New signing Sebastien Bassong's second-half header handed Tottenham an opening dat 2-1 victory against Liverpool this afternoon at White Hart Lane.
Spurd boss Harry Redknapp handed Bassong a debut in central defence alongside Ledley King. The only surprise came upfront, where the diminutive Defoe and Keane were paired together.
In a scrappy opening, there was little of note and the first shot on target did not come until well into the second quarter of the match.
With Spurs on top throughout the opening period, Robbie Keane wasted three good chances to convert the advantage into a lead.
However, a minute before the break Tom Huddlestone fired a free kick into the Liverpool defensive and Cameroonian left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto lashed the rebound into the top corner from 25 yards. A real lift to Spurs going into the break.
And it was the home side that started off stronger in the second period also - and Wilson Palacios nearly doubled the lead with a rasping drive, only to be denied by an acrobatic tip over from the excellent Pepe Reina.
Spurs paid for the previous profligacy a minute later when Gomes needlessly brought down Glen Johnson in the corner of the box, after the full-back broke through the Tottenham defence. Gerrard made no mistake from the spot.
The lead lasted for just 200 seconds, as Bassong rose well to meet Modric's cross with an excellent header to cap a tremendous performance from the debutant.
Liverpool pressed for an equaliser in the last fifteen minutes and were denied a decent penalty shout when the ball seemed to strike Assou-Ekotto on the arm. Frustration got the better of both Sammy Lee, the Liverpool assistant manager, and Fernando Torres in the closing minutes. Lee was sent to the stands after the 'penalty' incident and Torres lashed out at Tom Huddlestone to earn himself a yellow card - his only contribution of note to the match.
Spurs held on for a deserved victory.
MOM: Wilson Palacios
Ratings: Gomes 5; Corluka 6, Bassong 8, King 7, Assou-Ekotto 7; Lennon 7, Palacios 8, Huddlestone 6, Modric 8; Keane 5, Defoe 6
16 August 2009
Spurs Kick Off New Season
Tottenham face Liverpool this afternoon in their first Premier League match of the 2009-10 season in buoyish mood.
It has been a quiet pre-season for Harry Redknapp and his players - and there is a sense that this will lead to a more consistent season because there is a more settled team than last time around.
Despite injuries to centre backs Johnathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson and the slight knock that Jermaine Jenas picked up last week in training, Tottenham will nearly be at full strength this afternoon when they entertain Rafa Benitez's title hopefuls.
It is possible that Benitez will be without both Torres and Gerrard. If so, he will expect big perfomances from the likes of Riera, Benayoun and Kuyt if Liverpool are to come away from the match with a result.
Redknapp needs Palacios and Huddlestone to control possession and Modric, Defoe and Lennon to combine to create chances.
The big battle, however, is likely to be in the middle of the park where Wilson Palacios will pit his wits against the Argentine Javier Mascherano. Both are fine players on their day, although Mascherano is the more established Premier League player.
Expect a nervous and scrappy opening, but also plenty of chances!
Spurs probable line up:
Cudicini; Corluka, Bassong, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric; Pavlyuchenko, Defoe
SUBS: Gomes, Chimbonda, Naughton, O'Hara, Bale, Keane, Crouch
Liverpool probable line-up:
Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Insua; Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Riera; Kuyt, Torres
SUBS: Itandje, Dossena, Degen, Plessis, Babel, Gerrard, Voronin
It has been a quiet pre-season for Harry Redknapp and his players - and there is a sense that this will lead to a more consistent season because there is a more settled team than last time around.
Despite injuries to centre backs Johnathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson and the slight knock that Jermaine Jenas picked up last week in training, Tottenham will nearly be at full strength this afternoon when they entertain Rafa Benitez's title hopefuls.
It is possible that Benitez will be without both Torres and Gerrard. If so, he will expect big perfomances from the likes of Riera, Benayoun and Kuyt if Liverpool are to come away from the match with a result.
Redknapp needs Palacios and Huddlestone to control possession and Modric, Defoe and Lennon to combine to create chances.
The big battle, however, is likely to be in the middle of the park where Wilson Palacios will pit his wits against the Argentine Javier Mascherano. Both are fine players on their day, although Mascherano is the more established Premier League player.
Expect a nervous and scrappy opening, but also plenty of chances!
Spurs probable line up:
Cudicini; Corluka, Bassong, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric; Pavlyuchenko, Defoe
SUBS: Gomes, Chimbonda, Naughton, O'Hara, Bale, Keane, Crouch
Liverpool probable line-up:
Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Insua; Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Riera; Kuyt, Torres
SUBS: Itandje, Dossena, Degen, Plessis, Babel, Gerrard, Voronin
15 August 2009
New Season Brings Fresh Optimism
7 hours before the new Premier League season kicks off - and there's excitement aplenty.
Transfer window activity has led to heightened speculation and numerous questions arising: is Chelsea, with coach Ancelotti at the helm, the favourite, will Valencia and Owen be able to replace Ronaldo at Man U, can any of the promoted clubs stay up, is Arsenal a shadow of its former self, will it all go tits up at Eastlands?
Tottenham fans will also be keen to have a few of their own questions answered: how is David Bentley still at the football club, will Gareth Bale or the Ghetto Prince ever step foot on a football pitch again, can John Bostock break into the first team, will Robbie Keane throw his toys out of his pram, just how good can Luka Modric become?
Sunday brings a title contender, Liverpool, to White Hart Lane for our season opener. Rafa Benitez is likely to be without influential talisman Steven Gerrard, while the home side may have their three first choice centre backs missing.
It should be scrappy, and then eventually entertaining. I am predicting 2-2 - and Spurs to finish fifth
, with Defoe bagging 20 and an England starting role.
Transfer window activity has led to heightened speculation and numerous questions arising: is Chelsea, with coach Ancelotti at the helm, the favourite, will Valencia and Owen be able to replace Ronaldo at Man U, can any of the promoted clubs stay up, is Arsenal a shadow of its former self, will it all go tits up at Eastlands?
Tottenham fans will also be keen to have a few of their own questions answered: how is David Bentley still at the football club, will Gareth Bale or the Ghetto Prince ever step foot on a football pitch again, can John Bostock break into the first team, will Robbie Keane throw his toys out of his pram, just how good can Luka Modric become?
Sunday brings a title contender, Liverpool, to White Hart Lane for our season opener. Rafa Benitez is likely to be without influential talisman Steven Gerrard, while the home side may have their three first choice centre backs missing.
It should be scrappy, and then eventually entertaining. I am predicting 2-2 - and Spurs to finish fifth
, with Defoe bagging 20 and an England starting role.
12 August 2009
Defoe Brace Earns England Draw, Draws Capello Attention
Second-half substitue Jermain Defoe scored a sharp double tonight in Amsterdam to earn England a deserved draw against World Football powerhouse Holland.
Sloppy passes by Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry allowed Dirk Kuyt and then Rafael Van der Vaart to put the home side two-up at the break.
But England coach Fabio Capello brought on Defoe, Carlton Cole and then James Milner for Rooney, Heskey and the disappointing Young in the third quarter of the match - and was hamdsomely repaid by the trio.
Defoe looked very sharp, even before he latched onto a looping Lampard through ball, controlled well and finished beautifully in off the post with his left foot in the 49th minute.
James Milner then took the advantage of sloppy defending from John Heitinga on the Dutch right to play in Defoe for an easy finish from five yards.
England, fluent if occasionally sloppy in the opening period, started to boss the game and pushed for a winner, but the Dutch continued to look dangerous on the break.
Capello will have much cause for optimism, but will also be very keen to stamp out the sloppy mistakes that cost England an impressive victory in this friendly.
England 2 (0) 2 (2) Holland
Scorers: Kuyt 11', Van der Vaart 38'; Defoe 49, 77'
Ratings:
Green 8; Johnson 4, Ferdinand 5, Terry 6, Cole 5 (Bridge 5); Beckham 7 (Wright-Phillips 6), Barry 4, Lampard 5, Young 4 (Milner 8); Heskey 6 (Carlton Cole 8), Rooney 6 (Defoe 9)
Sloppy passes by Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry allowed Dirk Kuyt and then Rafael Van der Vaart to put the home side two-up at the break.
But England coach Fabio Capello brought on Defoe, Carlton Cole and then James Milner for Rooney, Heskey and the disappointing Young in the third quarter of the match - and was hamdsomely repaid by the trio.
Defoe looked very sharp, even before he latched onto a looping Lampard through ball, controlled well and finished beautifully in off the post with his left foot in the 49th minute.
James Milner then took the advantage of sloppy defending from John Heitinga on the Dutch right to play in Defoe for an easy finish from five yards.
England, fluent if occasionally sloppy in the opening period, started to boss the game and pushed for a winner, but the Dutch continued to look dangerous on the break.
Capello will have much cause for optimism, but will also be very keen to stamp out the sloppy mistakes that cost England an impressive victory in this friendly.
England 2 (0) 2 (2) Holland
Scorers: Kuyt 11', Van der Vaart 38'; Defoe 49, 77'
Ratings:
Green 8; Johnson 4, Ferdinand 5, Terry 6, Cole 5 (Bridge 5); Beckham 7 (Wright-Phillips 6), Barry 4, Lampard 5, Young 4 (Milner 8); Heskey 6 (Carlton Cole 8), Rooney 6 (Defoe 9)
9 August 2009
Pavlyuchenko outshines Crouch in Spus Victory
Tottenham Hotspur beat Olympiacos 3-0 at White Hart Lane this afternoon in their final pre-season match before the new Premier League season begins.
For the 26,000+ fans that bought tickets, it was a rare chance to see some marginal squad players put in a decent shift.
Spurs lined up with Gomes in goal, Naughton and Assou-Ekotto at full-back and King and new signing Bassong in central defence, in the absence of Michael Dawson and Johnathan Woogate.
Youngster Danny Rose started on the left wing, forgotten man Bentley on the right, with young Englishmen Tom Huddlestone and Jamie O'Hara in central midfield.
Another new signing, Peter Crouch, joined Robbie Keane in attack.
Ina fairly bright start, wingers Bentley and Rose were heavily invloved, with both setting up chances for Crocuh and Keane respectively in the first quarter of an hour.
In between, Olympiacos midfielder Dudu flashed a good shot marginally wide from 25 yards.
Crouch then linked neatly with Huddlestone, only to shoot narrowly off target.
In the next fifteen minutes, everything became more disjointed until Diogo fired wide from 12 yards just before half-time, having been played in by full-back Domi.
There was much change in the second half as Cudicini, Chimbonda, Corluka, Modric, Lennon, Pavlyuchenko and Defoe repalced Gomes, Naughton, King , O'Hara, Rose, Crouch and Keane.
Defoe and Lennon forced decent saves out of visiting 'keeper Pardo as Tottenham began to dominate the match.
After 57 minutes, Mitroglou met a good Zairi cross and forced a smart save from Cudicini, but Spurs would take the lead deservedly a few minutes later.
Modric played in Lennon down the left, who cut back to Pavlyuchenko. The Russian finished with aplomb into the top of the net from 14 yards.
Another outcast came on with 20 minutes remaining for the impressive Bentley as Spurs fans finally caught a glimpse of the 'Ghetto Prince' Boateng, who almost immediately added to the score as he had a shot well saved, before Olof Mellberg denied Chimbonda a goal with a desperate block on the goal line.
30 seconds later, Pavlyuchenko added an assist to his goal as het set up Corluka in front of goal, following a Bassong flick header from Mordic's well weighted corner.
Defoe then finished off the Greek side with a great third as he sprinted clear of two defenders and drilled the ball into the bottom corner from just inside the box. Defoe and Pavlyuchenko almost added further goals in injury time.
A convincing win for Tottenham that showed two things: having four good strikers is essential in modern football; Tottenham have a lot of underused players with something to offer.
Result: Tottenham 3 (0) 0(0) Olympiakos
Scorers: Pavlyuchenko 66', Corluka 69', Defoe 78'
Ratings: Gomes 6 (Cudicini 6), Naughton 6 (Chimbonda 7), King 6 (Corluka 6), Bassong 7, Assou-Ekotto 6, Bentley 7 (Boateng 6), Huddlestone 7 (Bostock 5), O'Hara 6 (Modric 7 (Livermore 5)), Rose 7 (Lennon 7), Crouch 6 (PAVLYUCHENKO 8), Keane 5 (Defoe 7)
For the 26,000+ fans that bought tickets, it was a rare chance to see some marginal squad players put in a decent shift.
Spurs lined up with Gomes in goal, Naughton and Assou-Ekotto at full-back and King and new signing Bassong in central defence, in the absence of Michael Dawson and Johnathan Woogate.
Youngster Danny Rose started on the left wing, forgotten man Bentley on the right, with young Englishmen Tom Huddlestone and Jamie O'Hara in central midfield.
Another new signing, Peter Crouch, joined Robbie Keane in attack.
Ina fairly bright start, wingers Bentley and Rose were heavily invloved, with both setting up chances for Crocuh and Keane respectively in the first quarter of an hour.
In between, Olympiacos midfielder Dudu flashed a good shot marginally wide from 25 yards.
Crouch then linked neatly with Huddlestone, only to shoot narrowly off target.
In the next fifteen minutes, everything became more disjointed until Diogo fired wide from 12 yards just before half-time, having been played in by full-back Domi.
There was much change in the second half as Cudicini, Chimbonda, Corluka, Modric, Lennon, Pavlyuchenko and Defoe repalced Gomes, Naughton, King , O'Hara, Rose, Crouch and Keane.
Defoe and Lennon forced decent saves out of visiting 'keeper Pardo as Tottenham began to dominate the match.
After 57 minutes, Mitroglou met a good Zairi cross and forced a smart save from Cudicini, but Spurs would take the lead deservedly a few minutes later.
Modric played in Lennon down the left, who cut back to Pavlyuchenko. The Russian finished with aplomb into the top of the net from 14 yards.
Another outcast came on with 20 minutes remaining for the impressive Bentley as Spurs fans finally caught a glimpse of the 'Ghetto Prince' Boateng, who almost immediately added to the score as he had a shot well saved, before Olof Mellberg denied Chimbonda a goal with a desperate block on the goal line.
30 seconds later, Pavlyuchenko added an assist to his goal as het set up Corluka in front of goal, following a Bassong flick header from Mordic's well weighted corner.
Defoe then finished off the Greek side with a great third as he sprinted clear of two defenders and drilled the ball into the bottom corner from just inside the box. Defoe and Pavlyuchenko almost added further goals in injury time.
A convincing win for Tottenham that showed two things: having four good strikers is essential in modern football; Tottenham have a lot of underused players with something to offer.
Result: Tottenham 3 (0) 0(0) Olympiakos
Scorers: Pavlyuchenko 66', Corluka 69', Defoe 78'
Ratings: Gomes 6 (Cudicini 6), Naughton 6 (Chimbonda 7), King 6 (Corluka 6), Bassong 7, Assou-Ekotto 6, Bentley 7 (Boateng 6), Huddlestone 7 (Bostock 5), O'Hara 6 (Modric 7 (Livermore 5)), Rose 7 (Lennon 7), Crouch 6 (PAVLYUCHENKO 8), Keane 5 (Defoe 7)
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