Tottenham’s spirited Champions League campaign hit the buffers in Madrid with Emmanuel Adebayor returning to torment Harry Redknapp. Robbed of Aaron Lennon’s menace in attack, the Spurs boss was powerless as Peter Crouch saw red early on; his ten men were swept aside thereafter. Here’s the notes on events from the Bernabéu …
Things started badly for Harry Redknapp even before a ball had been kicked. Aaron Lennon, cited by the Spurs boss as key attacking weapon on the counter-attack, was withdrawn from the starting XI late on through illness…
“We lost Aaron just as the teams were walking on the pitch. He didn’t feel well enough to play so we had to change straight away….He hadn’t been feeling great all day. I said ‘are you ok?’ and he said ‘I don’t feel like I have any strength or energy to run’, so I had to pull him out.”
The early Emmanuel Adebayor header and the two reckless challenges which earned Peter Crouch a red on 15 minutes, set the tone for the evening. Spurs never got to grips with Real in midfield and were overrun as Jose Mourinho’s side mercilessly unravelled their resistance in the second-half.
For Fantasy Managers the result should be a blessing in disguise. Despite Mourinho’s claims that Tottenham still have life left in them, the tie is surely over and next week’s second-leg at the Lane is a formality. Redknapp must now regroup his squad and concentrate his efforts on sealing fourth spot and another season of Champions League football. Given Man City’s threat, that will be no easy task and will surely see the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Rafeal van der Vaart (subbed on 45 minutes last night) regularly deployed in the Spurs starting lineup.
While those attacking riches will be key to Tottenham’s chances of a top four finish, Redknapp has continued injury problems at the back. Vedran Corluka is his latest concern – he suffered an ankle injury in last night’s game and was forced off on 80 minutes.
Tottenham host Stoke on Saturday and with Alan Hutton out for the season and Corluka a doubt, Redknapp has major problems at right-back. William Gallas had previously filled in that position and may well be forced to do so again. Sebastian Bassong looks likely to start alongside Michael Dawson this weekend then.
The Stoke encounter is the first of three consecutive home matches with a double also to follow in gameweek 36 (STK ARS WBA che BLP/mcy). Although that run includes tough and crucial matches against Arsenal, Chelsea and City, Fantasy interest in Tottenham’s squad, particularly the attacking assets, is set to steadily increase given the incentive for Redknapp’s side to earn results.
