I’ve previously made my admiration for D. Berbatov clear. I have been less enamored by our other star forwards, R. Keane and J. Defoe—they are both good players but not great (in the same way that D. Beckham is a good player). However, losing all three strikers without replacement, leaving only the yet to be proven in a white shirt D. Bent, can only give rise to consternation. And if we do sign someone, what are the odds that he will be Rebrov-like having hit paydirt with Berbatov?
The doom and gloom merchants will, no doubt, have a field day, but, after my initial shock, I can see a possible chink of light. How many remember what happened to England in the lead up to and beginning of the 1986 World Cup? A team set up to operate centered on Bryan Robson and Ray Wilkins was ripped asunder by the former’s injury and latter’s sending off. But changes forced on Bobby Robson transformed a team heading for an early flight home into a contender. Sometimes adversity, and luck, can lead to finding just the right mixture for success.
Over the last couple of seasons, I’ve felt that Spurs were almost forced to play 4-4-2 because of their abundance of strikers who could not be dropped. With Berbatov a sure starter, there was no way that both of Defoe and Keane would not start so we could play 4-5-1. As a result, our less than stellar midfield would find itself outmanned against teams not playing with two out and out strikers. This included not only the Boltons of this world but also Chelsea (with Drogba), Manchester United (without a genuine target man and Rooney and Tevez dropping into midfield) and Liverpool (Torres up front with Kuyt playing wide right). Even the other North London team played the midfield heavy formation on occasions. Relieved of the obligation to play two strikers, Ramos is freed to play one and pack the midfield. Or play one down the centre with two fast wingers. In other words, since he doesn’t have to make the system fit the players that must play, he can be more flexible.
Whether deliberately with the departure of Berbatov and Keane (or one of them) in mind, it seems to me that we have bought so far with a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 in mind. From current personnel, how about Hutton-King-Woodgate-Bale, Jenas-Modric-Zokora, Lennon-Bent Dos Santos or Hutton-King-Woodgate-Bale, Lennon-Jenas-Modric-Zokora-Dos Santos, Bent? In theory, neither line-up looks too shabby. I’ll acknowledge that it has players untried in the Premiership, but I have confidence that Modric will come good. And what an incentive for Darren Bent, a player used to playing as a sole striker but who never had the opportunity to do so last year. I’ll also accept that our defense may owe much to the miracles of modern medicine. But (and I know it’s a big but) if they are all present, I could see us being an equivalent of Manchester City at the start of last year, especially as the expectation will be much lower.
I’ll reserve judgment until the first five games of the new season are in the books, but hope that the applicable cliché will be something along the lines of “it’s always darkest before the dawn.”
COYS!!!