Best 11: Berbatov, Modric, Dos Santos, Bentley, Jenas, King, Bale, Woodgate, Dawson, Hutton, Gomes
Star Man
Berbatov, he may be gone by the time you read this but the Bulgarian is sheer class. His work rate maybe leaves a little to decide but his touch and his finishing skills are exquisite.
It's a season of big changes at the lane. They have bought a fair few players in and they have let a fair few go. It will certainly be interesting to follow Tottenham's progress this year. Juande Ramos is the first manager in the premiership era (without any affiliation to Arsenal that is) to win silverware at Spurs so it's understandable that the fans believe in him. Spurs, however, have had plenty of false dawns in the past and there is not yet enough proof to suggest this time will be any different.
It's worth noting that Spurs have so far only purchased creative, flair players. With Aaron Lennon also still about Spurs are certainly blessed in that area of the park. It would be fair to say that they still lack a defensive midfielder worthy of a serious push for the champions league places. I have pencilled Ledley King in this position but I'd be surprised if Ramos went the same way. It is likely that Zokora will start most games despite the fact he hasn't played well for Spurs since his first two months at the club.
The additions of Woodgate and Hutton last year stiffened up the defence. Paul Robinson is not a bad keeper but the relationship between him and Ramos was never going to work so they did need to bring in a keeper. Gomes has performed very well for PSV in recent European campaigns and probably caught the manager's eye when the Dutch giants knocked Spurs out of the EUFA cup last season. Brazilian keepers tend to be a bit dodgy, In terms of both temperament and consistency, and Spurs don't currently have an experienced back-up. Reports suggest they are on the case and they may be just as well.
Another position that Spurs are working on is that of the main striker. Dimitar Berbatov probably thinks he's a bit too good for Spurs and unless they break in to the top four he will never be 100% happy. Spurs fans are still sweating on whether he will decide to leave or not. After Robbie Keane's recent departure they are more worried than ever as they would be left with only Darren Bent. There are reports linking them with the Russian duo Arshavin and Pavlychenko but that policy would have to be seen as risky. Russia is a totally different environment to the rest of Europe, both in social and footballing terms. It's certainly hard to think of a great deal of Russians who have made a successful career away from their home land in recent years. With Spurs still smarting from wasting £11 million on Rebrov, they might think twice about signing players from that part of the world again. As yet it is unclear whether Spurs really do have a chance of landing David Villa. Euro 2008's top scorer would prefer to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona but if they can't stump up the cash then he may settle for working with a Spanish manager.
Where will they hope to finish?
Above Arsenal; in other words fourth.
What position would be seen as acceptable?
If they had a good run in both the EUFA cup and the F.A cup then most Spurs fans would settle for sixth.
Where will they actually finish?
As long as Berbatov stays, or they get a worthy replacement, then they should finish in fifth.
Who have they signed?
You will probably be sick to death with most of the press talking about how “technically gifted” Luka Modric is and how he is supposed to be the “new Cruyff”. I know I certainly am. I am also reserving judgement on a player who we have only seen in a handful of international matches, even if he did play well. He has been the outstanding player in the Croatian league for a few seasons but I'm not convinced that's a definite seal of quality. He has good feet, an eye for a pass and makes clever use of the half turn. He is a similar player to Paul Scholes in many respects(he is certainly nearer to Scholes than Cruyff anyway). If he is half as successful in the premier league as the ginger genius than Spurs will get value for their money.
Giovanni Dos Santos has also been given a tag that he may struggle to live up to, he is supposedly the “new Ronaldinho” (the buck tooth Brazillian before he got fat and stopped playing that is). Dos Santos has been used in a few different positions in his career so far but his favoured one is just off the front man. Dos Santos rose to prominence at the under 17 world cup a few years back. He was one of the three outstanding players along with Manchester United's Anderson and Arsenal's Carlos Vela. He then spent a couple of years developing his technique in Barcelona's B team before slowly starting to make appearances in the first team over the past two seasons. He ended his Barcelona career in style by netting a hat-trick on the final day of last season.
Everyone knows about England winger David Bentley following his success at Blackburn and we have already covered Brazilian international keeper Gomes
