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| Bale - will he start? Hopefully! |
Back in November I was crushed when Tottenham emailed me to say that the ticket I had brought for Inter Milan game was being refunded as my seat was in a 'security and operational area'. brilliant. Thanks for that one! However they did offer me compensation in the form a ticket for whatever home game I wanted - naturally I chose the next round of The Champions League.
4 months later I will be taking advantage of this and will be watching Spurs in one of the Biggest games at The Lane since...well, Inter!
We go into this second leg tie 1-0 up after our heroics in Milan. This gives us the huge advantage of an away goal, at The Lane you have to feel confident that we can produce not just a result but a win. Ive been confident of this since we first drew AC, the away win was just a huge Brucie bonus!
However this isn't to knock Milan, although they aren't quite the force they once were this will still be a tough tie! As I said before their starting line up is quite daunting, the good news in this respect is that they are missing three key players. In particular Andrea Pirlo but also Massimo Ambrossini. Genaro Gattuso will also be absent after his antics last time out.
Milan are on a great run of form at the moment, they sit top of Serie A - 5 points clear of Inter who are second. They haven't lost a league game since 18th December, since then they have won 7 and drew 4. In their last game they beat Juventus away 1-0.
So how about Tottenham team news then? Well the big news centers around Bale and VdV. Lets start with Bale, he came on against Wolves the other day and although only on for 20 minutes, looked fantastic, since then however he has been listed as a 'doubt', apparently he felt stiff during training which could mean he starts on the bench, whether this is a ploy from Harry remains to be seen but its fair to say that he'll feature at some point.
VdV announced via twitter that he will be in the squad for the match, I think its a certainty that he'll start:
Good news guys, will be in the Squad tomorrow and can’t wait to get back on the pitch. Tomorrow will be a special day for all of us here!
The other good news is that Charlie will be back in the frame after Flamini tried to remove his leg in the first match, Whether he'll start ahead of Hutton is a hard one, due to recent events I would guess that Charlie would get the nod however I think its anyones guess as to what Harry will do.
King, Huddlestone, Woodgate and Kaboul are all still out but its looking good that they should all be back shortly. Based on all this I would expect the following:
Gomes
Corluka - Dawson - Gallas - BAE
Lennon - Sandro - Modric - Bale/Pienaar
VdV
Crouch
Defoe could get a start after scoring at the weekend however I think Harry will go with Crouch, especially because of his form in The Champions League thus far. I would personally start Kranjcar if Bale isn't ready but I suspect Harry will go with Pienaar instead.
It promises to be a fast and action packed game, to be honest I really don't know what to expect but I am certain that the Spurs will be on top of their game. As I already said I am quietly confident of progressing to the next round. The atmosphere is already promising to be electric, as I write this I am already buzzing with excitement! From what I heard the Inter game was amazing, well I think this could well top it, the club is encouraging a 'Lillywhite' night - asking all fans to wear a white Spurs shirt to add to the atmosphere. Ill certainly be wearing mine!
I could go on all night about this game however I'm sure I don't need to, If your reading this then your probably as excited as me for tomorrows encounter! One final note before I sign off - lol at Ars*nal! I don't think the term 'raped' even comes close to what they experienced at Camp Nou tonight, anyway enough of them.
Come On You Spurs!
yeah, I am just as excited. But i'm certainly not as "quietly" confident as you alex, if thats what you call it.
ReplyDeleteYou can't say AC milan aren't the team they were before. A great run of form that lasts three months isn't a run, that is a well drilled, strict side, and they got their their nosed blooded at home and they are embarrassed, thay want revenge. This is a top European side with it's backs to the wall, and while Bale is a boost, like harry said "Tottenham isn't just Gareth bale". I won't be sharing your levels confidence, just a calm focused approach on my face, other parts will be reacting to my nerves. I did feel that Inter were quite complacent back in the group stages. Now at knockout with DO or DIE, I think AC are gonna come out guns blazing. we'll see how our guys cope but don't get me wrong or be misunderstood we have all the quality, character and power of our own to send a message to Europe, we're no flash in the pan, one hit wonder.
On a lighter note, I am very jealous you will be there, I hope you have a great night and I'll be watching on the telly.
To what is about to happen.....
In Harry we Trust
All the best and once again an enjoyable read
Marcus
COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!
sorry, i should add, I know you're not saying we are a one man team. I was just taken aback by the way you so confidently come across in reading. What I'm saying is We need to be realistically confident, and by using language such as AC Milan not being as great as they used to be, belittles them and we can't afford to do that, because it encourages arrogance instead, which rapidly turns into lack of self worth if that goal goes against spurs. We need solid support and belief for the skills we demonstrated so far, which have proved to be giant killers. Encourage how much more we are, Not how much less they are.
ReplyDeleteAs Alfred Lord Tennyson said:
"No man ever got very high by pulling other people down. The intelligent merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not knock those who work with him. Don't knock your friends. Don't knock your enemies. Don't knock yourself."
In Harry We Trust
i will admit that i was probably a little over cautious, but stand by my decision to not write them off. Harry played it blindingly well. Well done spurs.
ReplyDeleteIn Harry We Trust