Article by Chris Mecoy (UK)This weekend sees the long, LONG pre-season come to an end for all supporters of the Premier League clubs, and we kick off our campaign with a testing trip to Selhurst Park to face newly promoted Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Opening day woes
If you look at the two squads, on paper Spurs will run out comfortable winners. Yet it never really works out that way for us, does it?
Crystal Palace are most certainly not known for their opening day victories. In fact, only once in the last five seasons have they tasted success on day 1 of the season. Even then, they almost let a three goal lead slip To Leicester at home back in 2010.
Surely this opening day form should work in Tottenham's favour, right? Sadly, no. We boast an even worse record in our first match in recent years, with no win since 2009, and no away win on the first day since a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park in 2005. Not great for a team who've had more opening away days than any other club in Premier League history.
Transfers
With or without Gareth Bale, Messrs Levy, Lewis, and Baldini have done us proud this summer, bringing in Paulinho, Chadli, Soldado and Capoue, while letting go of some of our fringe players. Ian Holloway has been very vocal about his inability to bring anyone of note to Selhurst Park so far, but he has added three new players to his ranks in the last week in Alexander, Marange and Chamakh. Add to this, the signings of Dobbie, Campana, Thomas the exciting Gayle and it would look to be a very different Palace side to the one that won the Championship play-off in May.
Tottenham line-up?
Obviously, with all the injuries and new signings, it would be tough to predict our starting line-up for Sunday, but I don't believe AVB will risk Kaboul or Sandro for this one. I firmly believe our 11 for the match will look something like this:
Lloris
Walker Dawson Capoue Rose
Paulinho Dembele
Lennon Sigurdsson Chadli
Soldado
Of course, that would depend on Spurs NOT buying anyone before Sunday.
Key Men
Crystal Palace - Marouane Chamakh Chamakh will feel he has a major point to prove against a side gunning for top four, and I'm sure he'll be firmly in the knowledge of just how much of a source of ridicule he has been for us Spurs fans the last two or three years. A permanent move to Palace could be just what he needs and he'll look to hit the ground running.
Tottenham Hotspur - Paulinho I've chosen Paulinho because his form didn't end with the finale of the last season, but continued right into the summer months with Corinthians and then Brazil in the Confederations Cup when he set the tournament alight. If Paulinho can get going straight away this season, he will prove to be a £17 million snip. Also, I'd expect Palace to try and rough us up a little bit and we'll need him to be at his strongest to protect his fellow midfielders.
Prediction
With the apparent inability of both sides to start the season well in recent years, coupled with the fact that we have a vastly different starting line up than what ended last year with players needing to blend in, my head was telling me that a draw was on the cards. If you include the passion that Crystal Palace will inevitably start with, this could be a very tough outing for us. However, what with the seemingly constant revolving door at Tottenham right now, I think that our boys will be firmly on their toes for fear of being replaced, or God forbid, shipped off to Hull. Therefore, I'm gonna plump for a very exciting, nerve-jangling narrow Spurs victory.....
Crystal Palace 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur Fingers crossed.
COME ON YOU SPURS
Comment on this article below.
Other e-Football Sites:
e-Football:
Site - www.efootballnet.blogspot.com
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_footballnet
Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/pages/E-football/529821593719736
Forum - www.e-football.freeforums.net
e-Spurs:
Site - www.espurs.blogspot.com
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_spurs
Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/pages/ESPURS/164631843709508
e-Manchester United:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_ManchesterUnited
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/e-Manchester-United/202927566530790
e-Arsenal:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_arsenalnet
e-Crystal Palace:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_crystalpalace
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_middlesbrough
e-Ajax:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_ajax
e-Eredivisie
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_eredivisie
e-Ligat Ha'Al:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_ligat_HaAl
e-La Liga:
Twitter Feed - www.twitter.com/e_LaLiga
Come on! A draw, then 2~3 have some bloody confidence in our team. 4-1 spurs COYS!
ReplyDeleteAgree with your line up 100%
ReplyDeleteAlthough despite the injury worries I can't see them scoring twice. Espcialaly with ex gunner chamack leading the line.
3-1 Spurs
Like the lineup - I would think of possibly having Townsend instead of Lennon as he has been scoring from that position. Maybe try Holtby as the link between the front and the back. Some of these new guys are going to go forward too, Capoue is a scoring full back like Verts, Paulinho also likes to get forward. I am looking forward to this It could go either way a complete annihilation of CP or a close thing depending on how well our newbies are gelling. The return match at WHL when the team has melded into a cohesive unit is going to be devastating.
ReplyDeleteAVB has said the spending hasn't stopped imagine our powerful midfielders supplying Bale, Soldier and Lameta pure forward traffic.