EYEWITNESS: Tottenham Hotspur 2 Aston Villa 1, Premier League
Saturday October 2, 2010
FA PREMIER LEAGUE: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 ASTON VILLA 1
EYEWITNESS report from WHITE HART LANE
by DAN CARRIER
OSCAR Wilde called consistency ‘the last refuge of the unimaginative‘, yet when it comes to football, it would be nice to combine a little of both…
So while Harry Redknapp wants his team to play with attacking verve, he can’t be too happy about the fact that today’s game against the rejuvenated Aston Villa saw him forced to give centre back Sebastien Bassong his fifth partner in defence in as many games.
Injuries have meant Harry’s selections have lacked consistency and he has had to be imaginative. This afternoon, it was Tom Huddlestone’s turn. While Tommy has long been optimistically spoken about on Spurs fans message boards as perhaps, one day, the new Franz Beckanbeur, possessing the attributes needed to become a superbly graceful centre back, his tackling and speed have often been used as a reason not to make him the last line of defence.
And today, with Ledley’s knee, Gallas’s groin, Dawson’s ligaments, Kaboul’s hamstring and Woodgate’s… well, he’s been out for so long his medical records must read like War and Peace - it was time tom put this theory to the test.
Bassong has been paired with Dawson, Corluka, Caulker, King before lining up next to The Hudd. Before the match, Bassong was happy enough, saying: “As a defender in the modern game, you have to be able to adapt to another partner and it can be a good thing because it makes you learn about the different styles of your team mates. Each defender is different so we have to get used to each other’s strengths very quickly, but it makes you more adaptable.”
The Hudd had the not insignificant bulk of Emile Heskey to win a physical battle against. While he is nearly a decade younger and can match Heskey for size, the Villa striker got the better of the early aerial duels - heading has never been Tom’s strong point.
And then there was another effect of this enforced change, which became obvious in the first 15 minutes: with no Tommy in the centre of the park, Jenas had the responsibility for pinging those ball left, right, as well as getting in the way of Villa’s formidable midfield, which is a big ask. In the early exchanges, it was obvious Tom’s cultured boot was missing as we huffed and puffed and generally looked hurried in possession.
Then from nothing came the Villa opener on 15, and it was the result of a bit of indecision by this make shift pairing: Heskey chased a loose ball that Hudd should perhaps have gone for, Bassong, covering, was out muscled and the slide rule cross was tapped in by Albrighton.
The Bassong - Hudd fulcrum also got in a little bit of a pickle on 33 when Young again strode forward and Heskey peeled away - it seemed that Hudd didn’t quite know which player he should close down, prompting Joe Jordan on the Spurs bench to point frantically at the wide open spaces Heskey was heading towards on Hudd’s blind side.
But as the first half wore on, Hudd settled. One neat turn with the ball at his feet saw Heskey get in an unseemly tangle with himself, while Hudd was also on hand to clear with accuracy when required instead of hoofing it Crouchwards.
Then came a new adversary: Heskey limped off on 35 to be replaced with the equally big and slightly more mobile John Carew. The first show down saw Hudd come off much better, after his superior reading of the game allowed him to intercept a potentially dangerous through ball before it got any where near the big Norwegian forward.
It set the tone - he sat right behind Carew through out the second half, and whenever the ball was moved quickly towards the Villa player, Hudd shadowed him. It wasn’t pretty but it was necessary, and required discipline.
And as Hudd got into his stride, Spurs began to play. A deserved equaliser came through a stooping Van Der Vaart header on 45, and then the Dutchman put Spurs in control on 75 with a finish from inside the box. It was enough to seal the points.
So Hudd, the new sweeper extraordinaire? He did well enough, but I’ll be much happier when he’s back pulling strings in midfield and we have a specialist centre back behind him.
TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS
GOMES 6: Had little to do. Distribution good.
HUTTON 7: Making the right back spot his. Got forward well, and his pace was needed against Young.
BALE 7 Going to find this happens more and more - teams throw players in his way. Villa decided he warranted three to shadow him - but he still managed to got in dangerous positions.
HUDDLESTONE 8: Looked at first uncomfortable when attacks came over the top, but his grace on the ball is always worth the price of admission, no matter where on the pitch he is asked to play.
JENAS 8: was asked to do a lot as the fulcrum. Things he tried didn’t always come off, but his give and go energy was first rate. On 54, his one two with VDV was beautifully simple, deadly effective.
PAVLYUCHENKO 8: a very, very good performance from the Russian, sadly cut short when an injury saw him subbed at half time. Came close with a good header, had a hand in the equaliser, and his tirelessness in chasing lost causes shows he has found new heart. Sub: Lennon
VAN DER VAART 9: Probed when in possession, fought when not. Two goals - he’s enjoying it over here so far. Sub: Sandro.
MODRIC 9: So much to his game. The turn away from Reo-Coker on 61 showed off his twin qualities of strength and awareness perfectly. Sub: Palacios.
CROUCH 6: Looks like he needs a lie down - spent a lot of the time bouncing off the not inconsiderable middle of Richard Dunne.
BASSONG 8: Assured with yet another face next to him. One tackle in the box on Young on 56 was as accurate and well timed as a posh Swiss watch.
ASSOU-EKOTTO 6: had a busy afternoon. Rose to a tough challenge.
Man of the match: RAFAEL VAN DER VAART
Subs:
23. Cudicini
7. Lennon
10. Keane
12. Palacios
21. Kranjcar
22. Corluka
30. Sandro