We take a look at Tottenham’s prospects leading up to the new Premier League season.
Manager: Andre Villas-Boas
Stadium: White Hart Lane – 36,230
Nickname: Spurs
2011/12 League Position: 4th
Summer Signings
Jan Vertonghen – Ajax – £9.6m
Gylfi Sigurdsson – Hoffenheim – £7.9m
Key Players
Gareth Bale – The Welsh superstar will be even more important this season this season if Modric leaves. AVB’s arrival should see Bale play in the forward line rather than on the wing, a switch he is likely to relish.
Rafael van der Vaart – Van der Vaart’s form was hit and miss last season, but he’s still a very important player for Spurs.
Jan Vertonghen – The big Belgian defender is good on the ball and rock-solid in defence. He’ll need to be strong at the back this season if Tottenham wish to finish in the top four.
Likely Line-Up
Team Tactics
- New boss AVB looks set to swap Spurs’ formation to his favoured 4-2-3-1.
- Bale will probably start on the left wing, but there’s rumours he may start the season up front due to Spur’s lack of forwards.
- Walker and Assou-Ekotto will both look to bomb forward from full-back to support the attack.
Opening Fixtures
August 18th Newcastle (A), 25th West Brom (H), September 1st Norwich (H), 16th Reading (A), 23rd QPR (H), 29th Man United (A)
Verdict
It’s all change at White Hart Lane this season. AVB has already shown his worth, convincing van der Vaart and seemingly Luka Modric to stay at the club. Also, the addition of Sigurdsson and Vertonghen look like extremely clever signings.
Spurs have a number of star players and they have the potential to beat any other team on their day. But they badly need another striker, if they fail to improve their attack they may slip out of the top four this season. 5th