Why it makes sense to play Huddlestone in central defence

Expert Opinion

03Aug

Why it makes sense to play Huddlestone in central defence

by Scott Oliver

A game, a season, a career – at whatever scale it’s observed, history turns on the smallest of details. Give Didier Drogba weaker neck muscles and Fabio Capello slacker principles and the scenario at White Hart Lane is probably Harry Redknapp leading Spurs into a Champions League campaign with Luka Modric pulling the strings. Instead, the King is dead (well, retired), ’Arry’s gone, and the Croatian playmaker is all but doing his bienvenidos ball-juggle at the Bernabéu.

With two pillars of the Tottenham spine removed and a third, Scott Parker, recuperating after ankle surgery, Tom Huddlestone will no doubt view late summer as an opportunity to impress André Villas-Boas and, after an injury-ravaged 2011-12, regain a foothold in a squad that appeared to have left him behind, both in playing style and ambition.

While a like-for-like replacement for Modric is unlikely to be found, the presence of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jake Livermore and Sandro, along with the potential arrival of João Moutinho, suggests the makings of a queue. Huddlestone’s supposed niche in the side might not therefore be as straightforward as merely slotting in at central midfield. In fact, it could be that his power and elegance is best utilised as a replacement for Ledley King.

Of course, Tottenham have signed the central defender Jan Vertonghen from Ajax, and the Dutch footballer of the year may or may not adapt quickly. There is also the much-improved Younès Kaboul, Michael Dawson (another sidelined for the majority of last season), and the hot-headed, ageing William Gallas to consider.

Yet the optimal solution could be the 6ft 2in frame of Tom Huddlestone, a move that would also allow a change from the 4-2-3-1 of pre-season toward a progressive ‘Iberian’ form of football favoured by his new manager – a 4-3-3 that he tried and failed to implement at Chelsea, having used it in Porto with Rolando and Otamendi as ball-playing central defenders.

The 4-3-3 may be that of Pep Guardiola’s pre-tinkerings Barça, with an elusive false No9 in Rafael van der Vaart and wide forwards (Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon) who cut into that space, a system that would suit a squad so short on strikers. Or it may be that of Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao: three mobile, versatile midfielders and two quick wingers flanking an orthodox No9 as a punto de referencia (‘reference point’ rather than a target man: Emmanuel Adebayor for Fernando Llorente), dictating shape rather than method.

“Ah, but Huddlestone’s too slow,” come the protestations, despite that proving no impediment to the likes of Sami Hyypiä and Steve Bould, to name but two.

“Not rugged in the tackle,” they say. Well, for those who’ve been comatose for 10 years, with UEFA-monitored card-happy referees protecting the bones of multi-million pound commodities, even here in Britain, the game has evolved to become practically non-contact, with defending as much about interceptions as tackling.

“Not enough experience.” This is always an overstated attribute, far less significant than an understanding with his partner, full backs and screening midfielder(s). And if Huddlestone is looking for a fast-tracked inexperienced model, then who better than Bilbao’s Javi Martínez – notwithstanding the fact that the Basque’s move backward was a long-term expediency dictated by the length and talent in the queue for La Roja’s midfield.

Huddlestone is not competing against so many great midfielders internationally, but his development as a libero would certainly give England another dimension (with the not insignificant caveat that Roy Hodgson is prepared to give up a Stone Age adherence to 4-4-2) and present a new set of problems for opponents used to simply allowing the uncultured centre-half to have the ball.

Certainly, Huddlestone possesses the distribution and ball-carrying abilities that enable both Spanish clubs’ formations to alternate depending on possession. Jonathan Wilson described Barça as playing three-and-a-half at the back in last season’s first La Liga clásico after a tactical shuffle shunted Sergio Busquets – a similar player to Huddlestone and Martínez, if more bureaucratic – to centre-half, removing a chief initiator of attacks from the midfield traffic, and has predicted that the logical response to a rapid increase of false No9s and disappearance of goal poachers would be the re-emergence of the libero.

Given that few Premier League teams play with two out-and-out strikers – certainly not the sort that might forcibly embroil Huddlestone in a game-long examination of his physicality and mettle – Spurs could catch the Premier League on the hop by making their spare defender an attacking prompt rather than a destroyer.

Anyone longing to see England evolve from high-tempo bedlam should hope for the emergence of this potentially statuesque libero – give me your poor, your needy, your Huddlestone passes…

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Comments

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JayMon

Whilst I’m a huge fan of Hudd’s and think his technique is second to none, with the reported high line that AVB plays, his lack of pace would get exposed.
Stevedorrington82

what a load of rubbish. we’ve got verthongen, gallas, dawson, kaboul, caulker and bassong……and you reckon huddlestone should play centre back? get a grip mate. maybe we should also play friedel up front and cudicini left wing?
Lordav27

Are you smoking Crack – no mention of Caulker, future Ledders. Hudd is quaility and whilst it is good to know he can cover CB if we have bad injuries we should NEVER look to play him at CB in the first instance. Hudd/Sandro are the future
Craig Smith

as jaymon says pace is a major problem,i also think going forward he is a great passer,ballplayer, but as a defender his positional play and tackling leave something to be desired. the only time i would try this is if we are short of centre halfs or in the europa.
Ben

Only read the headline but we are loaded up with centre halves yet weak in centre mid and you suggest this? Madness.
Erios100

When you are looking to play a high line, you don’t put somebody with the turning axis of an oil tanker in central defense. Why are we even discussing this? the partnership initially will be Verthongen and Kaboul, but I suspect Caulker will have a major role to play also.
DAVspurs

Firstly big Tom is 6ft3 and he could be 4 with his fro hair secondly he has played about 9 times at Centre Half and never bean on the losing side and he has only played with one recognised Centre Half Woodgate in our first 0-0 at Everton. Thirdly i think you will be shocked at Hudds extra fitness this year under Avb he looks trimmer faster and he showed at the Bulls when he stole the ball and hit a rasping shot o ntarget with his left foot. Thirdly the constant reveral about Hudds lack of speed is way of the mark he was 100 metre Hurdler at School and its documented by thee back room staff one of the quickest at the club. The a problem with tom his he has so many passes at his disposal he never uses his speed much but under Avb he will shock a lot of fans and i fully believe Modric will not be missed has much has our fans think he will and we will score more goals. If you watch Tom when he gets rushed he makes space by shielding the ball or swapping the ball from his right to his left in a flash and finds his man 5 10 30 50 yards it doesn’t matter
DAVspurs

Once again his speed is mention trust me he is not slow i have heard one of the trainers saying so and you dont run 100 metres if your a cart horse . What you will fin is this Hudds has weight problems and under big Jol he ballooned to 16 stones under Ramos he nearly starved to death and got bollocked for using tomato sauce on his food. When Harry arrived he started slimming the his ankle got damaged and Harry played big Tom with injections and the rest has they say is history we have yet to see the real slim Hudds and i believe it will be this season if he stays fit and plays.
jerkinmahjurgen

It’s not rubbish. Not a 1st choice defender when all are fit but as mentioned, can cover and that’s handy. Started career there and played quite a few of his games-tally as a center-back. The author argues when playing against one up-front, can you have Hudds in the back 4? Possibly. Probably. However, his tackling is suspect and not for lack of ruggedness, but he’s a slow, mis-timing lunger, and a bit aggro with it. And would the high line be another issue. An option against lesser teams along the way, but no more than that.
Ted L

Total myth that he’s slow. Google quotes from a number of spurs’ coaches that laughed off his apparent lack of pace. Nice article but I think he’s too good of a footballer to play at CB unless it’s in a back 3 where he could step out and dictate.
Cobbing

Would Hud (a make-shift centre back) really get more minutes behind Vertonghen, Kaboul, Dawson, Cauklker and Gallas? He’d be better training to be a striker.
Captain Swagger

I think he could be used to play Parker’s position, as a backup with a different skill set to Sandro. He would definitely help create chances, as his long ball is great, and you could play a Sigurdsson-VDV-Huddlestone midfield and stretch the defense with the ability to shoot from distance and the amount of creativity (while none are Luka, or even Moutinho) between them they can cause serious problems. But as a CB, his tackling will be tested as the high-line asks every one of the back four to be able to strip the ball from a striker who happens to race clear, and I really don’t want to see a stupid penalty because he lunged and missed the ball on a breakaway
Tony

Much as I love Thud, this is utter tosh. We have a queue of central defenders. But the most important thing is…..how do you play a high defensive line with Thud in it? Did the author see the well known milk float John Terry struggling with this?
Scott Oliver

Hey, man, that’s just, like, your opinion, man
spur1950

what i would like to see is HUDD with SANDRO some times to man mountains they shall not pass !!!
arrys gone thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2U5MS4NH2XDE2PEH62PRTLGUSE Black Long

Why do people keep talking about a high line? Is it because the media keep saying it was employed by AVB at Porto? Vertonghen is not quick, Dawson is slow, Gallas is not as quick as he used to be, Caulker isn’t lightening nor is Bassong, the only quick centre half we have is Kaboul. So if AVB insists on playing a high line we will get dealt with more often than not. The sign of a good manager is one who can develop a system for the players at his disposal, not blindly and dogmatically insist on one because it worked for him once in the past. So this high line repeated ad infinitum is a nonsense.
Fire_camel

Absolute rubbish, not competitive enough for a CB, Thudd is a teddy bear and we already have loads of talent in that position anyway. Sell him.
Glennclem

Don’t forget caulker, an excellent prem season at Swansea and now a good per season with the Olympic team
Terence Costello

I agree , Tom played played Centre Back at Derby County.He is a good reader of the game and his passing is second to none, speed is not essential in that position remember Bobby Moore? Kaboul does have weaknesses especially when players come across him and attack his left side see how he many fouls he commits.
Benh

no need to play him at CB, lots of competition there already. better play him and sandro alongside one another in a 4-2-3-1
tim

you dont know where you are mate, this is a spurs discussion, we will never sell hudd.
tim

Huddlestone should be used like a quarterback, to be the centre fulcrum of the midfield. when he gets the ball, he sprays it around with his great technique, and if he gets the space go forward, entice players onto him and then find the open man, or if a chance comes, hit a great shot, of which he is definetely capable of, when he gets his game operating properly, he will be a great player for us, believe me, but he must get angrier, and boss the midfield with his size, and win a lot of headers with hi 6ft 3ins height, he could be a pirlo, directing everything, as for modders, rot on the bench, he signed the contract, his choice, so live with it.
Who would you rather see, modric, a player who has disrupted our pre season again, or huddlestone, who loves spurs, and wants to do the best for us.
huddlestone may not be as good as modric, because modric, is a shrimp, and shorter players are trickier, but he isnt that far behind, but huddlestone, is stronger at shielding, higher for headering, and his passing is great, and huddlestone can score goals, modric gets lucky, now and then.
i know who i would have, huddlestone.
luke regan

you are deluded, you’re woeful at football manager

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