For the major part of this season we have witnessed a healthy battle between our two Croatian midfielders Niko Kranjcar and Luka Modric for the left side position. However, a number of factors are beginning to contribute to a case for a changing of the guard at this crucial stage of the season with a Champions League place and the F.A. Cup still within our reach. I’m asking myself if Harry’s best move could in fact be an omission of the pair of them.
When Kranjcar arrived last summer it was a shrewd and logical move from Harry, offering us an experienced Premiership player who could offer both cover and competition to his pint-sized compatriot.
Modric of course reacted in constructive fashion and was certainly at the heart of much of our good early-season work, offering hope that he would fulfil the potential and hype that came with his signing following a modest but promising first season. Yet, since returning from injury, Modric’s season hasn’t quite caught fire in the way we expected, certainly following the goal (his one and only to date this season) against West Ham at the turn of the year.
Despite his diligence and industry he has tended to ‘go missing’ once too often when we needed the spark in Lennon’s absence. Kranjcar, on the other hand, has been more constructive in the sense that he has been more apparent in the games and has at least contributed six goals in all competitions thus far.
On the occasions when he played a Croat on either flank we look unbalanced and much too narrow; the miserable performance at Anfield offering up an immediate and painful reminder of this. Neither player has stamped his authority on the position and the pair’s frustrating inconsistency has led to Harry’s constant swapping between the two.
So with this in mind, coupled with the return of Assou-Ekotto and the magnificent performances of Gareth Bale since his return to the side, I feel we should consider a slight change of plan on the left side and promote the young Welshman to left-sided midfielder.
Bale has clearly been our outstanding player for the last five or six weeks and it would be interesting to see how much more he could contribute in a more advanced position without having to sprint back eighty or ninety yards after every forward charge. It would offer up a new problem for the opposition and perhaps even arm our Croatians with more determination and motivation to make the difference in the form of substitute appearances.
Spurs have some huge teams to play in the run-in and it could just be that Gareth Bale represents our most lethal weapon. Of course, when golden boy Aaron Lennon returns there’s the undeniably exciting prospect of Lennon on the right and Bale on the left; width, pace, purpose and energy; just what we need to help us break the big four and take back our F.A. Cup.
U KNOW JUST MIGHT HAVE A POINT
This is spot on but what makes us Spurs fans mad is we can only play eleven players and good players don’t sit and watch.This would be my starting eleven GOMES WALKER DAWSON KABOUL BALE LENNON CORLUKA HUDDLESTONE Kranjcar Defoe Crouch we would have speed to burn Kaboul will be a big hit but not at right back he is 6ft 4 and fast we would have two players 6ft 3 and two wizards on the wings Walker is fast and a copy of bale with a long throw also of course Harry couldnt play this team now but in the close season it could be plan ( B) When we play physical Teams that close down quick and Moderic is no good without Lennons tackling and keeping Midfielders on there toes watching is runs .
Your mad to leave Palacios out. I would play Palacios and Modric in the middle
big johna….
im with you on that one my team would be if everyone fit….
gomes,corluka,woodgate,king,assouekotto,lennon,palacios,modric,bale,defoe,crouch.
bench…alnwich,dawson,bassong,kaboul,kranjcar,gudjohnson,pavlyuchenko,
Who’s gonna feed Bale and Lennon? Hudd? WP? Ccccc….
At last – someone sees the light! Its the midfield that is the engine room of any team – and they just don’t do it consistently enough – hence the tendency to boot it up to poor Crouchie because they have no other ideas. This team needs width – Modric and Krancjar wander inside too often and make Spurs easy to defend against. Modric has done nothing since Christmas – time for a third way
For me the real problem is now what does he do with Modders as in does he keep him or does he sell him.Sounds mad maybe to some but Bale has taken over the left side and would like to see him given the LM role now Ekotto is coming back to see how he goes.Modders has shown this is his best spot (LM) for us so far as he gets swallowed in the middle so what do we do.We badly need a quality striker for compo for Defoe and maybe to replace him so would the money from modders not be better spent on getting this as with a better striker option we would be at least 10 points maybe 12 better off.I have been disappointed with modders this season and feel he has been a problem all our managers (there have been a few) have struggled with and wonder is he the player we don’t need to take us forward.Add to his selling the selling of Jenas,Hutton,Keane,O’Hara,Bentley and Pavachenko and you would have a tidy sum of around 65ml give or take a bit we could make the team so much stronger .
It has to be Gomes, Corluka, King, Woodgate, BAE, Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Bale, Defoe and the best striker from training that week. With Kranjkar, Bentley, Dawson, Hud and the other strikers at the ready!
I forgot to mention Crouch how could i if a better stronger in the air(not hard) striker could be found then he goes too but i feel he would stay for at least the January window to let any new strikers bed in.We need a Rooney,Drogba up front as i feel in other areas we are not bad except maybe for the middle of the park sort out these two with quality and we have a better team for next year.
In tough away matchs we could use mod as the 5th man in midfield (licence to roam)/ support striker.
Think spurs should look into someone like gignac in the summer if robbie or pav leave
Wat about 4-5-1 without ball 4-3-3 with ball, with bale and lennon counter attackin wit defoe who could hopefuli hold it up and pass to any wing the way rooney does. wilson hudd an ohara in middle, with a back 4.
This is truly the most moronic article I have red ever. Is this idiot a spurs fan? If so Spurs need to clear the stand of halfwits like this!
No! No! No!
Modric is our best player by far: the only world-class one we have who would get into any PL team.
The problem is that he’s not a left-winger and so you can’t use him in a 4-4-2. We need to change the formation to suit our players and 4-4-2 will never work with the current squad.
Bale could play as a L.W., but we still don’t have two central midfielders to allow a 4-4-2. We need a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 which allows a more fluid midfield system.
Once Lennon comes back, this dilemma will get even worse if H.R. sticks to a 4-4-2 as neither Modric nor Krancjar fit into that system: to that extent the article is right because neither are wingers and should be played centrally behind a striker. The solution is to change the system as it’s not working for us.
Harry is the bloody problem.