Rafael van der Vaart played a huge part in Tottenham’s success yesterday in scoring his second league goal of the season in our 2-1 win over Arsenal at White Hart Lane.
However, it’s been a familiar sight for Spurs fans to see VDV disappear from the field and to the subs’ bench and just after the hour mark yesterday, he was replaced in midfield by Sandro.
Before the game, manager Harry Redknapp explained why the Dutchman is subbed so oftenL “Rafa often comes off because he wants to. There is a weakness in his hamstrings.
“He runs himself ragged for much of the game but problems can occur when fatigue sets in and he gets too tired.”
In the past, Rafa hasn’t always seemed too happy at being replaced but it looks as though he’s going to have to be nursed through his Spurs career to some extent. Since he returned from his latest injury, VDV has scored two in two and underlined his importance to the club.
Moving forward, it seems that less is more as far as Rafael van der Vaart is concerned.
Fair enough in my opnion. The bloke has had so many injuries and so much time out of the game. He knows his body and it’s limitations better than anyone. I’d sooner see him playing 60mins every game than 90mins and spending 3 weeks in the treatment room. Ledley manages his injury, and it looks like Rafa’s started to do the same.
Our rotational policy will have advantages at WHL. It will curtail the risk of injury & please a players in getting playing time rather than bench warming. So in rotating both Sandro & VDV in a game is quite understandable
If he scores against the arse as often as he does, I don’t care how soon he comes off. A half fit vdv is too much
for the woolwich scum to deal with!! Great goal yesterday,
beautiful technique bringing it off his chest like that!!
better to use him at full potential for 60-70 mins than to lose him for a few weeks at a time.
he doesnt like coming off cos he’s a winner, he has proved in his time at Spurs that he can score goals against the best of defences.
I m not a fan of him at RM but he delivers the ball to Spurs players more often than Lennon with the added bonus of cutting inside and keeping the ball on the deck.
COYS
he scored a goal and he set up ade for a great chance from which he shd have scored. BUT he was responsible in significant part for their goal. walker must have been sick of screaming at vdv to do his part and arsenal always looked threatening down the left. to my mind vdv plays in away games, or tough home games when we are playing one up frnt. with two up front i have no room for him unless against a very weak team. he is a luxury. as someone who thought hoddle to be brilliant i do not rule out a luxury, but he is not influential enough to jsutify a place without the tracking back. on a tough away game i wld play modric off ade and have sandro and parker in the middle, not least because sandro has great energy and will always get forward
@ DJ
The reasons you list are exactly why I like him at RM. It may not be his best position but that’s where he’s most valuable to Spurs. I am a fan of his but wouldn’t mind selling him and picking up a quality, young, RM — Goetze, Erikson, or Hazard come to mind as good choices.
As for his subbing out after an hour, good for him. I’d prefer him knowing his limits and not risking an injury. Also, we have good bench players (Kranjcar, Gio, Falque, Pienaar) who wouldn’t mind game time and 30 minutes would definitely help with that.