Tottenham fans can look forward to a trip to the San Siro this autumn after Harry Redknapp’s side were drawn in the same group as the reigning and defending champions of Europe Inter Milan now managed by Rafa Benitez. Having negotiated in convincing fashion the qualifying round, demolishing Young Boys Berne 4-0 (and 6-3 on aggregate) last night, the Champions League proper debutants are also joined by the third placed team from the Bundesliga Werder Bremen and Dutch champions FC Twente completing Group A.
Inter are the clear favourites to come out on top, though Benitez is yet to put his mark on what in effect is the side built by Jose Mourinho now in charge of Real Madrid. The Serie A winners have an array of proven talent and experience, though they are somewhat lacking in Italian players, a fact that has not escaped commentators’ notice. What is also striking is that thirteen members of the squad are aged thirty and over; by the end of next season that will increase. That said it is hardly the last chance saloon for players such as Diego Milito, Dejan Stankovic, Esteban Cambiasso, Walter Samuel and Lucio who formed the spine of the side that reached the final and lifted the trophy in the Bernabeu in May. From Spurs’ perspective any points they can take off the Nerazzurri will be a bonus.
Turning to the German opposition on paper they remind me a lot of the North London outfit. Both sides have strength and depth up front. Markus Rosenberg, Claudio Pizarro, Marko Arnautovic and Hugo Almeida are all decent strikers and when playing regularly can expect at the very least to be in squads for their national teams. Tim Borowski and Bremen captain Torsten Frings, one of the most underrated players in his position, provide a solid and resolute central midfield that is arguably better than Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone. One weapon the Germans have that Tottenham do not is exceptional height at the back Brazilian Naldo and Per Mertesacker both stand at a shade under two metres tall, so between them there ought to be enough to neutralise Peter Crouch. It will be this fixture home and away in Group A for me that will be the most absorbing.
With Steve McClaren having left Twente behind for the bigger job of Wolfsburg, it falls to Belgian Michel Preud’homme to guide the Dutch champions through the Champions League. I fear he has an impossible task ahead of him and will go so far as to say that one of Holland’s big two clubs will wrest the Eredivisie title back from the Enschede team. In Europe they will not just be there to make up the numbers however, but the squad he has to work with for me lacks depth and is unproven at this level. The fact that they have David Carney playing for them, who little more than a year ago was so bad on loan at Norwich you could’ve rightly made the case that top flight football was well beyond him, means they’ve no hope of progression. Bryan Ruiz scored goals for fun last season, but the Costa Rican with all due respect must be taken with a pinch of salt. The van Nistelrooy’s and Bergkamp’s the Dutch league produces are few and far between. The likes of Kezman, Huntelaar, Afonso Alves and many others who get goals by the bucket load there struggle to reproduce this form in European competitions or are found out when exported elsewhere.
Bearing this mind it is quite possible that Redknapp’s men can make it through to the knockout stages in the New Year. As stated above I believe it all hangs on the ties against Bremen and if these go well then twelve points (six from Twente being a given) will be enough to see them navigate the Group Stage. If the Germans best Spurs then the consolation prize of the Europa League would be still be of value as it will ensure the club is still playing in Europe in 2011. The biggest test of all might not be in how far Tottenham do in Europe, but in replicating a fourth place finish in the Premier League, guaranteeing another crack at the big time in future.
It's definitely not the easiest group Tottenham could have gotten, but it's not the hardest either. The Bremen fixtures will indeed be key, but I don't necessarily agree that they need to win both those matches. In fact, if they get 12 points I think Spurs could well win the group (many teams qualify in 2nd with less)?! Avoiding defeat will be key, as well as not taking wins over Twente for granted. However, not making at least 3rd place will almost certainly be perceived as failure.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned, it's not so much individual fixtures that will be the acid test, as is the question whether (taking a whole season into account) Spurs' squad can handle the hectic schedule. They have a good enough first-eleven, but can the squad handle the loss of key players to injury at inopportune moments? I am not so sure. Fitness could therefore play a huge part in their season.
Someone better keep the tomato sauce away from the Pie-man! :)