the ease with which they would reclaim their places.

 

[spurslenny]

the problem with our strikers is that only each have one of the following attributes: pace, strength, aerial ability and guile.

Defoe = pace
Crouch = aerial ability (sort of!)
Gudjohnson = strength and guile (ok, the exception)

we need a striker that encompasses all of these attributes in much the same way that Rooney, Torres, Anelka, Drogba all do.

A player of that ilk will be hard to lure here and expensive, but i feel that's what we should be going all out for in the summer.

 

[DC_Boy]

the situation will probably be worse next year - bcause city will buy again and may be in the CL to enable them to buy even better players

pool have had a mare this season (for them) yet i still think they'll finish above us - and I'd be surprised if they don't finish above us again next season too

the current top 3 - beyond us this season and next

 

[alamo]

While I agree with most of your post, this part is the problem. We always fail to rate our players correctly. As fans we find it hard to say our first team is 9 players short of really challenging the top four so we find a couple of players like Jenas, Hudlestone and Crouch and say they are the weak links. If we can find 3 stronger players to replace them then we'll be challenging at the top. But if we did that we'd start questioning BAE, Krancjar and Corluka and say we are 3 players short of really challenging.

It really is a never ending cycle. The fact is that Corluka, BAE, Dawson, Krancjar, Jenas, Crouch and Defoe would barely kick a ball if they played for Chelsea or Man Utd. Huddlestone might play a bit part in the cups to get more experience.

Unfortunately we are much further off challenging for the top than 3 players.

Not sure I agree with you there mate. If you look at the quality that Torres and Gerrard bring to Liverpool then you could easily argue that three truly top players would improve us no end.

Also, the players you mention are better than you credit them

 

[bubble07]

I hate to say it but we need 2 types of players. A Fabregas type player and a Drogba type player. A decision will also have to be made on King and Woodgate in the Summer. If its not good news then we need a top class central defender

 

[Spirit58]

Spurs have a good a squad as anyone... Spurs are just missing 1 or 2 "world beaters" like a Rooney, Gerrard. If Spurs can can sign one or two then anything less then top 4 would not be acceptable

Maybe this is why we never sign anyone of this calibre, simply because as fans we wouldn't accept a poor league position.

 

[pablo73]

While I agree with most of your post, this part is the problem. We always fail to rate our players correctly. As fans we find it hard to say our first team is 9 players short of really challenging the top four so we find a couple of players like Jenas, Hudlestone and Crouch and say they are the weak links. If we can find 3 stronger players to replace them then we'll be challenging at the top. But if we did that we'd start questioning BAE, Krancjar and Corluka and say we are 3 players short of really challenging.

It really is a never ending cycle. The fact is that Corluka, BAE, Dawson, Krancjar, Jenas, Crouch and Defoe would barely kick a ball if they played for Chelsea or Man Utd. Huddlestone might play a bit part in the cups to get more experience.

Unfortunately we are much further off challenging for the top than 3 players.

There's some truth in what you say but we are closer than we have been fior a long time. It just needs to be the right two or three players. I'm not saying we would then win the league but we would be more competetive at the top half of the table. We've got a relatively young squad who will all improve with experience. This obviously all takes for granted that we will keep all our best players, eg Lennon and Modric, which is not a given.

 

[dontcallme]

Not sure I agree with you there mate. If you look at the quality that Torres and Gerrard bring to Liverpool then you could easily argue that three truly top players would improve us no end.

Also, the players you mention are better than you credit them

There's some truth in what you say but we are closer than we have been fior a long time. It just needs to be the right two or three players. I'm not saying we would then win the league but we would be more competetive at the top half of the table. We've got a relatively young squad who will all improve with experience. This obviously all takes for granted that we will keep all our best players, eg Lennon and Modric, which is not a given.

But where do you think these players are coming from? I don't believe any of our players are truly world class at the moment. Modric and Lennon are the closest in getting there. So if your point is if we had three world class players like Torres, Gerrard and Essien then we'd be challenging near the top then I agree. If you want three players in line with our current top players then we'll still find ourselves falling short of the top and we'll just find three new players that we believe are holding us back.

 

[WexfordTownSpur]

Spurs have a good a squad as anyone... Spurs are just missing 1 or 2 "world beaters" like a Rooney, Gerrard. If Spurs can can sign one or two then anything less then top 4 would not be acceptable

Agree, the top 4 clubs all have one or two of these so called "world class" players - players in the 30m plus category - sorry but we have none, I think Modric has shown the most potential but he has been hit and miss, and I don't think a Barca or RM would come in and pay like 35m for him, and he is probably our biggest asset?

You look at pool with Gerrard and Torres, Man U with Rooney, Ferdinand, Vidich, and maybe Nani. ARSE with Fabuarse and Arseshavin, Van Percy and maybe others. man City with Tevez, Adabadhore, and others, Chelsea with Drogba, Terry, Lampard and others, you begin to see we are well off the mark.

Maybe Huuntlar was the man, maybe Sandro will be, maybe we can pick up another Berbatov (or even the original one)....either way we will need that "world class" player or two, someone on the 30m plus field to take us to the next level - at the moment we are still just "in the running" but we will fall short, this year and next unless we can fill these gaps! brining in players like Kabul, EG, Walker is just not gonna cut it.

 

[striebs]

If Spurs had a Wenger then maybe , just maybe we would be able to challenge .

Anything less and the clubs finances are just not sufficient to get a seat at the table .

I don't see this changing enough due to the indebtedness of the top clubs
. Platini's proposals may help .

None of our strikers would start for Man Utd , Chelsea or Man City .

All this "find a top partner for Defoe" is somewhat missing the point .

Even off the pitch he finds his own level - slappers .