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 decisive goal for United was allowed to stand continued to cause ructions ahead of Inter's visit to White Hart Lane tomorow night. Yet Redknapp was deadly 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 that 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, have produced 25 goals. When Redknapp assesses his back-up options in midfield, the message is reinforced. David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Niko Kranjcar could hardly be described as defensively minded. Only the out-of-form Wilson Palacios could be.
Redknapp predicted a pulsating atmosphere under the floodlights at White Hart Lane, provided that 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, though, 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 [either 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. What do you do with a Modric? How do I leave him out to go and put someone bigger and stronger in there? Or how do I leave Van der Vaart out? It might make it a wild ride for everybody but we are at home."
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 their tracking back qualities and Redknapp saw that his wingers were making inroads, despite the scoreline. He was rewarded for his adventure by Bale's hat-trick and he identified the flanks as the route to the positive result that he cravestomorrow 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 that he saw the young 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 Benítez's team. Even if Inter tried to double up on him, Bale would be ready. "You've got to keep trying to improve and 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 that 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 the suspended Gomes. Inter are also without their first-choicegoalkeeper, Júlio Cesar, who has a hamstring problem, while Esteban Cambiasso has a similar strain. They felt like footnotes today. The excitement has begun to build.
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