Younes Kaboul, Paulinho, Sandro and Jan Vertonghen all started in a win for Spurs’ reserve team last night and should be available for Wednesday’s game against Manchester City. Assuming they are fully fit this will create some interesting selection dilemmas for Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood.
The transfer window has just over a week left to run and Spurs haven’t made any significant moves apart from announcing the departure of Jermaine Defoe. So what should Spurs be looking to do before the window closes?
Spurs visit the Liberty Stadium this weekend. The equivalent fixture at White Hart Lane finished 1-0 to Tottenham in August but was one of a number of early games where we struggled to create chances and the points were only secured after a 58th minute penalty from Roberto Soldado.
I was sitting down relaxing and reading the Guardian website this weekend when I came across the following article: goo.gl/ix694e. As I started reading my irritation levels rose. To quote:
We may have changed manager but a lot of the same problems persist. Is this because Sherwood needs time or is it an issue with the players?
As in so many games against “lesser” opponents at White Hart Lane, we dominated possession but couldn’t turn this into chances. Things improved in the second half but even so, by the end of the game we had 10 shots to Palace’s 14 despite enjoying 68% of the possession. The passing still seems slow and laboured at times but at least now we are playing a consistent team each week, giving them a chance to get used to playing together.
This weekend sees a repeat of the fixtures on the opening day of the season. A lot has changed at White Hart Lane since then, and it is two different managers who meet in the game this afternoon.
Anything But Penalties 