Derby a Must Win for Spurs

By: Richard | August 17th, 2007

This will be my first blog for theoffside.com. I’m hoping to spark some debate amongst Spurs fans (and maybe even the occasional Gooner) so please feel free to chime in with any and all opinions you may have. The more involvement we get the better!

Wow, what a disappointing week. I have to be honest; I thought 9 points was fully possible through our first three matches. Perhaps this was being a little overly optimistic, it being the start of a new season and all, but what the hell. The build up and anticipation is the best part (aside from getting past all the transfer talk). Instead, just a few days later I’m left deflated…

Going in to last Saturdays game at the Stadium of Light it was safe to say that the Black Cats were going to give us all they had, but to walk out without a point hurt. Let’s not go into how we lost, or Anthony Gardner or Jermaine Jenas or injuries. Let’s just focus on the fact that Spurs have been building to become a Champions League squad. Keeping that in mind a team in such a position needs to find ways to win games like the Sunderland fixture rather then creative and dramatic ways to lose. Putting that behind us our attention turns to our home opener v. Everton. What seemed like a perfect game to build confidence ended up being our second straight loss at the Park Lane to the Toffees. Spurs now sit at the bottom of the table…. Dead last.

Calling tomorrows game a must win is a drastic understatement. Without a win Tottenham Hotspur could well walk out of August looking pretty rough. Manchester United await Spurs next week putting even more pressure on Martin Jol’s side to pull the full three points this Saturday. A loss would be a disaster, and a draw would be only slightly better. All signs point to Keane starting in the Midfield again with Bent and Defoe up front. This brings up one huge question: why are we not playing Adel Taarabt? He was a force during the preseason but he’s yet to see the pitch during our first two matches… Bale and Young-Pyo Lee look to be game time decisions. With King set to start training soon and Dawson perhaps ready by the 26th for Manchester United the back line could finally start to take shape soon but not soon enough.

I’d like to see a lineup of Keane/Bent up front, Malbranque/Zokora/Huddlestone/Taarabt in midfield and because there may be few options at the back line Chimbo/AG/Rocha/Bale (if healthy) with Robinson in goal for Derby Saturday. Give me your thoughts. COYS!!