By Sunshine
July 25 2005

I know what it shouldn’t teach us and that is to overestimate our team. It may have been a tournament which every side involved wanted to win (a million pounds in prize money isn’t exactly peanuts), but coming just before the kick off to the season, it was hardly going to be a tooth and nail affair. A side like Spurs revelled in the extra time and space afforded both by the friendly nature of the competition and the slower pace at which the other, non-British teams played (partially down to the weather conditions, too).

Still, a win is a win, it boosts confidence and improves the morale of everyone at the club, a fact which should not be underestimated.

I must have seen about a third of the action involving Spurs, so my views are hardly sacrosanct. However, I’ve read precious little of what has been written about the performances, so at least my judgement isn’t clouded by other thoughts.

Cerny is a good back up keeper to have and I’m happy with the confidence he displays between the kicks. Robinson is the better keeper, but a decent number 12 who is content to sit on the bench for months on end is a rare commodity.

I was disappointed with our defence and the main reason for that is that we didn’t manage a single clean sheet. Naybet was missed, Gardner will never make it as a top grade central defender, whilst Dawson and Davenport aren’t the finished article.

In the full back positions, it will be interesting to see if Ziegler will be coached to concentrate on a role as back up/successor to Edman and I’m curious to see Stalteri in a Spurs shirt, assuming he’ll be given the right back role. Kelly doesn’t convince me 100%, yet. I’d like to see him develop a harder edge and perhaps training next to a ‘take no prisoners’ player like our new Canadian might trigger the right mechanism in the lad.

I was impressed with Routledge, a cocky kid who isn’t afraid to try some tricks. He’s got fast feet, rapidly executing what he has in mind and if he realises that this is his big opportunity to make a name for himself in the top flight and applies himself properly, the money paid for him will be very well spent indeed. I like the directness and conviction that he has already begun to display, which contrasts with the tendency of some wingers to concentrate on exhibiting skill for skill’s sake, without concentrating too much on the quality of the final product.

Reid, over on the other side, is a very different player. Not as quick, with fewer tricks and a different physique, which probably means that it will take longer for him to run into some sort of form. Reid, though, has a far more cultured favourite foot than, say, Routledge. The chip to Mido for Keane’s second goal (and Spurs’ third) in the Final against Lyon was delightful and executed with just the right weight. With Reid being less of a livewire than Routledge, I’d imagine that Jol will want him to cement himself in greater midfield duties, in particular when the opposition have the ball.

Unfortunately, that’s about as far as it goes with wingers, since the sprightly Lennon can hardly be considered oven-ready for the Premiership. The need to sign another flank player, if we are to persist with the formation that Jol has designed in order to accommodate two wide men, is quite plain.

In the middle of the park, given space and time, Carrick looked every inch an international class playmaker. He wins an impressive number of balls and is decent in the air (especially at defending set pieces), which is an added bonus, but it is clear that Jol will not leave him to do the spade work and nor should he, since the effort would, as games wear on, have a negative effect on his main role, which is to organise the team, dictate the pace of our game and cause difficulty to the opposition with his precision passing.

Mendes is a more than capable back up and whilst he can play alongside Carrick, Jol quite rightly does not see this as the ideal solution.

Surprise of the tournament, for me, was Tainio. I’d seen him a few times over the past year or so and I’d heard good reviews, but he really does look like the sort of player that Jol wants to pair with Carrick. I still favour Davis over Brown, but I get the feeling that one of the two will be leaving the club in the near future. I would be frustrated if it were Davis, since we’ve certainly not had the chance to see what he can do in a lilywhite shirt. I fear for his fitness. Brown is a good player to have in the squad, but nothing more, imo.

Up front, we really do have a nice mix of forwards. Mido seems to have gotten the bit between his teeth and his great technique, allied to a directness which is sometimes missing from Kanouté’s play, make him a formidable forward and one which is ideally suited to playing either with Keane or Defoe.

I’m not sure Keane will stick around to play second fiddle to Defoe, but if he does I’ll be more than happy to cheer him on, providing he signs a new contract. Losing an asset of his worth for zilch 11 months down the line would be a grave mistake.

Of the other youngsters on show , El Hamdaoui impressed me, whilst Huddlestone looked like a man playing against boys when he was stuck in the midfield. I didn’t get to see Fulop, whilst Marney came across as the ‘usual’ ‘trier’, but I’ll admit to harbouring doubts about whether he’ll ever be good enough for Premiership football at the highest level.

Overall, what struck me was the confidence with which the lads played the ball, tricks, close control, flicks and audacious back heels. That is the sort of football I want to see Tottenham play, a mix of steel, tenacity and flair. It is the combination of these attributes which should ensure another season of progress and a bright future for the club.

Another quality signing or two (should Keane extend his deal, which would be the equivalent of a good signing) and we can all look forward to the new season with a confidence which is not just borne, as so often in the past, of blind optimism.