15 August 2007
Spurs Top of the Table
They may have started the season with two straight defeats, their midfield may resemble Alzheimers-suffering strangers in the night but Tottenham Hotspur have wasted no time in racing to the top of the Premier League injury table.
With Younes Kaboul and now Dimitar Berbatov added to the already busy physio room, Tottenham now have eight players unavailable for selection and they are not exactly superfluous players.
First we have Aaron Lennon, the “jet heeled” winger and most penetrative midfielder who looked jaded at the end of last season and is currently recovering from a cartilage tear in his knee.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto spent most of last season out with a knee problem which later required surgery from which he is still recovering. Luckily last season the left back position was adequately filled by;
Young-Pyo Lee who also has a knee injury. His form at the end of the season was one of the overlooked factors in Tottenham’s superb late run to fifth. In the closed season Spurs added to the competition at left back with the addition of,
Gareth Bale, the ultra talented Welsh 17 year old who is yet to have his début with the club. A thigh strain picked up in pre season has stalled his Tottenham career before it has even begun.
Michael Dawson was arguably the most important defender for Spurs last year. True, the defence was somewhat porous anyway but had it not been for the ever presence of Dawson, it would have been far, far worse. This season, an ankle has kept him on the sidelines.
Last but absolutely by no means least, Ledley King is still six weeks away from recovering from long required knee surgery. Of all the players, King’s absence is the one most keenly felt. Not only is he the the stand out defender (probably on a par with Rio Ferdinand and John Terry) but as captain the Tottenham defence simply doesn’t have the organisation you need to defend adequately against free kicks and corners.
What is more, the players and the manager will all tell you the same thing; no matter how good Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov are, the best footballer at Tottenham is Ledley King.
Three centrebacks, three fullbacks, most creative midfielder, best striker all injured, huge expectation, huge pressure.
It is not exactly surprising that Spurs are bottom of the other table.
