Time the Tottenham midfield pulled their finger out
Modric and fellow midfielders need to score more goals
Should Tottenham actually break in to the top four this season, it could come down to the contribution of goals from midfield- something that is not happening at the moment. With Jermain Defoe being too heavily relied upon, and the other strikers with question marks around them for various reasons, it is time for a midfield that looks full of quality on paper to start chipping in with their fair share of goals.
In any combination of midfield players that Harry Redknapp chooses, there is enough talent and ability for Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Luka Modric, Niko Kranjcar, Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios to score goals more regularly. The one exception to that list of players is possibly Palacios . The lack of goals from midfield has been highlighted even more because of the strikers, Defoe aside, struggling to do their main job. With Robbie Keane moving on loan to Celtic, Eidur Gudjohnsen trying to fit in and Peter Crouch having only scored once in two months, this doubles up the problems.
Redknapp used his nephew Frank Lampard as an example of a successful goal scoring midfielder. Speaking in the Daily Mail, he said: “That’s where Frank Lampard or someone is invaluable; he gets 20 goals a year from midfield, what a star that is for your team.” No matter how good or consistent Lampard is, players like him do not come around often. Tottenham do not have a midfielder capable of doing that, so should there be a greater emphasis and urgency for their midfield to find the net?
Prior to Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at Wolves on 10th February, only 17 of the club’s total of 64 goals, at that point, had come from the midfielders. Something that Redknapp might be baffled over is why midfield goals are not coming considering Peter Crouch is someone who can provide assists and knock downs for the midfielders. A lot has been made of playing the high ball up to Crouch, but the main purpose of that was that when he wins the headers, like he inevitably will do, the midfielders should be the first ones to the second ball and working off him. It doesn’t happen enough at Tottenham and if Defoe isn’t picking up the flicks then no one else seems to.
When taking in to consideration the attacking talent of Lennon, Modric and Krancjar as the likely goal-getters, it would take a lot of pressure of Defoe. Defoe’s partnership with Crouch isn’t as potent as the one both he and Robbie Keane shared with Dimitar Berbatov, therefore the midfield need to start chipping in with their fair share in goals in order to relieve the pressure off Jermain Defoe. It has cost them in recent weeks, especially when he has been misfiring and subsequently the North Londoners have dropped some valuable points as a result.
At last you’ve hit the nail on the head. The midfield is e engine romm of any team Blaming Crouchy because he has to take long ballsis so one eyed its untrue. The midfiels sit back,don’t move onto balls or burst thru the middle. Yet they insist on roaming around and make it esasy for teams to defend against a lack of width. Playing the ball into space and moving forward at speed or picking up Crouchie’s knockdowns by moving forward more quickly will surely restore our scoring potential 9 They still need amotivator in midfield – (look at Petrov for Villa)
We also need to get off their backs and encourage the creativity they are capable of – perhaps they’ll want the ball then
This is not just a problem with spurs but with all teams Gerrard and even Lampards goals have dried up. This is all down to desperate teams that score and then spend the rest of the game stopping the other team doing likewise and its not parking the bus because these teams can also attack if they need to .Find this secret to desperation and you will see why 2010 favorite score is 1-0 or 1-1.and some sportsmen have so much energy thy have to have two or more Ladys to use the surplus energy on 2010 is also the year of confession’s of cheats in more ways than one look out for Wigan closing down blocking and bad back goalkeeper in World class form.Lets hope we have learnt the secret or it Will be Liverpool Bolton Wolves Hull Stoke allover again.There is one way to stop this gaol drought test all scores and the man of the match and that way we will no its real saves real goals and real tempo or there is one thing and its not the shock results its the fact with a budget of 8 million Uk sport have caught a goalkeeper championship a union forward and a Rugby league forward in a season and half of mind boggling results and record profits for bookmakers.
yes it is time for the midfield to pull there finger out and do more by finding the net
at last…our midfeild is weak..we have no gut no passion and huddlestone is not the answer and nor is wilson..who does play like a 500k player the about he come over before we pay the sum of 12mil for what could be classed as a hod carrier…Lennon dont play we have no ideas..jj is shit bentley needs to think that more like a football player rather than becks…We dont move forward as a team we always play back to goal so we have to turn..long ball to crouch its utter shit…I thank harry for the job he has done but the football this season has been poor bornig and at times pull your hair out….
Spurs have been poor recently, I hope Harry picks Pav against wigan and drops crouch to the bench as for midfield get O’hara back from pompey and give Rose a run out.