UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Tottenham v Inter Milan:IT SAYS everything about the helter-skelter nature of Tottenham Hotspur's debut Champions League campaign that Harry Redknapp would have signed up at half-time for a 5-0 defeat at Internazionale two weeks ago as he feared his team was set to lose by "seven or eight" yet, at full-time, he was disappointed to hear the whistle.
“Maybe we might have got an equaliser if the game was five minutes longer,” the Tottenham manager said, as he reflected on the Gareth Bale-inspired comeback from 4-0 down at the interval to 4-3. “If Man United hadn’t have scored that second goal on Saturday, we might have got a draw at Old Trafford.”
Redknapp looked as if he were half joking about that second point. The way that Nani’s goal for United was allowed to stand continued to cause ructions ahead of Inter’s visit to White Hart Lane tonight.
Yet, Redknapp was serious about the manner in which he intended to carry the fight to the defending European champions.
He will attack them with two touchline-hugging wingers and a central midfield that brims with offensive vim and vigour. You got the feeling his defensive strategy could involve a couple of Hail Marys.
Redknapp’s Tottenham know only one way to play. It is the reason why their five Champions League ties so far, including the play-offs against Young Boys of Bern, produced 25 goals.
Redknapp predicted a pulsating atmosphere at White Hart Lane, provided his team did not offer their opponents too generous a lead. Spurs have appeared to revel in giving themselves mountains to climb. What looked certain was that supporters ought to be advised to buckle up.
“There is a feeling that attack is the best form of defence for us,” Redknapp said. “We are an open team and I don’t have any option other than to pick an attacking team.
“Look at my midfield. We have [Tom] Huddlestone, [Luka] Modric, [Rafael] van der Vaart, Bale and [Aaron] Lennon, and then a front man, [Peter] Crouch. Unless I leave Modric out and play Palacios, I can’t thicken it up.
“If I leave Lennon out, who will I play on the right wing? I have Kranjcar. I have nothing but attacking players. I could leave Van der Vaart out and play with three central midfielders and be strong in there but I would not do that. This is the way I have developed the squad. We have a go.”
Even at 4-0 down at San Siro and with 10 men after Heurelho Gomes’s dismissal, Redknapp refused to sacrifice Lennon or Bale. Inter’s front three are not known for tracking back and Redknapp saw his wingers were making inroads, despite the scoreline.
He was rewarded for his adventure by Bale’s hat-trick and identified the flanks as the route to the positive result that he craves this evening. “The key will be ripping into them on the flanks,” he said. “We need Bale to again get the better of Maicon and then you have Aaron on the other side. This is the place that we can hurt them.”
Bale has advertised his threat to Inter. Redknapp said he saw the Welshman as developing into the best left-back in the world but, for now, it is further forward on the wing that he will seek to hurt Rafael Benitez’s team. Even if Inter tried to double up on him, Bale would be ready.
“You’ve got to keep trying to improve,” Bale said, “and make your all-round game unstoppable. Teams double up on all the world-class players these days, the likes of Ronaldo, and he still finds a way.”
Redknapp said William Gallas and Van der Vaart would be fit, despite hamstring worries, while Huddlestone has recovered from an ankle problem and Carlo Cudicini would replace Gomes.
Inter are without goalkeeper, Julio Cesar, who has a hamstring problem, while Esteban Cambiasso has a similar strain. They felt like foot-notes yesterday. The excitement has begun to build.
Guardian Service
Tonight, White Hart Lane, Kick-off - 7.45pm, Live on Setanta Ireland & Sky Sports 2
