Spurs late summer looked a lot like the one experienced across North London at Arsenal. What the acquisitions lacked in romance and long term strategic benefit they more than made up for in being effective near-term band-aids. Spurs needed something new at forward and a deep-lying player to both win the ball and start the attack. It certainly would have been nice to find a reliable partner for Michael Dawson but presumably the combination of Ledley
King and William Gallas will be able to get the job done for 80% of the matches over the course of the upcoming season.
Showing posts with label Luka Modric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luka Modric. Show all posts
Swap Meet
Funny thing about this transfer window is that teams have seemingly stocked up on redundant players rather than addressing clearer needs. Also, we've seen a further concentration of players at the top as the biggest clubs fill out their 25-man rosters with full internationals while clubs below them are looking to academy and youth players to play a larger first-team role. How do we address this? Not being shy of an opinion, we offer our solution:
Based on the rumoured "Nasri for Tevez" swap, here are some ideas for player swaps that would help both sides.
Drogba for Modric
Chelsea want Modric, but Spurs are playing hardball and demanding an exorbitant fee. Spurs are desperate for a striker, any striker, to help keep them in the hunt for Champions League football. So, let's swap players!
Meireles for Shawcross
Stoke are desperate for some source of creativity in their central midfield and we're all well aware of Liverpool's glut of players in that department. Also, Liverpool are looking to shore up their central defence as Carragher continues to age and neither Skrtel or Agger can put together a consistent run of matches. So, let's swap players!
Adebayor for Aquilani
Back to Liverpool's bloated squad. This swap makes sense for both teams in terms of shoring up their squads where they lack depth. Adebayor would be an excellent "understudy" for Carroll as he would bring many of the same attributes to the team - good in the air, headcase, etc. In return, Manchester City get another creative player who could be cover for Silva or be an alternative to Milner in the middle of the park. So, let's swap players!
Cahill, Reo-Coker for Vela, Bendtner, and Oxlade-Chamberlain
Bolton are reasonably well represented in central midfield with Muamba, Holden, Pratley, M Davies, S Davis as "specialists" while Ricardo Gardner can also play there. They also have a ready-made replacement for Cahill in David Wheater. In return for sending their commanding center-back to Arsenal they would get the attacking tools that they desperately need. Bendtner could play though the middle with, or in place of, Davies while Vela can play across the front line. In Oxlade-Chamberlain, Owen Coyle would get another youngster to mould and would provide cover on the wings with Chyong-Lee out with his broken leg. So, let's swap players!
What swaps would you propose?
Random Weekend Thoughts
We take what we can get here at blog headquarters while we wait for either the next big transfer confirmation or the start of the season (or at least that joyous day when we get to start picking our teams for next season). In the meantime, here are some thoughts from a weekend that included the Euro U21 final, the Gold Cup final and a very interesting discussion on Facebook combined with Jeremy taunting (or baiting) me with a link on Twitter.
Modric out
Where's a Sistine Chapel Photoshop filter when you need one?
Tottenham dealt Luka Modric appendix blow - ESPN Soccernet
Tottenham's title challenge has suffered a fresh blow with the news Luka Modric is facing two weeks on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his appendix.This week I sold Van der Vaart for Fabregas. Yes, it was a stupid move and has already back-fired on me. But this confirms the sentiment that Spurs are stalled or in a bit of turmoil. They're now without Bale and Modric in midfield and are so thin at the back that they're likely to field Bassong and Woodgate against Rovers today.
Croatian star Modric has been a shining light for Spurs, with his craft in the middle of the park sparking their efforts both domestically and in Europe. But he was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery to remove his appendix on Tuesday and is facing time out as he recovers.
Modric could now miss Spurs' Champions League last-16 first leg at AC Milan on February 15 and is definitely out of Wednesday's Premier League game at Blackburn, Saturday's home clash with Bolton and the following weekend's trip to Sunderland.
It sure would be interesting to see O'Hara and Bentley take the opportunity to play some first team matches for Spurs, but yes, they've been loaned out to Birmingham and Wolves, respectively. It's going to be up to Jenas and Krancjar (Free Nico!) - and Spurs' misfiring strikers, of course - to take the burden off VDV.
Interesting times.
Midweek Review - Day One
Day One in the books, and I'm as happy as Sylvie in the photo above. 46 points from Begovic, Van Der Vaart and Gyan. Day Two looks to me much more interesting, with the Manchester derby very much at the forefront - including the Nani's possible early return from injury.
But first a brief look back at yesterday.
On Modric
Apparently I struck a nerve with my assessment of Spurs and the talent on their roster with my "First Impressions..." column on Sunday. Equally apparent is the fact that Spurs supporters (at least I assume that's who would be most likely to disagree with my assessment) don't have a terribly realistic view of the players employed by their club.
Here's the harsh reality, Spurs have three and a half players who would even be in contention for a spot with one of the other contenders in the "Big Four" of Chelsea, Arsenal, ManYoo, and Citeh. Here's the list:
Bale - Given the form he's shown since the turn of 2010, he'd contend for a spot just about anywhere in the world.
van der Vaart - Wouldn't start at Chelsea over Lamps/FloMal/Essien. Not sure how he'd fit with Cesc at Arsenal but has the talent to find a way into the side over Arsh. Would fit somewhere into the rotation with Citeh but wouldn't be a sure-fire starter. Would be an obvious upgrade over/replacement for Scholes at ManYoo.
Gomes - He'd start at Arsenal but that's about it. If he returns to his form of the latter half of last season then he's probably about equivalent of EvdS, a step below Cech and two steps below Hart.
King - I call this a half because if he were healthy, he'd start for any of the contenders other than perhaps Chelsea. That said, he's rarely healthy so in the real world, he'd be a reserve held out for big matches on the big teams.
As they say on PTI, that's it, that's the list. One player who would start for all of their rivals. Two players who would only be a clear upgrade for one of their four big rivals (VDV for United and Gomes for Arsenal). One potentially great player who isn't reliable enough to really be considered a starter at Spurs or anywhere else. Outside of that, you have a lot of adequate players. Let's face it, there's a reason that you don't hear much about the moneybags teams either domestically or elsewhere in Europe sniffing around the Spurs roster. The real strength of Spurs roster is that they have depth of solid players which, especially over the course of a long Premier League season, is enough to distance them from the likes of Villa or Everton who probably have equivalent first team talent but can't survive dips in form or an injury crisis without a significant drop in talent.
If you think I'm mis-estimating one of more players on the Spurs roster vs. their counterparts from other teams, I'd love to see the analysis in the comments section. What Spurs player(s) would take the place of someone from one of the other "Big Four" teams?
Cheers - Neal
Here's the harsh reality, Spurs have three and a half players who would even be in contention for a spot with one of the other contenders in the "Big Four" of Chelsea, Arsenal, ManYoo, and Citeh. Here's the list:
Bale - Given the form he's shown since the turn of 2010, he'd contend for a spot just about anywhere in the world.
van der Vaart - Wouldn't start at Chelsea over Lamps/FloMal/Essien. Not sure how he'd fit with Cesc at Arsenal but has the talent to find a way into the side over Arsh. Would fit somewhere into the rotation with Citeh but wouldn't be a sure-fire starter. Would be an obvious upgrade over/replacement for Scholes at ManYoo.
Gomes - He'd start at Arsenal but that's about it. If he returns to his form of the latter half of last season then he's probably about equivalent of EvdS, a step below Cech and two steps below Hart.
King - I call this a half because if he were healthy, he'd start for any of the contenders other than perhaps Chelsea. That said, he's rarely healthy so in the real world, he'd be a reserve held out for big matches on the big teams.
As they say on PTI, that's it, that's the list. One player who would start for all of their rivals. Two players who would only be a clear upgrade for one of their four big rivals (VDV for United and Gomes for Arsenal). One potentially great player who isn't reliable enough to really be considered a starter at Spurs or anywhere else. Outside of that, you have a lot of adequate players. Let's face it, there's a reason that you don't hear much about the moneybags teams either domestically or elsewhere in Europe sniffing around the Spurs roster. The real strength of Spurs roster is that they have depth of solid players which, especially over the course of a long Premier League season, is enough to distance them from the likes of Villa or Everton who probably have equivalent first team talent but can't survive dips in form or an injury crisis without a significant drop in talent.
If you think I'm mis-estimating one of more players on the Spurs roster vs. their counterparts from other teams, I'd love to see the analysis in the comments section. What Spurs player(s) would take the place of someone from one of the other "Big Four" teams?
Cheers - Neal
Groin Injuries for Defoe and Modric
Tottenhamhotspur.com - News Articles - 'A great defeat' - Harry
Harry reported that Luka Modric and Jermain Defoe were both forced out of the action with groin injuries.Keane and Krancjar now in your Premier League fantasy reckoning for @Stoke?
Niko Kranjcar came on for Luka Modric at half-time while JD limped off and was replaced by Robbie Keane after 66 minutes.
"We'll have to see how they are," added Harry, who now prepares for the trip to Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday.
Modric on the Mend
Luka Modric will play in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Tottenham on Tuesday afternoon as he continues his recovery from the broken leg he suffered in August after a challenge from Lee Bowyer.That's a fine "how do you do" for me as I'm looking to Krancjar as a great option for the upcoming week. It's enough that 'arry could inexplicably drop him at any time - and has - or give Keane a run out in midfield instead of the Kranc. Now I have the "will he won't he" worry with Modric in the frame as well.
The Croat was originally ruled out for just eight weeks but complications mean he has only recently returned to light training. If he comes through the friendly unscathed, he could return to the full squad to face Wolves this weekend.
Wilson Palacios is still a doubt for that game after suffering a rib injury in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Everton.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)