da luck： Rafael van der Vaart has conceded that Tottenham’s proclivity to drop ‘stupid’ points against ‘smaller’ teams has prevented the north London club in their pursuit of Premier League supremacy. His admission relates to a number of games in which Spurs have failed to finish-off sides languishing towards the bottom of the table whilst their performances against more established sides suggest they should be competing for the League title at this stage of the season.
da bet nacional： The evidence supports the Dutchman’s theory but demonstrates the natural progression the Lilywhites are currently experiencing as they look to develop into a recognised European force. This season marks Spurs’ first appearance in the recently formatted Champions League, and it is the club’s tendency to struggle against their Premier League opponents following European outings that means van der Vaart and Co. are facing a fight for re-qualification rather than League glory.
The three most recent matches van der Vaart refers to – West Ham, Wolves and Blackpool – were sandwiched between both legs of Tottenham’s successful knock-out tie with AC Milan. Even Champions League regulars such as Manchester United and Arsenal labour to immediately translate triumphant European form to their following League games, so it is no surprise that during Spurs’ maiden season on Europe’s most prestigious stage they have failed to do so on several occasions.
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Tottenham collected just 2 points from their games against three of the League’s relegation threatened clubs recently and proved their lack of consistency on more than one occasion before the turn of the year. Following their 4-3 defeat against Internazionale last October, Spurs picked up just a point from their next two League games before hosting the Serie A holders at White Hart Lane two weeks later. They exceeded most observers’ expectations by beating the Italians 3-1 but yet again managed only a single point from their next two League games against Bolton and Sunderland.
This does not represent the regularity required to compete against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal for Premier League sovereignty but the fact that they are more than capable of finishing in the Top 4 this season suggests Spurs will be able to compete at that level before long. I’m not sure quite what van der Vaart expected to achieve in his first season in London but a Champions League quarter-final tie with his former club, Real Madrid, and qualification for next season’s tournament would signify a remarkable turnaround for the club since the appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager two and-a-half years ago.
The club are still finding their feet in Europe despite some blistering form and individual performances from Gareth Bale and van der Vaart, but their ascendancy in to the higher echelons of club football will take a little more time. Redknapp has more or less completed the formation of a squad in his image and I expect a number of comings and going at the Lane this summer, but if Tottenham continue to evolve at the rate they have been then van der Vaart need not worry about ‘smaller’ clubs for much longer. By this time next year we might very well be reading about Spurs’ title challenge reaching its final stage and another Champions League quarter-final tie, that is if Redknapp manages to contain the inevitable furore that will surround his impending appointment as England manager by then.
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