Senior Players Let Harry Down

Last night's defeat to PAOK Salonika in the Europa League has almost certainly brought to an end Tottenham's European campaign for another year.  Harry Redknapp fielded his most experienced side so far in the group stages so what went wrong that they couldn't overcome a team reduced to ten men from late in the first half?

Throughout the Europa League Harry Redknapp has successfully rotated his squad to ensure that the first team players were well rested for the next weekend's Premier League fixture.  The teams comprised of a mixture of squad players and youngsters and for the most part they have acquitted themselves well.  The younger players have shown considerable ability and have worked hard throughout the campaign.  Most importantly from the manager's perspective, the first team has maintained their form in the League matches and Spurs have climbed to third place.

Having lost in Russia Spurs slipped from the top of the group to third and so needed a result against PAOK at White Hart Lane to maintain their interest in the competition.  A win or a draw would suffice but a defeat would make things very precarious for the final match in Dublin.  Harry Redknapp duly sent out an experienced team with numerous internationals and only three younger players - Jake Livermore, Harry Kane and Danny Rose.  He even added additional strength to the side with the inclusion of first team regulars, Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe.  As backup he named Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker among the substitutes - to be called upon in case of an emergency if the game wasn't going as planned.  The rest of the team consisted of another four internationals - Heureulho Gomes, Vedran Corluka, Sebastien Bassong and Steven Pienaar.

Observers were surprised at the strength of the side selected for the game as it was much stronger than any other sent out in the Europa League so far with the exception of the first match in Scotland against Hearts.  So what went wrong that the first sign of the need to call on the backup was as early as the fifteenth minute when Bale and Walker were sent out to do a 'warm up'?

Excuses can be made that some of the players were returning from injury and were not match sharp but as experienced players they should have been able to produce a better performance than was seen last night.  Spurs were two goals down within thirteen minutes and both goals were the result of theor own casual, sloppy play.  Whereas in the previous matches the younger players had worked hard and kept good possession of the ball through careful passing and movement, last night Tottenham's passing was going astray from the opening minutes which gifted PAOK the ball.  The visitors were well organised and were set up to be patient and wait their opportunity to step in and take the ball away from a Spurs player and they were presented with many opportunities to do that.

After five minutes William Gallas ventured into the PAOK half and was caught in possession, PAOK broke quickly before Spurs could recover and a simple cross was delicately headed past a flat-footed Gomes.  The PAOK forward was totally unmarked in the centre of the penalty between two defenders.  A bad start, self-inflicted, but there was plenty of time to recover.  Tottenham, however, continued in their ponderous ways and when PAOK put a ball behind Vedran Corluka after thirteen minutes, he was so slow that there was no way he was going to prevent a cross going into the area and so Spurs were two down.

Misplaced passes, even simple ones, over hit or misdirected, continued as the order of the day from Spurs while PAOK waited and took every opportunity to pick up a loose ball or catch someone in possession.  It was half an hour before Spurs gathered some momentum and that was inspired by the crowd's encouragement.  In this period they were helped back into the game by the referee who awarded them a harsh penalty and sent off the defender.  Modric scored and surely that would ignite the recovery especially against ten men.  PAOK got through to the interval comfortably and then in the second half set out their stall to defend.

For the whole of the second half Tottenham huffed and puffed but couldn't blow the PAOK defensive wall down.  Spurs had all the possession and it was wave after wave of attack but no end product in either chances or goals.  Bale and Walker eventually were brought on but it was too late - the momentum was with the visitors and while they defended heroically, they weren't really in very much danger of conceding a goal.  They stopped Spurs in front of the penalty area and if Tottenham did manage to break through that barrier there was usually so many men around them that it came to nothing.

Vedran Corluka expressed the view during the week that as he wasn't playing regular football he would have to consider leaving in January to protect his international place with the Euros coming up in the summer.  From last night's performance it was clear why Kyle Walker has replaced him in the team.  He has never been the quickest of foot but last night he was slow and ponderous in every aspect of his game and his passing was poor.  The purpose of including the squad players in these games is to enable them to show the manager that they deserve an opportunity in the Premier League team.  Last night Redknapp had it confirmed that he had made the right choice in selecting Walker.

William Gallas was at fault for the first goal and his partnership in central defence with Sebastien Bassong was non-existent.  They looked as if they'd never met before, never mind played together.  Bassong has been low on confidence for the past eighteen months and again last night his defending was lacking.  The weakness of last night's pairing in central defence once again proves the point that Tottenham's best central defensive partnership is Ledley King and one other, Dawson, Kaboul, Gallas or Bassong, such is the importance of King to Spurs.

Steven Pienaar who is also recovering from injury was also well short of the required standard - his passing was poor and he was regularly caught in possession with no idea of what he was going to do with the ball.  He has had a difficult time with injuries since joining Spurs last January and has played very few matches.  He worked so hard and effectively for Everton but it will be some time before he is pushing for inclusion in the first team going on last night's performance.

In some ways the sending off made it more difficult for Spurs as PAOK decided at half-time to defend and hold what they had.  They did this very successfully but Spurs had enough experience in the team and should have been able to turn the game around.  Spurs lost because of casual play and poor defending in the first half which gave the visitors the encouragement they needed to get a positive result and the mistakes, as in Russia, came from experienced players.  A team can only perform in  all competitions if the squad players do their part.  Harry Redknapp has never been overly enthusiastic about the Europa League or Cup competitions but on this occasion he was let down very badly by the more experienced squad players.

Tottenham 1 PAOK Salonika 2

Spurs' future in the Europa League is no longer in their hands.  Defeat at home to PAOK sees the Greek side qualified for the knock-out stages while Spurs must have a convincing win over Shamrock Rovers and rely on PAOK defeating Rubin Kazin.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 PAOK Salonika 2

Scorers: Modric (p)            Salpingidis, Athanasiadis

Team: Gomes; Corluka, Gallas, Bassong, Rose (Bale); Lennon, Livermore, Modric, Pienaar (Walker); Kane (Falque), Defoe.  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Fredericks, Townsend, Carroll.

Luka Modric - penalty

Tottenham fielded their strongest team yet for a Europa League group game with Aaron Lennon, Luka Modric and Jermain Defoe starting.  Danny Rose and Harry Kane were the only younger players selected with experienced squad players and those recovering from injury making the starting line-up - William Gallas, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka, Stephen Pienaar and Heurelho Gomes.

From the outset Spurs had the majority of possession but PAOK denied them time and were quick to step in and pick up a loose or misdirected pass.  Spurs were casual in their approach and paid for it after five minutes.  Gallas meandered into the visitors half and was caught in possession which gave PAOK the opportunity to break quickly on the left, from where a nice cross into the penalty area found Salpingidis unmarked and he carefully headed the ball past Gomes.

Tottenham didn't learn from their mistake and found it difficult to make progress into the visitors penalty area as they defended with patience and considerable ability.  On thirteen minutes they broke up a ponderous Spurs attack and with a lovely pass to the left found Corluka lacking in pace and a low cross was hit home by Athanasiadis.  The Tottenham defence was again caught flat footed with Gallas and Bassong looking as if they'd never played together.

PAOK contuinued with their patient defensive work and swift counter attacks which nearly brought further reward while Spurs had a lot of possession without ever threatening on goal.  Much of their passing was slow and frequently fell down through inaccuracy.  On the half hour Spurs gained some momentum, urged on by the crowd.  Harry Kane shot wide and Defoe had a shot saved by the goalkeeper.  Then from the corner Corluka's shot was blocked and fell to Kane whose shot was blocked on the line.  The referee awarded a penalty for handball and sent off the defender.  Modric sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to score and brought Spurs back into the match.

PAOK survived to the interval without much bother and then in the second half set out to defend and deny Spurs which they did heroically.  The whole of the second period saw Spurs attack and the visitors defend with nine men back.  Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker were introduced to add pace but no matter how hard they tried they couldn't break down the stubborn PAOK defence.  The nearest they came to a goal was when Defoe scored but amid confusion, it was disallowed for a foul on the defender who had been lying on the goal line for almost a minute.  In the lead up, Iago Falque had a shot blocked but Defoe had fouled the defender in trying to reach the loose ball.  However, play continued and when the ball came to Defoe he put it in the net.  No-one was sure what decision the referee had given but he had actually made the correct decision even if he'd come to it by an uncertain route.

For all their possession against ten men, Spurs couldn't create any real scoring chances and PAOK worked tirelessly to deny them.  During five minutes of added time the best Spurs could offer was a Bale free-kick which was saved easily by the goalkeeper and then PAOK celebrated as if they'd qualified for the knock-out stages, which, of course, they had.  For Spurs, they must rely on a PAOK home win against Rubin Kazan who are three points ahead of them.  Spurs will then need to win by five goals against Shamrock Rovers to have a better goal difference that the Russians.

The greatest disappointment about this defeat was that the most experienced team that Harry Redknapp has fielded in the group stage has given the poorest performance.  In the other matches, the younger players battled in difficult circumstances and showed a great determination throughout.  The experienced squad players were very ponderous and showed a lack of match sharpness - the passing was poor, there was little urgency to the game and they paid dearly for their early mistakes.  It looks as if Spurs will now be able to concentrate on the Premier League as their continued presence in the Europa League is looking distinctly unlikely.

Only a good result over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday will take away the disappointment of this match.

Tottenham v PAOK Salonika (Europa League)

Spurs return to Europa League action on Wednesday evening at White Hart Lane, against PAOK Salonika who top Group A and are unbeaten in their four matches.  Spurs must avoid defeat or their European campaign will surely come to a premature end and they really need to defeat their visitors from Greece if they have desires on qualifying to the knockout stages as Group winners.

The opening match of the Group stages of the Europa League matched these two teams and Spurs who send out a young team returned to London well satisfied with a scoreless draw.  The younger players, including Tom Carroll, Harry Kane and Andros Townsend, all excelled in a difficult atmosphere and were very controlled and disciplined in their play for much of the game.  PAOK missed a first half penalty and it was only as the second half neared its conclusion that the home team endeavoured to increase the tempo so as to take the three points.  At this point Spurs were grateful for the experience of Carlo Cudicini in goal.  In the final minutes he made a number of crucial saves to deny the home team and earn Spurs a well deserved point.  Spurs, with so many youngsters coped well but PAOK certainly had the ability to win the match and will be dangerous opponents on Wednesday evening.

Following the home draw with Spurs, PAOK travelled to Russia and earned a very creditable draw against Rubin Kazan.  They took a first half lead but the home team responded with two second half goals but PAOK snatched an equalizer nine minute to earn a point.  They have now completed their double header against Shamrock Rovers, taking all six points from two comfortable wins, 2 - 1 at home and 3 - 1 in Dublin.

Tottenham will again use this match to give younger players experience and Jake Livermore, following Saturday's success against West Bromwich Albion, spoke of the benefit of this tournament to himself and the other young players.  Roman Pavlyuchenko looks unlikely to be fit while Giovani Dos Santos is also struggling to overcome injury.

With losing in the last fixture in Russia, Spurs now find themselves in third place in their group, a point behind the leaders, PAOK, and behind the Russians on goal difference.  Rubin Kazan are surely guaranteed another three points with a home win over Shamrock Rovers and so regardless of the result in London, will maintain their advantage over Spurs.  Tottenham are on such a good run at present that it would be disappointing to lose momentum by slipping up in this competition and so may need to have some back-up, with senior players on the bench, in case the game doesn't go as planned.  PAOK have experienced players and they will see this game an opportunity to win in England and secure a place in the next stage of the competition.

To have the chance to finish top of the group Spurs need a win over PAOK - any other result would leave them in the hands of the other two teams and the result of their final match.  They could still qualify if they get a draw but would probably finish second as they would be dependent on the other result while a defeat would leave them in danger of elimination as they would require a big win over Shamrock Rovers and probably require a home win for PAOK in their final match.

Some supporters will be of the opinion that this match and competition are of no importance when compared with the statement Spurs are making in the Premier League at the moment but I want to see the club progress in this tournament as well - it's all about winning and Spurs have enjoyed success in Europe previously and benefited from it.

Europa League PAOK Salonika 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Tottenham's  Young Team Earn a Point

Spurs managed to gain a point in their first Europa League Group game against PAOK Salonika in Greece.  Numerous injuries and an important Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday meant Harry Redknapp used a number of young players for this game.

Team: Cudicini; Walker, Corluka, Bassong, Townsend; Falque (Fredericks), Livermore, Carroll, Giovani (Parrett), Kane; Pavlycchenko.  Subs: Gomes, Nicholson, Stewart, Barthram, Prichard

Tottenham's young players aided by a number of senior players acquitted themselves very well in the intimidating atmosphere in Greece.  They played with confidence and effort against a team with considerable European experience and thoroughly deserved their point.  It was only in the last ten minutes that they started to come under pressure from the home side and Carlo Cudicini came to their rescue with three magnificent saves.

Only Kyle Walker played from the team which won at Wolves on Saturday while Tottenham had international experience from Vedran Corluka, Sebastien Bassong, Giovani Dos Santos and Roman Pavlyuchenko to support the young players.  Yago Falque, on loan from Juventus, made his debut for Spurs while the other young players had experienced European football against Hearts in the Qualifying Round.

Tottenham started well and passed the ball about with some style and composure.  The home team gave then room to play and Spurs made the most of it.  Their best moment came when Dos Santos had a shot cleared off the line but shortly after this they were denied a clear penalty for a trip on Harry Kane who was incorrectly booked for diving.  Almost immediately PAOK were awarded a penalty when Cudicini rushed out  and dived at the incoming forward's feet and tripped him.  Lino scored from the penalty high into the net but as he celebrated the referee ordered a retake as a home player had encroached into the penalty area.  This time he tried to deceive Cudicini by putting it low to his left but hit the ball wide.  Justice was done, even if two wrongs don't make a right.

Harry Kane had a header from a Falque cross saved easily by the goalkeeper.  Tottenham were dealing well with any home pressure and causing some problems as they moved forward.

The second half was similar to the first with Spurs quite comfortable although as the younger players tired the passing of the team wasn't so accurate.  In the final fifteen minutes the home team increased the pressure but Cudicini was up to the task and made three good saves - a double save followed by a vital save in added time.

All of the young players played well, they worked hard and will have gained valuable experience.  Harry Kane did well in the first half but having been moved wide after half-time was less effective although he worked very hard.  Falque had good control but needs to get that final pass in as does Townsend who often lost the ball by running into a dead end.  Carroll was composed on the ball but tired late on and Jake Livermore worked very hard in midfield.  Dos Santos had little opportunity to show the skills he displays when with Mexico but the experienced players worked to support the youngsters.

Harry Redknapp's insistence on playing a young team in this Europa League group game brought its due reward so let's hope that the rested senior players can earn three points at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Tottenham's next Europa League game is at home to Shamrock Rovers on Thursday, 29th September.  Rovers lost their opening game to Rubin Kazan by three goals to nil in Dublin.

PAOK Salonika v Tottenham Hotspur Preview

Thursday, 15th September, 2011
Europa League (Group Stage Match 1)

Tottenham commence their Europa League Group Stage campaign with a trip to Greece to play PAOK Salonika.  The two clubs are meeting for the first time although Spurs have played in Greece previously in European competition.

PAOK Salonika are a multi-sports club formed in 1926 and have never been relegated from the top division of Greek football.  They play in black and white and have been Champions twice, runners-up three times and Greek Cup winners on four occasions.  They have been runners-up in th eCup ona record twelve occasions.  They have played their games at the 28,700 seater Toumba Stadium since 1959.


This season in the Greek League they have played two games.  They won their opening match against FC Xanthi by a single goal but lost the next match at Ergotelis 1 - 2.

Tottenham are facing opponents who have built up experience in recent years.  Last season they qualified for the Champions League but lost in the qualifying round to Ajax on the away goals rule.  In the Europa League they defeated Ferenbahce to reach the Group stages were the played Villareal, Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb.  Finishing second behind Villareal, they were drawn against CSKA Moscow in the first round of the knock-out stages.  Having lost the home leg to a single goal, they were eliminated following a credible 1-1 draw in Moscow. 

They finished fourth in the Greek League last season and qualified for the Europa League after coming second in the play-off round.

Europa League 2011-12 Qualifying Round
Drawn against Karpaty LVIV of Ukraine they won the first leg in Greece by two goals, scoring once in each half through striker Stefanos Athansiadis and defender Lino, a Brazilian signed from Porto in 2009.  The return game ended 1-1 - after PAOK went behind just before half-time they equalised early in the second half with a goal from another defender, Balafas.

Tottenham v Greek Opponents 
Spurs  played Olympiakos in the UEFA Cup 2nd Round in 1972-73, winning the home game 4 - 0 with goals from Jimmy Pearce (2), Martin Chivers and Martin Peters.  They lost the second leg by a single goal and went on to reach the semi-finals of the competition that year where they lost to Liverpool on the away goals rule.
 
In the summer of 1968 Tottenham visited Greece to play three games in an end of season tour.  They drew the first game against Panathinakos 2 - 2 when Alan Gilzean scored both goals.  The other two games produced more convincing results, winning 5 - 0 against Anorthosis and 7 - 1 against AEL.  Jimmy Robertson scored a hat-trick and Jimmy Greaves twice in the win over Anorthosis while the goals against AOL came from Cliff Jones (2), Dennis Bond, Robertson and Gilzean (3).

The last time Spurs face opposition in Greece was in a pre-season friendly in August, 2002.  They lost 1 - 2 to AEK Athens and Gus Poyet scored for Spurs.