The top of the Premier League table already has an ominous look to it; Chelsea sit four points clear at the top, ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United, tailed by a misfiring Manchester City and a Tottenham Hotspur side who look to be clicking into gear.
With Spurs currently sitting in fifth place, one down from last year and crucially outside the Champions League qualification zone they brilliantly reached last season, and Man City’s expensively bolstered squad teeming with talent, it will be a difficult task to leapfrog Roberto Mancini’s man; the head-to-heads could well shape up to be the decisive matches once again.
Much has been made of City’s extensive recruitment drive that this year brought in James Milner – perhaps fatally weakening Aston Villa’s push for fourth in the process – established Champions League campaigners David Silva and Yaya Touré, along with the exciting young promise of Aleksandr Kolarov and Mario Balotelli. Yet despite this new wave of guns for hire, their potency has so far been muted, with a stumble to defeat against Sunderland matched by disjointed performances against Blackburn and Spurs which should have sent alarm bells ringing in Roberto Mancini’s head (especially after the way Mark Hughes was treated last year).
When compared to Tottenham’s less flashy, but already more effective transfers of experienced defender William Gallas – a sensible free transfer to back up Ledley King’s dodgy knees – and World Cup finalist Rafael van der Vaart for only £8M, the Italian could be fearing for his future.
The signing of Van der Vaart has already seen a dramatic improvement in Spurs’ play, notably against Wolves and West Brom in their previous two Premier League matches, providing the sort of vision, penetration and attacking unpredictability missed when Luka Modric is out injured. Van der Vaart is also a bit stronger than Modric, and more suited to playing in the hole just off the main striker, which further increases Spurs’ attacking options in the wake of Jermain Defoe’s current injury; the Dutchman could also play out wide if Aaron Lennon or Gareth Bale face more long spells on the sidelines.
Despite playing and, when given the opportunity, playing well for Real Madrid, and also being an established member of the Dutch national side (even if he is currently Wesley Sneijder’s back-up, a reversal of their Ajax days), that such a vibrant creative player as Van der Vaart could have come for a fee which nowadays counts as moderate, for the same price as the far less accomplished Stephen Ireland, is baffling; both a testament to Real Madrid’s profligacy and Harry Redknapp’s eagle-eye for a top-flight bargain.
Indeed, with Van der Vaart and Gallas now in place, the Spurs squad does now have a look of depth all the way through. The squad has enough cover for the creators of Bale and Modric, enough midfield mettle, a range of striking options and a solid feel at the back. Roughly, and with a few tweaks depending on who the opposition is, Redknapp could field a strong first and second eleven.
Players of the calibre of Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Niko Kranjcar, Wilson Palacios and Gallas on the pitch, let alone on the bench, would be a dream for all but the top eight Premier League sides; and even a couple of those wouldn’t mind one or two in their squad at the least. When compared to the those sides with aspirations of Champions League football, it trounces the back-up options of Liverpool, has a greater balance between defence and attack than Arsenal’s reserves, and whilst it doesn’t match up in terms of top-level experience or big-name players to Manchester United or Chelsea’s group, it has enough to compete with the 25 men named in Man City’s Premier League squad. If Carlos Tevez or Adam Johnson were to be out for a couple of months, City would on recent evidence be left creatively hamstrung; Spurs can substitute Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko for Defoe, Van der Vaart or Kranjcar for Modric or Bale, and still have Keane and David Bentley, proven Premier League performers, left over.
Of course, the Spurs squad is not perfectly assembled, or talk of the title would be more widespread than a few over-excited murmurs from ex-players and fans, but what are their prospects of retaining the holy grail of Champions League football? Considering the fading of Aston Villa, Everton and Liverpool, it looks a straight fight again between Redknapp’s boys and City, and on the basis of league form and recent meetings, Spurs still have the edge over the riches of Eastlands.
An extended run in Europe for the White Hart Lane outfit may drain energy and bring more injuries, but the squad has enough depth to cope with all but the most severe of situations, and a place in the knockout stages – which on the basis of Spurs’ performance away to Werder Bremen is quite likely – would also allow Redknapp to sign top-class reinforcements in January.
While Spurs may lack a player who can be truly called world-class, City can arguably only point to Tevez in their side who fits that bill, despite their largesse. There is a danger that Spurs could run out of gas in Europe, but that is a prospect that their rivals will all face, and some with less quality in reserve. They may be beatable, but it is now theirs to lose, a much less difficult prospect than breaking bad habits to make the grade, as Spurs finally did last year. With a psychological edge from last season, and both better form and a batter squad for this campaign, Harry Redknapp’s side look to be marginally ahead in the race for fourth.
