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Tottenham - A promising handicap chance
Written by JR Walker | 15th August 2006 | 6 Comment(s)
For the first time in many a season Tottenham begin a campaign expecting to qualify for Europe and given a reasonable start Martin Jol's team will harbour hopes of going one better than last season and qualifying for the Champions League.
Last term Spurs would have quietly confident of achieving European football, but this time that will be the least that should be expected.
Ok, breaking into the top four will prove a tough task, but interestingly most bookmakers have granted Tottenham a 24 point start in their handicap betting when compared with Champions Chelsea.
With odds of 15/1 or 16/1, depending on where you shop, this may prove value for money?
Chelsea has obviously strengthened with the arrival of star names such as Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, but they have not made a secret of their desire for Champions League success, which may prove a distraction as the season wares on and some of their new signings feel the pace of their first season in English football.
The Blues finished 26 points ahead of Spurs last time round, but as Liverpool yet again showed on Sunday Jose Mourinho's term is not unbeatable and could finish with less than the 91 points they amassed last season.
Martin Jol will undoubtedly set a target of beating the 65 points achieved as Tottenham narrowly missed out on the Champions League on the last day, which may or may not be enough for qualification to that elite tournament, but will be a sign of further improvement.
The nearer Spurs can get to seventy; some bookies may feel their handicap awarded to Jol's emerging team could prove a little generous? Assuming Chelsea do go on to win the Premiership again they will not have in their minds the amount of points they are in front of Spurs and could easily have further fish to fry given that they don't make an early exit from Europe with a few games to go.
Remember they lost their final two matches last season, and that was without anything else to play for.
Tottenham will also have European competition this time around and some have pointed out that Tottenham may have done so well last term because they only played 40 matches having exited both domestic Cups at the first hurdle.
That may or may not be the case, but it should be remembered that Arsenal really only got their season on track after their victory over Real Madrid which bread confidence through the club and ultimately they were able to forge ahead on both fronts.
Tottenham of course have lost Michael Carrick to Manchester United, but with Didier Zokora already on board there is no reason for Jol to panic.
There is still time for Jol to spend some of the funds gained for Carrick, but if the right players don't become available then he may be wise to bide his time.
The aforementioned victory by Arsenal over Madrid probably proved a catalyst for them to eventually claim that coveted fourth spot last term, but really Tottenham threw away their opportunity with silly draws against teams like Sunderland and Aston Villa.
This term there is no reason why those sorts of annoying dropped points can not be saved via the scoring exploits Dimitar Berbatov.
The Bulgarian has set himself a target of between 15 and 20 goals, and Jol will be hoping that some of those will win tight games and not too many will be the fourth in a comfortable 4-0 victory.
Should Berbatov achieve his personal goal then he will have contributed more than Mido which should give Tottenham a tangible improvement. With 69 strikes in 154 matches while with Bayer Leverkusen the forward certainly arrives with a record that would suggest he could often turn one point into three.
The heart of Tottenham's defence should also improve as Ledley King and Michael Dawson continue to develop what was a good partnership last term.
Thierry Henry has gone as far to say that he rates King as his most difficult opponent, and in all honesty he isn't bad judge considering some of the players he has been up against during his illustrious career.
One of England's few successes in Germany was of course Aaron Lennon and he will probably be one of the players to watch once again.
He was certainly not fazed by the big stage and is a player that can only get better with experience. A little like Henry, Ronaldinho and Steven Gerrard he is a player that football fans love to watch no matter which club they support. Not that he is in that bracket quite yet, but there are likely to be a few defenders that will be glad when the final whistle has gone after marking him for a match.
The fact that most bookmakers are offering odds of around 50/1 for Spurs to win the League would probably suggest that they won't break into the top four this season considering the three main opposition to Chelsea are between 6/1 and 8/1, but with Newcastle the next in line at around 150/1probably suggests that Tottenham should finish as the best team outside the ‘big four'.
Whether you think they can achieve Champions League football is down to personal opinion, but finishing within 24 points of Chelsea doesn't seem too much of an impossibility.
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Comments
Comment by Richard Scudamore on Wednesday 16 August 2006 @ 3:22am
Comment by Dave on Wednesday 16 August 2006 @ 12:38am
Anyone who refers to Bolton midfielder Kevin Nolan as, "Kevin Knowlen" clearly knows nothing about football and as such I am sorry to have to discount the opinion of the firsty post. I agree we need another creative player in the side, but rather than having a creative player in the centre, I feel, as do most other Spurs fans that the talents opf Aaron Lennon would be better exploited if we played with width. Thus we need an otherodox left winger, ala Duff who can beat a man and cause danger from wide areas. This being the case we would have no need for a creative player in the middle, just for JJ to support the forwards by arriving late in the box. a right-back wouldn't go amiss either.
Comment by Your name here on Tuesday 15 August 2006 @ 11:39pm
its nolan you dumb f**k
Comment by great fans 1 voice on Tuesday 15 August 2006 @ 11:15pm
Thank god carricks gone, i hope united dont expect him to score goals! Good business i say. How about signing Kevin Knowlen from Bolton he can be striker one minute and attacking midfielder next and O Hargreaves get these 2 and achieve the perfect midfield. An attacking midfield who scores and a defencive midfielder playmaker who can pass. Flog JJ or put him in as part of swap for Knowlen. I think the funds should be found to make S Downing come and Passcal the money they are asking isnt to high when you look at him play and his age. Passcal if proven could compleate the back 4. What ever happened to the compisation from Chelsea ie Wayne Bridge!!! These and the new boys and the old guard would make a team that would make any other team think twice.
Comment by Your name here on Tuesday 15 August 2006 @ 10:26pm
If spurs dont get a superstar attacking mid fielder and left sided midfielder we wont amass bugger all! We need an argi or spanish match winner ie a zidan / ballack. Remember the Brazilians play attacking football of we will just score more goals than you so why dont spurs pick up the pace and get the players we need. The next generation will come through the ranks, lets try and have a team thats feared not a couple of players that are admired.
Comment by Your name here on Tuesday 15 August 2006 @ 9:26am
Let's hope this proves good advice. It certainly does seem possible that Spurs could get within 24 points of Chelsea, but it would be nice if it was because of our hefty points total rather than Chelsea's failings. On the other hand, I can't stand Chelsea so hopefully they will not even win the League or anything else for that matter.
"ultimately they were able to forge ahead" Only because of me. I threw out all intelligence, rules and common sense to do a favour for my good friend David Dein and screw up the Premiership for all football fans GO ARSENAL! I LUV YOU! I KNOW YOU ARE NO GOOD NOW THAT'S WHY I CHEAT FOR YOU!