Britain is a country built on traditions, and in the summer months there are certain things which are as predictable as the Glastonbury mud. England’s footballers will fail miserably in a major tournament, Manchester United will unveil seven new kits and Tottenham fans will confidently pronounce this to be ‘their year’.
Although most people usually take these claims with a kilo of salt, it does seem there are genuine causes for their optimism this time around. Last season’s fourth place in the Premier League was no accident; as always, the table doesn’t lie, and over the whole campaign Spurs were noticeably better than Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Manager Harry Redknapp has performed a minor miracle at White Hart Lane, and has managed to get more out of his squad than many doubters might have expected. Fans will be hoping that he’ll continue to wave his magic wand over the next ten months.
In recent weeks, Spurs have been linked with a number of impressive transfer targets, so it would appear the manager is looking to add to his roster of players. Many thought the gifted Joe Cole was all set to show off his talents in a white shirt next season, but the player opted to head up the M6 instead and join Liverpool.
As always with the summer transfer period, players, agents and clubs seem to flirt with each like teenagers at an end of term disco, and it remains to be seen who Redknapp, the ultimate wheeler-dealer, will manage to lure before the season starts. But even if it’s nobody, the fans will be eagerly awaiting the first league match of the season.
The manager has a strong set of defenders to choose from, but will again have to be careful with the fitness levels of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate. Both great players, of course, but the dynamic duo are unlikely to feature in any lung-busting training sessions, and will probably see a large proportion of matches from the comfort of VIP seats in the stands – Woodgate especially, as his injury problems seem to be taking an age to clear up.
In midfield, the mercurial Luca Modric is expected to continue his fine form since arriving in north London, and will form a strong central belt along with the likes of Tom Huddlestone, Wilson Palacios, Aaron Lennon, Niko Kranjcar and David Bentley.
Up front, fans will be hoping Jermain Defoe will be able to build on his terrific 2009/10 campaign, when he managed to find the net 18 times in league matches. Peter Crouch weighed in with some important goals, too, and even the much-maligned Roman Pavlyuchenko started to look like a class act towards the back end of the season.
For Spurs, gaining a Champions League place last time out was a major achievement, and the powers that be in the boardroom will be hoping it’s not a one-off. After all the effort of achieving the almost mythical fourth place, if they then get knocked out in the qualifying rounds it will all have been for nothing.
And while there are plenty of people, usually wearing red shirts with white sleeves, who will be hoping they slip up in their first game, most experts think Tottenham have a good chance of making it through to the knockout stages.
Last season, the likes of Fiorentina, Olympiacos, Bordeaux and Stuttgart managed to do just that, so it doesn’t seem beyond the capabilities of the men from White Hart Lane. Having said that, gaining a top four spot again in the Premier League may prove to be more difficult.
Manchester City have been throwing their money around like Elton John in a flower shop again this summer, and a potentially rejuvenated Liverpool will be looking to wipe away the embarrassment of last season’s poor effort, although that might depend on whether Fernando Torres decides to stay or to cash in with a move to Manchester or west London.
Arsenal will be hoping their shoestring spending and development of young talent will be enough to keep them in the big four, while Aston Villa and Everton may again be knocking on the door for a seat at the top table. Strap yourselves in, it could be a bumpy season!
