Interesting blogspot especially seeing the esteem the Beast is held on this board...
http://threeandin.com/archives/42016?
Despite being a popular player at the club which his team-mates and supporters, here are five reasons Spurs should cash in on the 25-year-old.
Injury Prone
The Beast completed 90 minutes in the Premier League last season on only four occasions, winning only one of those games whilst conceding 12 goals in the other three. His form is nowhere near the level he displayed in the previous season under Villas-Boas or prior to this under Harry Redknapp, despite his limited game-time. Although, it’s fair to say that the only central midfielder who impressed at N17 last season was youngster Nabil Bentaleb.
Discipline
Sandro’s weakness in his game lies in his lack of pace in the middle of the park, repeatedly being sprinted past by the opposition, resulting in the midfielder giving away countless fouls and tallying up 8 yellow cards in only 23 appearances last season in all competitions.
To put that in perspective, Etienne Capoue and Nabil Bentaleb received a combined 4 yellow cards in all competitions which calculated to 35 appearances.
Interestingly, the only player who was booked more times than Sandro last season was Michael Dawson, who is set to leave the club for Hull City, having been cautioned 9 times in 38 appearances including the Europa League fixtures.
Experience
When you look at the Tottenham midfield, there is a main quality of leadership lacking amongst the group.
Whilst Dembele, Sandro, Bentaleb, Capoue and Paulinho all can provide dynamic combinations to over-run the opposition (sometimes), the reports of the north London club signing free agent Esteban Cambiasso only re-affirm the belief that a leader is needed in the core of the team to help provide the composure and control.
Something Tim Sherwood was so often crying out for last season.
Sherwood was right
Harry Redknapp junior often got into trouble last season for running his mouth, culminating in a war of words between the gaffer and Sandro when the former Blackburn captain stated that the Brazilian international wasn’t good enough to warrant a place in his side, and the stats prove that Sherwood wasn’t totally wrong for once.
In fact, Sandro made more defensive errors per 90 minutes in contrast to Bentaleb and Capoue, won the fewest duels, made the most fouls and won the least number of tackles in comparision to the other two players battling out for his position.
Squad modification
Quite simply, the Tottenham squad is too big. Dembele, Paulinho, Bentaleb, Capoue, and returning loanees Tom Carroll and Lewis Holtby prove that Pochettino has a wealth of options to choose from next season.
Additionally, Capoue, Bentaleb, Paulinho, Dembele and Holtby can all play in multiple positions in midfield, whether it’s the latters’ ability to play behind the striker or even Capoue’s ability to play as a centre-back all working in their favour.
With Sandro being frustrated to miss out on the World Cup in his home country, there is no doubt he hopes to push his way back into the frame for a national team position, and he knows that first team football at Napoli could help him achieve this aim.
