Four-midable Spurs have QPR for Sunday Roast

Many Spurs fans were understandably baffled when current Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp was sacked by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy back in 2012 after a second fourth place finish in three years, a fine achievement indeed. Redknapp’s first return to White Hart Lane since his sacking therefore brought with it the inevitable reflections of his successful and entertaining tenure, especially as neither Andre Villas Boas with his safety first tactics nor Tim Sherwood with his kamikaze tactics lasted long. However with this match effectively over as a meaningful contest by half time, I spent the second half reflecting on Harry’s time at Spurs and his unceremonious ending.

Let’s get one thing straight, Harry Redknapp was very good for Spurs during the four years he was in charge. His Spurs team played entertaining football and as the only manager so far to take Spurs into what was a memorable Champions league campaign, he deserves recognition and gratitude. However, I believe that Redknapp got complacent in his last season at Spurs. He behaved like the college girl who, after getting much attention from many boys responds by teasing each one without ever choosing one. Daniel Levy stood by him through his tax evasion trial and offered him a contact to end speculation about the England job. A job that was being handed to him with indecent haste by a media pack that was slavishly singing his praises. By not signing the contract immediately, then openly courting the England job, sounding out current Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers about being his assistant, he took his eye of the ball as his Spurs team squandered a great opportunity to finish third, above Arsenal and avoid the heartache of Chelsea’s miracle in Munich that followed.

Harry Redknapp was never Levy’s idea of a modern Spurs manager, but desperate circumstances forced his hand. He made the most of his big time opportunity and never missed an opportunity to remind everyone where Spurs were when he took over. However with the way the 2011-2012 season played out, it was prudent of Levy to wonder if Redknapp, then 65 still had what it takes to continue to mount a credible top four challenge in an increasingly intense, competitive environment. Especially after being overlooked for England job he believed was his. On balance, I feel that Levy was right to sack him. Redknapp at 67 now the oldest manager in all four divisions of English football has felt the need to enlist the help of two former England managers in Steve Mclaren and Glen Hoddle, men who would realistically consider themselves as number ones. This reflects well on Redknapp’s self-confidence and ability to work with other big names, but also suggests that the time is fast approaching for Harry to leave the arena for younger, hungrier managers.

Speaking of young, hungry managers, Senor Mauricio Pochettino could hardly have wished for a better start to his Spurs career. Two potentially tricky games have been won and progression to the group stages of the Europa league more or less achieved. More than that though, it is the way he has conducted himself that has impressed me and is already endearing him to the White Hart Lane faithful. He has talked continually about embedding a playing philosophy of attacking football, of freeing creative players like Eriksson and Lamela, improving the players and respectfully refuses to speak about other clubs’ players until they have been signed by Spurs. His spoken English is also improving and he has not once mentioned ‘the project’. He has hardly put a foot wrong.

It is far too early to make a definitive judgement on Pochettino’s performance or speculate on what he can achieve with Spurs this season. However, while the attritional nature of the opening day win at West Ham did not allow us to see what his team can do, the manner of Sunday’s demolition of QPR provided much encouragement. At the back, Eric Dier, who has already played right back and centre back looks at home in the premiership, scoring two good goals in the process and the sometimes unfairly maligned Danny Rose seems to have responded to the challenge of Ben Davies by raising his game. In midfield, Nacer Chadli, a player who looks built like Christiano Ronaldo but often played like Jose Dominguez last season looks a different player and under Pochettino.  However, it is the transformation in Erik Lamela that is most promising. He already has more assists in his last two games than he did in the whole of last season and his latest assist at the end of a forty-eight pass move for Nacer Chadli to make it three-nil as tiki-taka came to White Hart Lane was sublime. More of that and the £30 million paid for him will look not just good business but a bargain.

While it is tempting to get carried away after such a good performance, it must be said that QPR were woeful and we’ll know a lot more about Pochettino and his new look Spurs after next weekend’s tie with Liverpool, a side who put nine goals past Spurs without reply in two traumatic games last season. Somehow, I can’t see a repeat of those score lines. Whatever happens, it seems that the man who shares a birthday (March 2^nd) with Harry Redknapp also shares his attacking philosophy and an ability to get the best out of players. Add to that the quite, unfussy manner he goes about his business and whether by luck or judgement, Mr Levy might just have landed himself a younger, hungrier, more tactically astute, better looking, Latin version of Mr H Redknapp.

Yes, Daniel Levy and Spurs have traded up.