It has been 49 years since Tottenham Hotspur were last in Europe’s premier club competition. Since then, man has walked on the moon, the Beatles formed (and subsequently split up), and the Berlin wall was brought crashing down by a combination of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc – whichever way you look at it, that’s a long wait for another chance at the big time.
But if you asked their fans whether the wait has been worth it, the majority would probably say yes. When fully fit, the team now looks strong in all departments, and the man at the helm, Harry Redknapp, is one of the most respected coaches in the Premier League. He is currently strong favourite to take over the national side when Fabio Capello steps down at the end of the European Championships in 2012 – a change that many feel is long overdue following the unsuccessful reign of Steve McLaren and our poor showing at the World Cup in South Africa.
And why not? When he took over the reins at Spurs, they were languishing at the bottom of the table, but that season he guided them to an eighth place finish and refurbished his squad with an array of exciting internationals such as Jermaine Defoe, Wilson Palacios and Robbie Keane – a player previously struggling for form at rivals Liverpool. He got the best from the players he already had at his disposal, and enhanced the belief and performances from those he brought in – a trait which saw him guide Spurs to a fourth place finish last term. But he’s being realistic about the challenge he faces this season.
Spurs are currently suffering something of an injury crisis in defence, with King, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson and Woodgate all taking up space on the physio table, but get them back fit and there’s no reason why last season’s success should be a one-off, the Spurs betting certainly suggests they’re in with a chance.
Add those players to a midfield reinforced with the signing of Rafael Van der Vaart – a genuine world-beater bought for a knock-down price – and a front line of Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Crouch and Defoe, they look like they could give any side in Europe a game. We’ll know more after their midweek encounter with Inter Milan, but Spurs have to believe they are where they deserve to be – and if they do, then the current holders could be in for quite a shock come Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the Blackburn betting suggests the side could pick up three points against Sunderland this weekend.
The north-east team has a woeful away record and could slip up again.