By Deep Blue
August 2 2005

Spurs have just completed a weekend in which they fielded two completely different teams (save for sub Gk Burch) on successive days. ....collecting a clean sheet and brace against championship promotion chasing Reading and drubbing a less challenging Aldershot team.

The point of this was nothing more than pre season preparation, now-a-days we have such a large squad that this is what we have to do in order to give the players the 90mins they will need in the run up to the start of the premiership season. A sign of a huge an unwieldy squad? And a clear indication of the problems we will have next year with squad rotation and keeping everyone happy? Perhaps, but imo it is this depth that will be our strength in the following season.

How many teams in the premiership in all honesty can field 2 teams on the same weekend, of that level of ability and with the majority of players playing, in serious contention for the 1st 11 this year? Chelsea?

Don’t get me wrong a lot of teams may be able to put out two teams, but with each team being of the same level? Mr Mourinho is famed for stating he wants two players for every position and has publicly set out to do so. Looking at our squad now we are genuinely able to say that we have a similar squad structure although obviously the individual talents of our players, for the most part is lower.

This is a massive thing and we shouldn’t be blasé about it, it is in this that our real strength will come, this should allow us to field a team in every game this year, in all competitions, that is as strong as every other game, through proper squad rotation. We will be able to keep up momentum and fresh legs despite a congested fixture list (esp crucial in the xmas period, normally a disappointing time for us) when other teams are forced to overplay their 1st eleven, as their back up is of a lower standard, or lacks the experience to be relied upon.

No matter when a team plays spurs they will know that there will be no real weak link (obviously some positions are weaker than others in general, but are still adequate against all but the top teams). Gaps created by suspensions, injuries or poor form are filled by a ready-made replacement eager to prove why he should keep his new starting birth.

The premiership is not about who can field the best 11 when everyone is fit and happy and on top form. In this instance imo we are not in any way superior to our rivals, we could not honestly say that our first choice 11 is better than that of the likes of Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Aston Villa (Everton, Charlton and Bolton on paper are worse imo but their style of play ensures they are comparable in games), but how often a season do they get to field that best 11?.

The premiership is a battle of attrition, grinding out results even when the team isn’t firing on all cylinders and missing key players. As the season wears on our rivals will be forced to bring in substandard replacements and rely on youth to plug holes or even the dreaded square peg in round hole.

This is also including the cup games we will be involved in this year, the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal etc may see this as an opportune moment to field their youth sides, but for spurs this year we can filed a (technically) full strength team followed by an equally strong team a few days later giving those fringe players the chance to stay sharp in competitive action. We can take advantage of playing both weakened teams fielded in the cup to aid our progress and also the tired teams in the subsequent premiership games against the teams forced to play a majority of the same players due to a small squad.

Behind this squad of 22 containing 2 players for each position in the formation (as it seems it is a modified 442) you will also need utility players able to fill in where necessary (El ham is a prime example). Also a “3rd 11” of youngsters who can be groomed to be long term successors to the “1st 22” and in the intervening time back up if two players in one position become injured or provide a sub in long term absence of one.

For spurs imo, we are 3 players short of the 22:

--Defoe---Mido--
Reid---Davids---Carrick--Routledge
Edman---King---Naybet---Kelly
--Robinson--
There is plenty of choice for the first 11, here is just an example, a 442 with one deep lying player (Carrick) and a box to box midfielder (Davids). Mido acts as the target man and Defoe plays off him.

It is in the shadow 11- they players to act as like for like replacements that we lack 3 players.

--Keane---Kanoute--
(New player)--Tainio-—Mendes-—(New player)
(New player)--Gardener--Dawson--Stalteri
--Cerny--

Although with have young players who could fill some positions (Ziegler, Lennon etc) for the shadow 11 I feel we need the finished article or at least a greater level of experience. A left and right winger (capable of running with the ball + pace) and a reliable Left back.

To add to this we have utility players: El Hamdaoui
Brown
Marney
Yeates
Players such as Tainio and Stalteri although in the shadow 11

The youth team could be made up of:
Barnard
Hamdaoui (young enough to be in here)
Yeates
Huddlestone
Davenport
Marney
Hallfredsson
Lennon
Defendi
Burch
Ifil
Fulop
+ many others but would be hard to predict who can make the step up.

From the current squad there are players who could be deemed surplus to requirements and a drain on wages but they are only few in numbers now:
Bungy (model professional, could be worth keeping around) Davis (never seen the best of him, probably never will) Jackson Pamarot

My long and laboured point is this, our immense squad depth far from being a negative and an area where problems could emerge. Is in fact our strongest asset, our 1st 11 may only be top 7 or 8 but we can field a team of that strength throughout the year consistently. Our rivals may have a top 6 team but during the season they will be forced to put out a team that may only be top 15 and it is in this that we will gain valuable points on them and also steal progression in the cups.

I personally feel, that this will allow us to gain an extra 5-10 points throughout the campaign this year and in the process deliver us Europe.

This will of course rely on the successful rotation of the squad and keeping players happy and make them feel involved. I personally feel this is an area where Jols man management skill will come to the fore, but it will be a test for the big man. Of course if we are winning this will be easy for him to do, it is an old cliché that these problems are good ones to have and the Kappa cup isn’t the only one we will pick up this season. Hopefully we will be thinking that next year when renewing our passports.