There is an ever-increasing likelihood that the high point of Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer business will be the signing of Brad Friedel on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Should this be the case, how will Tottenham improve on last year’s position? With no drastic personnel changes, it comes down to Harry Redknapp’s tactics to keep Spurs in the running.
Anybody who followed Spurs over the course of last season knows that the team’s inability to convert chances was their fundamental failing. Short of bringing in a new striker, what must Harry change to get Spurs scoring again?
The answer may be to scrap the 4-5-1 formation of last season. Peter Crouch scored 4 times in 29 Premier League games whilst spearheading the Spurs line, and whilst people may point to his 9 assists, the return is nowhere near good enough.
In the 2009/10 season, Tottenham played with a 4-4-2 formation and finished 4th. After the arrival of Rafael Van der Vaart, Redknapp whacked all his best players into the starting line up and the result was the 4-5-1. Whilst this resulted in Tottenham playing good football and dominating possession against lesser teams, it did not improve the club’s fortunes. Tottenham scored 12 less goals in the league and conceded 5 more than in 2009/10. In order to bring the goals back a change in formation is needed but then the problem is, who do you drop? Evidently the Redknapp approach of just playing your best players didn’t work, a sacrifice must be made to accommodate a second striker. (Not necessarily alongside Crouch). Bale, Modric, Van der Vaart and Lennon will be fighting for 3 midfield places alongside a more defensively minded player, (Huddlestone or Sandro).
It is at this point that everybody has a different opinion of what would make the best midfield. Van der Vaart could play in any position across the middle but would you replace the others? Are any of Tottenham’s strikers good enough to force this issue or was Redknapp right to just squeeze Van der Vaart in off the front man?
Personally, I would like to see a return to the 4-4-2 and I would like to see Defoe given a run in the team, he is a form striker and is by far the most single-minded player in the Tottenham squad. He wants goals and the team needs them. I may be tempted to put Van der Vaart on the right, with Lennon replacing him as a super sub unless VDV’s fitness has improved this year.
In any case, a midfield full of talent is a lovely problem to have, a lack of goals up front is not. What tactics would you play and where does Rafael van der Vaart fit into this team?
Written by Philip Wroe for FootballFancast.com: http://twitter.com/#!/philipwroe
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Or have a look at the ten strikers that we think will lead the race for the Golden Boot next season
Given that we have strikers but whom is not up to standard…i would have to agree with the VDV in the hole playing off the main striker…so midfield we would have Bale,Sandro/Huddlestone,Modric and Lennon running the show…even if we get it a new man up front i would love to see VDV linking more in goal…yeah i think that will work…
I would drop VdV. He’s short of pace. I might try him with Sandro playing deep, to see if it could work.
Like the question!
For argument sake, if we don’t sign a striker. This is how I would line up.
GK: Gomes
Back 4: Walker, Dawson, Kaboul, BAE
Mdfld: Sandro, Modric
Attck Mdfld: Lennon, VDV, Bale
Strker: Defoe or Crouch
I think in that formation you can accomodate your best players and also VDV will be in a more familiar position. With that formation you can’t not score goals whilst also defend at the same time.
4-3-3
Hudd Sandro (holding with licence to push forward)
Modrick or VDV (creative)
Lennon, Defoe & Bale (forwards)
Brief keep ball, pass and move, run with the ball, shot on sight!
Plan B 4-4-2 if not working
You are right about one thing our formation but your are wrong to say it was chances converted that seen us finish 5th. This is why no strikers scored more than 21 and both of them had hatricks and penalty’s in there 21 Anelka scored 6 Drogba scored 11 Malouda 12 Kalou 12 Bent 17. Modric scored 3 and made 2 he created 68 and most of them he blazed over the bar or they was saved and i will bet most of his misses was when we played 4411. Last year defenses where on top and every time we played a team in trouble there Tempo and work-rate doubled especially in the second half even without any tactical changes. How many times did Harry say i thought we would win easy and he also said i never seen that coming when we drew some games. We never had the same team twice no striker could get his sharpness in front of goal because Harry had to play Van Der Vaart and when Crouch started getting isolated when Huddlestone got injured all our strikers where blunted and fed up playing once scoring and facing the bench like Defoe after the Wolves game for one. Somtimes you can sign a player and he can have a negative affect on you season even if they are superb like Van Asprilla did the same for Newcastle and they lost a 12 point lead and the title to Utd.So Harr started to play 442 and dropped Lennon and that never worked and the final insult was the week Chelsea and City put the boot in by opening a 7 point gap we never recovered from and by the time Crouch own goal finally sunk us the gap was to already to much to fill. When Toure who was part of one of the best defences failed a drug test this should have alereted fans why defences where on top and why when Defoe and co got in the box there was more than six players waiting plus the goalkeeper we never ever got this high tempo in our revolving team through all the long term injuries we never had a fully fit team Huddlestone was playing with injections Lennon had a groin he could only rest and was scared of hurting it he was avoiding contact with every game Van was suffering in Harrys words from a bad pre season Defoe had 2 moths out and faced the bench every other week or sometimes week Gallas was suffering from aging legs put no lack of commitment. Bale eneded up with leg and back problems and too much hype when mad Mycon look average and faced some bad tackles that finally hurt his back Ledley could not sort his latest injury his groin and he has had two last operations to see if he can play all season because he played three and we won all of them. So can any fan tell me WE finished 5th in a season of massive shocks terrible injuries and one drug cheat when i no he was not alone was a great achievement . Our Problem is this if we sell players on the back of this season Like Crouch and others we will regret it and suffer by them when we play the teams they go too. Coys
Agree 4-4-2 has got to be the way. Bale (sub Kranjar), Modric (assuming he’s still here)(sub pienaar), Sandro (sub Hudd), Lennon (sub VDV). Up front: Drogba, Adebaeyor. Oh sh$t, I mean Defoe & Pav. Oh well, back to reality…
Defence: Galas, Bassong, BAE, kaboul (subs: Hutton walker Dawson corluka). Keeper: Gomes. Aforementioned subs mentioned to be used for all games in Europe.
If modric goes to Chelsea and we get drogba in return, then we could play VDV or kranjar in central mid with lennon, bale and sandro. Nice. Dunno if pav or Defoe would play better alongside drogba. Amy thoughts?
To get the best out of next season of which we could afford, i’d do the following in 4-2-3-1.
Gomes/Friedel
Walker, Dawson, KABOUL/New cb signing/ BAE
Sandro, Diarra – yes if we sign las
Lennon, VDV, Bale
Llorente/adebayor/Benzema/any europien goalscorer
See no need for modders there? Sell him for the value now and improve our squad like that, with two cdm’s our defence would be insane, let alone the passing and attacking quality going forward.