Part 2 of the Examination - Midfield

Article by e-Spurs Writer Gary Smith (UK)

 

So the next part of the post season examination brings us to a closer scrutiny of the midfield. After careful examination of the defence which proved to been surprisingly painless, bringing the odd abrasion or torn tendon to light, yet not disclosing anything too catastrophic or beyond remedial surgery our attention moves to the midfield.

Before I began this short series of articles, based on the historical strengths of Tottenham, this examination would have expected to have revealed a situation full of hope and promise. After all, consider the players who have graced and thrilled the crowds in the past with their dazzling array of talents: Hoddle, Waddle, Ginola, Ardiles, Hazard, Modric, Van Der Vaart, Anderton and the inimitable Paul Gascoigne. Its fair to say that it would be unjust to expect the current crop of midfielders to ever achieve the adulation and awe inspired by Glenn Hoddle but there is a rich tradition of attacking flair - minded midfielders to which, as fans, we hope the team strives to emulate.

Let us begin with the positives of which there are some. Dembele, although performances have been curtailed by injury, has looked to be a good buy and he has looked one of the few midfielders capable of beating players almost effortlessly. However, it would be fair to say that he does need to add goals to his game and it has been hard to gauge his consistency or ability to create match-winning chances through his spate of injuries. Again, almost coming under the same umbrella but bringing different skills to the table is Sandro. At the beginning of the season he fully justified the reputation that came with him when he was first signed and he looked as if he was going to be a nailed on regular. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by injury but the measure of his impact was evident in the imbalance which suddenly appeared in the Tottenham midfield. Aaron Lennon has to be looked upon as one of the positives and, although his final ball can still at times be annoyingly wayward, his pace and ability to beat players and open up the opposition's defence is crucial to Tottenham's play. Lennon has had a good season although I think he has been let down a little by the inconsistency of Kyle Walker behind him.

A separate mention has to be made for Tom Huddlestone. Much loved and on his day a superlative passer of the ball. However, whilst not among his strongest critics, I feel that his advocates greatly over-estimate his impact. Sure, he is potentially a great passer and he has a thunderous shot as they will argue. However, you only have to look at his goalscoring record to glean the complete facts. He isn't and is never going to be a great goalscorer - a Hoddle he just isn't! He is not incisive or mobile enough to be another Gascoigne and he doesn't have the flair of a Ginola. In short, we cannot keep saying he has 'great potential'. He has gone beyond that stage in his career. Good player that he is, he is not good enough or equipped with the right attributes to fit into Tottenham's system. Spurs are at their best when moving the ball quickly and attacking with pace and this is just not in Huddlestone's remit.

Finally, to the disappointments, the conundrums and the reality. Sigurdsson has to come within the disappointing category. He has been played out of position and this has been glaringly obvious and is, of course, not his fault and maybe his saving grace. He is patently not a wide player since he does not have the required pace or ability to go past defenders that is required. Vertonghen has looked more assured on the left wing than Sigurdsson and that is a damning indictment. He came with a reputation a free scoring midfielder but has shown very little to justify this reputation.

I am going to include Dempsey in the midfield although there is a case for bracketing him with the strikers. Of all the disappointments this season he must surely have been the biggest. There is no doubting his effort and for this he should be praised. However, his first touch has been horrendous, he lacks pace and, despite his reputation he is not a natural goalscorer. He has ended up with a few goals but this has been largely due to endeavour and luck than any innate goalscoring talent. I saw him for the USA the other day and his face was a complete contrast to the often harrowed look he wears when wearing the white of Tottenham.

Lewis Holtby must come into the conundrum spectrum. He certainly has a lot of energy and pops up all over the place but I have often found myself asking - "Does he know what he is doing or where he is meant to be"? Probably through no fault of his own, he has appeared to have a little of the headless chicken syndrome. Perhaps AVB will find a position that suits him and we will truly see what he is capable of. Another of whom it is too early to make a judgement is Tom Carroll although in the cameo appearances that he has made he certainly has made a good impression. He has looked sharp, incisive and seems to have a good footballing brain. Doubts have been raised about his size but similar doubts were aired about Modric and they proved to be unfounded.

The reality that bites: Scott Parker, indomitable spirit and a fearless competitor but...much as he has given to Spurs over the last two seasons, his time is surely up. He does not have the attributes to fit into the Tottenham system. He has tried to adapt by running at people but once he gets within the opposition's penalty area he seems bereft of ideas and almost always ends up conceding possession or going backwards. He had a place in the team but with the emergence of Sandro and perhaps Holtby even, he is surplus to requirements. And so to Livermore - how he ever obtained an England cap I will never know. Now as an ardent Spurs fan I always long to see our players representing their National teams. Yet even I was horrified to see Livermore pulling on the white of England. He is a solid, industrious and dedicated footballer but he is not quite good enough at the very highest level.

So, there is little point in speculating who we need to bring in but it is quite clear that the midfield is an area which needs to be addressed. There is a paucity of creative, goal-scoring and inventive midfielders. We need a player who can create space for others, carve out clear cut chances, as well as contributing a regular source of goals. True, such players are hard to come by but they do exist and you only have to look at the huge effect they can have on a team's fortunes - Lampard at Chelsea, Gerrard at Liverpool, - to realise that they are worth the extravagant fees they would command.

In short, Spurs have the beginnings of an exciting midfield but what they need now is a catalyst to provide the spark and the energy to press teams and create pressure as an attacking force. It is an area which has been widely identified as a crucial element of the team which needs to be strengthened. I only hope that, this year, Levy releases the purse strings and allows AVB to buy someone that he wants and not to accept a last minute bargain basement signing who happened to do reasonably well at a moderately successful club amongst fairly average players.

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