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Fresh legs needed for Spurs’ title bid
One – the number of league starts this season for Vedran Corluka, Steven Pienaar, Sebastien Bassong and Roman Pavlyuchenko combined. They will not be missed but the question has to be asked: why bother signing replacements?
Louis Saha joined on a short term deal from Everton, and after having his Blackburn contract cancelled Ryan Nelson will also be joining the club. Short term deals, short term solutions. Maybe they are emergency cover until the summer when more suitable targets become available. Maybe they have saved us a little money in wages. Either way, if Harry doesn’t use them you have to wonder why they are there.
Tottenham may have the most acclaimed squad in the country, second only to Manchester City in terms of depth (unless you are Roberto Mancini) but Harry Redknapp keeps to a core team of about fourteen players. The first choice XI is pretty obvious, while Michael Dawson, Jermain Defoe and Sandro provide cover and tactical options.
However players like Niko Kranjcar, Giovani dos Santos, Danny Rose and those who have left the club in January hardly see any game time. Kranjcar made his first league start on Tuesday since the 4-0 win over Liverpool in September.
In recent weeks Spurs have started to look fatigued. They squeaked past Watford in the cup, dropped points at home to Wolves, and only just beat West Brom and Sunderland before that. The same players run out on the pitch and it is starting to show. Not only do their performance levels drop, but the team becomes predictable and easier for the opposition to stifle.
Redknapp had the luxury of playing a totally different team in the Europa League, but with Champions League football on the horizon for next season the players will need to balance tough continental football with increased expectations at home. To keep the squad fresh rotation will be needed and it’s not something the club has yet got to grips with.
Spurs have a favourable cup tie against Stevenage and should proceed to the Quarter finals. While they have no European football to worry about, players will start to run low on energy as the season comes to an end. If Tottenham are to mount a title challenge they will need the players performing to their best, and a spot of rotation will be needed. If Harry can make a success of rotation, Spurs may be enjoying a very successful season come May.
Posted by Tottenham fan Alan Frost
Follow Alan on Twitter at @AlanFrost_HT
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