Sorry if this has been done already but I was thinking at work today at the alternative team that could have started v Reading. What I mean is injured players, subs and players not picked. We could have had: Lloris BAE Caulker Dawson Kaboul Livermore Parker Huddlestone Dempsey Adebayor Townsend That is a good team and if both 11's played each other I don't think there would be a lot in it. This is the strongest squad I have seen in my 20 years of supporting Spurs which is why there is pressure on this team to do well as there shouldn't be excuses for not at least challenging for the top 4 his year even with the Europa league distraction.
Nope, I think the first team would beat that line up, Hudd is the only creativity from deep, he wouldn't run the game against the other MF.
I think it would be tight the defence is strong from midfield back, 1 all draw for me. Ade & Dempsey up front a potent mix.
Once Sandro has said 'hello' to Hudd, thats the supply stuffed, don't forget both teams will be playing a highline...its the AVB way!, so once Bale gets at Daws...stuffed again! Same score as the Reading game, in fact you'd think you were watching it again!
Can I have a pint of what you've been drinking!...Sandro has already taken the casters off the wardrobe known as Hudd!
I'd be a bit worried with the gap between the midfield and attack. Parker and Livermore are DM's and Hudd is a deep lying playmaker, we don't have a player that can bring the ball forward on a run, like Dembele or Sigurdsson for instance. Still a strong team but that wouldn't have beaten the team we had out on Sunday in my opinion.
With you on that, Benny is good first-teamer for us, our best left back for god knows how long. Has his lapses in concentration but most players do. For the first time in ages, I don't see a weak link in the team.
He's not a player that runs much with the ball though is he? He's usually doing his best to get on the end of it. Maybe I'm wrong but I can't see Dempsey being the link up player, more the type to be at the end of a link... If that makes sense.
He has played the role of attacking midfielder as well as forward, so he would seem to have the qualities that team would need. After Hudd get's back up from being clattered by Sandro.
I agree SoS there isn't really a weak link in our team now with great competition for places which was the point of the article. Benny has his off days but then so do all players. To think back to some of the terrible full backs we have had over the last 20 years and to see what we have now is a completely different league. I don't think the team I put would necessarily beat the team that started but I'm sure it would have also beaten Reading comfortably too.
Clint seems to be a bit of a hardnut himself, he's here winding up the Jamaicans, looks like he's giving it a bit of the ol "c'mon then big boy, lets go!" I think if it came to a 50/50 with him n Sandro in training, everyone would do well to look away! [video=youtube;Op4f5yYa4JU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op4f5yYa4JU[/video]
Absolutely CJ, one of the best teams/ squad we've had in absolute ages. Credit to Levy, Jol, Harry and AVB for bringing in some great players over the years. Commolli too should get a mention I suppsose. Atouba, Gilberto We're definitely lucky to have Benny when I think of those two! I think my old Sunday League team would have beaten Reading In reality, we should have smashed 5 or 6 past them Sunday, that would be the only criticism I'd have about the game.
Paolo Tramezzani can be added to the list as well. But also players like Austin, cundy and Edinburgh are nowhere near the level of Benny ( although i know not all left backs).The only class left back I think we have had fairly recently would be Ziege but he was at the end of his career and I think he played more in midfield if I remember correctly. Back to the squad it wasn't long ago we had Sean Davis and Michael Brown as our centre midfield partnership, we are now slating huddlestone for being like a wardrobe! He is like Maradona next to those two
I thought Ziegler showed promise early on. Not sure what went wrong there. Also, Edman was solid, but Benny is better than both IMO.
I think that Lee Young Pyo was a very decent left-back, but we often played with both him and Malbranque on the same side, which meant a complete lack of left footers in the side. I prefer Assou-Ekotto, but the Korean's probably our 2nd in that position in recent years, for me. Ziege was good, but his injury problems kept him out most of the time.
