Defoe Back In Training (Pictures) / Lennon Also Back
Jermaine Defoe has returned to full training for Tottenham in a bid to be fit for the match against Arsenal in the first North London derby of the season.
Defoe has been out of action since the start of the season after picking up an injury on England duty. Spurs have missed him up front but the Spurs man isn't far from a return. Having started light ball work last week he has now taken part in training today.
Welcome Back JD
Defoe desperately wants to be able to take part in the Arsenal game and early reports are that he might get a place on the bench. Defoe is also looking forward to playing in the Champions League with Tottenham.
Some of you won't like what I am about to say but personally I don't want him involved on Saturday, at the very most I would give him 15 mins at the end if we need a goal but no more than that. He won't be the sharp Defoe we all know, he will be slow and rusty and in no way shape or form will he be anywhere near match fitness. I would stick with Pav and only in desperate need of a goal in the last 15 mins should he even contemplate using Defoe. My worry is Spurs players rushing back for the big games and doing their selves more damage in the long-term.
On another note, Michael Dawson is apparently only a couple of weeks from a return and Aaron Lennon could be fit to face the scum on Saturday. Could things finally be looking up?
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Tottenham v Inter Milan – Preview
Click the forum link at the bottom for live streams tonight.
It's almost upon us, the one we have all been waiting for, Inter Milan at home. After turning an almost embarrassing night into a result that filled us with pride in Milan 2 weeks ago we now have the chance to turn things in our favour.
Tottenham Team News
Heurelho Gomes is suspended following his dismissal in the San Siro and is the most obvious absentee for tonight's Champions League thriller. Tom Huddlestone is back in contention for a starting place in the Spurs lineup. Rafael Van der Vaart will undergo a late fitness test but is expected to play some part, whether he starts or not is up to Harry. Defoe, King, Woodgate and Michael Dawson are all still missing
Inter Milan Team News
Striker Diego Milito who missed the match at the San Siro has recovered from a thigh strain. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar and midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Thiago Motta are all out injured.
My only concern here is that Van der Vaart is so desperate to play, he will tell Harry he is fine and pull his hamstring tonight. Time will tell but that is my only concern.
A confident Tottenham are capable of turning Inter over, I expect Gareth Bale to be doubled up on but that could give Aaron Lennon more space on the right.
So what do you think, can we do itand what would your starting lineup be?
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Manchester United v Tottenham – Starting Lineups
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Firstly sorry for the confusion, someone was pulling my plonker by telling me Bale wasn't playing which made me angry.
The Tottenham team is somewhat as expected, Gomes starts in goal, Hutton keeps his place at right back, Kaboul and Gallas pair up in central defence with BAE on the left. Lennon starts on the right wing with Bale on the left, Modric and Jenas are in the middle with Rafael Van der Vaart just in front and a surprise inclusion up front as Robbie Keane plays the loan striker.
Manchester United v Spurs – Preview
As always you can watch this in the forum, click the link at the bottom of the article and log in.
Wouldn't a win at Old Trafford please us all in this weekend's big match, It's a fixture that usually means misery for Spurs, I don't think we have ever won at Old Trafford in the Premiership but now is as good of a time as any with United not really hitting top gear yet this season and the gap between the two teams seemingly closing.
Spurs boast one of the richest midfields in the Premiership with Redknapp having talent at his disposal which Sir Alex would like to get his hands on. Although United are still a strong side they are not as daunting to play against as the Champions League winning side a few years back which included Christiano Ronaldo.
Sir Alex is likely to stick with Hernandex in attack after his double last weekend away to Stoke which impressed the United boss and will ensure the Mexican keeps his place in the starting XI. Berbatov will be the obvious choice to partner Hernandez in attack, facing his former side.
Ryan Giggs is still out with a hamstring injury and the mean that has made all the headlines Wayne Rooney is still out with an Ankle injury which will see Spurs fancy their chances.
Ledley King is improving after suffering a groin injury and may make a return soon although it won't be for this one. Gallas and Kaboul started the last fixture and may do so again tomorrow although Bassong could be in the running for a place.
Wilson Palacios may start in midfield as Tom Huddlestone has failed to shake of his injury although he may make a return for the Inter Milan game on Tuesday night in the Champions League. Rafael Van der Vaart will start and will probably play the role of supporting the front man, whether that be Crouch of Pav we will have to wait and see.
If Spurs had a fully fit side I would be confident we can do something tomorrow, although still hopeful our injury list might mean that this proves one test too much for us although I hope I am wrong.
COYS!!
Defoe & Dawson Set For November Return
It's a major double boost for Spurs, Michael Dawson and Jermain Defoe are expected to be back in action for Tottenham next months after both being out since being injured on England duty early on in the season.
Michael Dawson was initially ruled out for between 6-8 weeks and that is roughly the time it has taken for him to recover from his ligament damage to his left knee so far. Defoe however was not expected to play again before Christmas but the striker has said of his progress and is targeting a return in November against Arsenal.
While Defoe's recovery period has gone better than expected Michael Dawson although expects to be back in training next months may not be available until nearer the end of the month or even December if his recovery doesn't go to plan. Recovering from ligament damage is never straight forward and it is hard to judge exactly how long it can keep a player sidelined and we all saw Dawson's injury for England and we knew straight away it was never going to be anything other than a lengthy lay off.
It will be a major boost for Harry to have both players back in action, Spurs have done well to maintain a top four push whilst struggling to cope with an injury crisis up front and at the back, Spurs have used more centre back partnering than anyone else this season, even Tom Huddlestone has had a go at it. So with both players still a while off a return there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Do We Have A Striking Gem Under Our Noses?
Gareth Bale! The kid scored a hat-trick when in Italy against one of the biggest teams in the world, all this from the left wing which has got me and a few other Spurs fans talking and we have asked the question, if he can do this much damage from the left wing then what would he be like if we gave him a game up front?
Maybe I am well off the mark, maybe he wouldn't have as much of an impact as a lot of his goals come from beating a man down the wing and creating his own chances. Strikers need natural instinct to get in the right positions in and around the box. Could Gareth do all this?
I don't know about you guys but I think it's time Crouchy was used more as an impact sub rather than our main striker, he just isn't cutting it at the moment. So would it really hurt to give Bale a chance at playing up top with Pav or could he even manage a game up top on his own with Van der Vaart just behind him? If not then maybe Harry should consider giving Van der Vaart a chance up top as a main striker until Defoe returns.
I really would like to see Bale given a chance, I wouldn't like to see him take this role up full time because left wingers are hard to find. Wales sort of give him a free role sometimes and even play him on the right but it doesn't seem to bother Bale where he plays he always seems to do a job. I think we have established by now that although he could be a good left back he is far better doing forward, anyone who can score a hat-trick against Inter Milan should not be playing at the back in my book.
So what do you think, could Bale possibly be the man to save our striker crisis and if you think it's worth a shot how would your team layout look. Mine would be something like this
—————Gomes—————-
Hutton–King– Dawson– BAE
Lennon–Hudd–Modric–Kranjcar
—————-Bale—————
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How About Wesley Sneijder
I have been doing some thinking, if Wesley Sneijder really does want to leave Inter and the rumours are that he might be looking for a way out with Manchester United keen on landing the Dutchman, could we possibly sign him?
To me it makes perfect sense, the guy is best mates with Van der Vaart, same age, same nationality and good friends, surely Van der Vaart could talk Wesley Sneijder into a move to Tottenham should he want to leave Inter. Both them two players in our midfield would make us the dogs.
Wesley Sneijder and Van der Vaart played together in the World Cup Final this summer before Van der Vaart moved to Spurs on deadline day. The pair previously played at Real Madrid and Ajax together. If Rafael is happy at Spurs then hopefully he could put in a good word for Harry. It makes perfect sense to me. OK so I am living in a dream world, but stranger things have happened and if Wesley Sneijder ever does become available then I expect there's a good chance that Spurs would be in the running for his signature if the price is right.
Wesley Sneijder will get a chance to play at White Hart Lane next week when Inter Milan come to down and who knows, he might just get a taste for English football and want to trade the San Siro in for White Hart Lane. Sneijder recently turned down a new contract at the San Siro although the Italian giants are hopeful he will accept a renewed offer this week.
Can We Beat Manchester United Saturday?
My mate at work is convinced we can and will beat United come Saturday which has inspired me to write this as I would like to know the divide on this one.
We don't usually do well up at Old Trafford, the closest we come in recent times was a 0-0 we had when I am sure you all remember Pedro Mendes hit a shot from the half way line which crossed the goal line but was not seen by the officials. Apart from that we don't usually do well at all, in fact it is one of our worst away grounds since the start of the Premiership.
This Saturday live on ESPN we take on United again, it's obvious that the gap between ourselves and United is closing but are we good enough to give them a real game up there? We are still without key players and ultimately I think that will end up costing us, United are still good at home but it is by no means beyond us to pull off a result.
Manchester United have had some problems of late but are getting back on track on and off the pitch, however our boys should be well up for this one. This is what defines teams, this is what shapes the top of the table, how the top four do in head to heads. So let's have your predictions guys, seriously do we have a chance of beating United Saturday?
I Have A Better Deal For United
I am fed up of Manchester United always trying to buy our star players, Carrick and Berbatov are now at Manchester United and if the papers are to be believed then they will be making an approach for Gareth Bale in the near future. There have been rumours that with the United cash crisis that they will try to offload some of their not so good talents to us in exchange for us taking less cash. Michael Carrick and Park Ji Sung are the two names that I have heard.
Now surely Sir Alex has a brain and knows that we sold Carrick to him and we do not want him back, Park Ji Sung would add nothing to our team so that is another waste of time. Carrick would do the role of Tom Huddlestone except Huddlestone is now the better player in my opinion.
So I have a better deal for Manchester United, how about you sell us Rooney and Nani and we will give you Keane, Jenas and we will even throw in O'Hara as a good will token. How about for a change you take some of our players off us that we actually want to get rid of. We are now a Champions League club just like United and with that means you can't bully us for our players anymore, if we don't want to sell Gareth Bale then you won't be getting him, especially if the best you can come up with is to give us Carrick and Park in exchange, that will only buy you Bale's little toe on his right foot.
Younes Kaboul – Impressive
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The more and more I see Younes Kaboul play for Spurs the more and more his displays impress me. He seems to be developing and maturing into a fine defender. There is no doubt he still has a way to go but he has all the basics and things that held him back during his first spell at Spurs seem to have been eradicated from his game.
I think the Spurs fans first took Kaboul serious last season during that crucial Manchester City game when Kaboul had a fine game and even set up Crouch for the winner. Since then he has played centre half or right back whenever asked by Harry and make no mistake it is not easy changing your position every week. I think he has done this well and can be proud of his performances, he seems to make very few mistakes these days as his maturity to the game is coming to light.
Younes Kaboul will still improve his game and could well be a top defender in time. Younes was happy to be back in the Spurs team after returning from injury, he said:
"I was very happy to start the game, even though it was a bit difficult because I hadn't played for a month," Kaboul said on Spurs' official website.
"I thought we did well defensively but we couldn't win. I thought 1-1 was a fair scoreline and now we have to concentrate and focus on the next game."
So what's your thoughts on Kaboul, are you glad we signed him back off Pompey or would you rather we have left him there, personally I prefer him at right back than Corluka but I also believe that with the right coaching he can even be a very good centre back.
Aaron Lennon – An Observation
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Now some of you might agree with what I am about to say and some of you probably won't but as always I would like to hear your comments below.
Last season Aaron Lennon was nothing short of amazing for us, teams were having to double up on him in an attempt to keep him quiet. All was going well until his injury which kept him out for a few months. Since coming back towards the end of last season he has not been the same player. He had a poor World Cup and still hasn't been as good as he was last season for us.
Lennon seems to be lacking confidence in taking on players, something that used to come to him naturally but this season he seems to be looking for the simple pass. I have heard some fans say that at the moment Lennon is cheating in the Tottenham team and not pulling his weight, he only seems to be interested if he has the ball at his feet. It is a mixture of these things which has seen Redknapp drop him to the bench in recent weeks, a player that was once a dead cert to start now has genuine concerns of being left on the bench.
There is one thing that has come out of this and I would love to hear if anyone else has noticed this or if it's just me being deluded. I have noticed that his crossing seems to have improved, maybe because he is not running at pace so much which means he has more control over his crosses. He has put in a few lovely crosses for Crouch recently and put in an absolute peach the other day. Also his crossing with his left foot seems to have improved no ends as well, he seems unfazed on whether the ball is on his right or left.
So a few negatives and a positive in my book, but for me I want Lennon to be the player he was for most of last season, because now we have Bale on the left if Lennon could rediscover his true form then teams would really fear us.
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