On the eve of Tottenham Hotspur's post-season friendly against Jamaica in The Bahamas, Spurs hope to renew their efforts to sign Brazil's Leandro Damiao as well as Spanish international Roberto Soldado.
At the same time, Tottenham are expected to lose William Gallas (on a free transfer), Scott Parker, Tom Huddlestone and Emmanuel Adebayor according to the report mentioned below inThe Guardiannewspaper.
Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and William Gallas are out injured and are expected to return to training within two weeks, according to a club statement from Tottenham Hotspur.
"The Club can confirm that Gareth Bale (sprained ankle ligaments), William Gallas (calf strain) and Aaron Lennon (soft tissue contusion below the knee) all underwent scans today (Friday) after being forced off with injuries during our Europa League Quarter Final First Leg draw with Basel last night," said the club statement.
Tottenham's Champions League hopes took a big hit on Thursday evening.
Spurs midfielder Gareth Bale was stretchered off in second half stoppage time after a bad-looking right ankle injury, forcing Tottenham to finish their 2-2 draw with FC Basel down to nine men.
There's no official confirmation from the club but it seems that there are no fresh injuries from the clash with Lyon last Thursday. However, it also means that Jermain Defoe, Sandro and Younes Kaboul will continue to sit this one out.
The side should see at least two changes from the second leg in France with Hugo Lloris coming back in goal and William Gallas making way for Jan Vertonghen.
Andre Villas-Boas has revealed that our one remaining striker Jermain Defoe has returned to the Tottenham squad for tonight's game at Carrow Road. Defoe missed the defeat to Leeds at the weekend but takes his place after a hip problem.
"Jermain's body feels well, he feels fine about his fitness and he trained today," AVB said.
Spurs look to have only two first team members unavailable as they make the short trip to Loftus Road. Younes Kaboul remains on the long term injury list, with a possible return pencilled in for next month while William Gallas continues to miss out with the calf strain he picked up at Villa Park.
"William will be out of the game, unfortunately," said Andre Villas-Boas.
Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey were both on target for Spurs against Southampton as they sealed a 2-1 victory
Bale's goal was his third of the season and the talented winger may feel his luck is changing. Bale has had 29 shots atgoal so far with an impressive 62% on target but just 10.
In Defence of Kyle Walker A Player Analysis is a post from: Just Football
One of the more distressing themes toTottenham'searly season campaign has been theinconsistencyof last year's PFA Young Player of the Year, Kyle Walker. Walker was at fault on Spurs' first conceded goal of the season, aDembaBastrike at St.
Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur, Sunday 28th October, St Mary's Stadium, 3pm kick off
So as we approach our game with Southampton on Sunday it has been a bit of a mixed week for us. The loss against Chelsea was deserved but there were still some positives that came out of it, namely spirit and unity but the draw against Maribor was a tad disappointing.
After a spirited but rightful unrewarding performance against the European ChampionsKenny Palmerreviews the game and other issues that came out of it regarding Kyle Walker.
Andre Villas-Boas was denied his redemption and revenge as Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea confirmed their status as the Barclays Premier leagues pace setters with a deserved win over Tottenham, although a 4-2 score line was flattering for the visitors.
Chelsea came from behind to win 4-2 at Tottenham Hotspur following a series of second half errors from Spurs defenders William Gallas and Kyle Walker.
It was ironic that the match slipped away from the Spurs late in the second half because it was them who first turned the tables on the Blues at White Hart Lane immediately after the interval.
Tottenham Hotspur vs QPR, Sunday 23rd September 2012, White Hart Lane, 4pm kick off
After another impressive display against Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday night, one which should have got us 3 points if it wasn't for some indifferent and questionable refereeing, we get back to league action as we welcome QPR to the Lane on Sunday.
Reading vs Tottenham Hotspur, Sunday 16th September 2012, Majeski Stadium, 4pm kick off, SS1 & HD plus Sky3D After a disappointing team display against Norwich we now get back to business with a tough visit to Reading after the International break. Kenny Palmer gives us his preview: The visit to the Madejski Stadium against promoted [.
In terms of a late-season wobble, this ought to separate the Mild-Swaying from the Pillars-Crashing-To-Earth-All-Around-Us. After the slipshod events of recent weeks, and given the meddlesome lather in which we now find ourselves, there has never been a more apt time for someone with a glint in his eye and young floozy on each arm to swagger up to the bar and pay for everyone's drinks for the rest of the night.
I'm not sure anyone saw that coming, from AVB all the way down to AANP. Blinking heck, Basel were as slick as any opponent we have played all season, their attacking interplay as good as the Chelski front three who six-yard-passed us to oblivion back in the early autumn. They may masquerade as a Swiss club side, but Basel played like a team of Bond villains – laughing in our faces as they pretty effortlessly repelled most of our attacks, and then slicing us open at will with interplay so fizzy our heroes could barely see them, let alone keep pace with them.
Heading into their Europa League second-leg against Inter Milan with a 3-0 lead, Spurs very nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at the San Siro last night. An extra-time goal from Emmanuel Adebayor was enough to send Spurs through on away goals, but not before William Gallas had levelled the tie at 3-3 [.
Once again, as if piggybacking off this week's Champions League drama, Thursday's evening of Europa League round of 16 action had just about everything.
Carrying a 3-0 lead into the San Siro, Tottenham amazingly surrendered three goals to Inter Milan, including an own goal by William Gallas, before scoring a crucial goal in the first half of extra time to ensure qualification to the quarterfinals on away goals.
One of the criticisms of Spurs, particularly earlier in the season was directed at our inability to hold on to a lead. With the side sitting back and trying to absorb pressure, Tottenham's defence conceded many, costly late goals and this issue came to a head in December when 1-0 at Everton turned into 1-2 in the dying minutes.
This smells like the pointy end of things. Forthcoming opponents including l'Arse, Liverpool, City, Chelski and Everton, and what better whistle-whetter for such rumblings than a nifty-looking European tie? You can shove the mundane group games into a musky sack, and give them a furtive kick while you're at it, because this one has a faint whiff of seriousness.
No Bale. No Lennon. And just in time for the most crucial multipack of fixtures of the season. Maybe Skynet did win after all.
‘Tis a test that ought to put some hair on the AVB chest. For all the huffing, puffing and neat technique, if our heroes are not scything teams open through nifty interplay and a killer pass of the VDV mould – and these days it tends to be the exception rather than the norm – the default setting does seem to be to look to Bale to magic up a goal from nothing, on his own.
There's no official word on the club website as yet but reports suggest that Aaron Lennon may miss the trip to Anfield with a slight hamstring strain. The club has two very important games coming up over the next week but will the winger be risked if the reports are true?
Andre Villas-Boas does have options on the right side and one answer would be to bring in Lewis Holtby in to play on the left with Gylfi Sigurdsson switching to cover for Lennon.
Now this is not really cricket, is it? All season Sunderland have hummed around with such innocuous, harmless fluff that we all rather forgot they existed, and a gentle away point (or three) beckoned. Until now. Two days before they entertain our lot they go and beat the blinking champions, and what had not so long ago seemed about as harmless as a neutered kitten is now likely to require cunning and nous and graft and quite possibly He-Man's Sword of Omens.
There's no official word from the club as yet but reports elsewhere suggests that three players are returning to fitness and are looking to start the game on Saturday lunchtime.
Clint Dempsey, Tom Huddlestone and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are all pushing for a place while Scott Parker may also be included after three consecutive sub appearances.
Brendan Rodgers launched in to a tirade against referee Phil Dowd for his performance as Liverpool's eight-match unbeaten run came to an unfortunate end at Tottenham. Spurs ran out 2-1 winners at White Hart Lane thanks to a stunning free-kick from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon's first half tap-in.
In the Premier League, Brad Friedel and Clint Dempsey were in the starting eleven for Spurs, losing 4-2 to Chelsea in a London derby. Chelsea were in front by the 17th minute at White Hart Lane, with William Gallas equalizing for Tottenham in the 47th minute. Spurs went ahead when Jermaine Defoe scored seven minutes later.
Some would possibly consider it poor form to wish a thousand violent and irreversible curses upon the new baby Bale, but new mewling, puking wretch will have a few things to answer for as it comes of age. (As luck would have it AANP's latest newphew was born in Wales a couple of days earlier, so will be instructed to steal Bale Jr's crayons by way of retribution, at the earliest opportunity).
Not quite as we would have scripted admittedly, but only the most pedantic of lilywhite persuasion will grumble about the manner in which we stumbled our way over the finishing line today. To date this season, the four walls of White Hart Lane have witnessed vastly inferior attempts to wrap up the points and cavort our way down the High Road with the sounds of chortles ringing the air and three points slung over the shoulder – hence we might be well advised to thank the mid-September deities and shuffle off into the gloaming.
‘Tis a sign of the lucre-riddled times that a home fixture against Inter is only the third most important match of our week, but thus it fairly well transpires, if you give a nudge here and take a hop there. Finishing in the top four (three? Two?) still feels like the priority – but as distractions go this is right up there with kittens, cats, sacks and wives.
As the clock ticked down on the summer transfer window, it seemed as if Michael Dawson would be an unlikely departure from White Hart Lane. Named club skipper in place of the recently retired Ledley King, Daws was set for a busy season until other Premiership sides started to hover.
Proposed transfers to QPR and Sunderland came to nothing but as the season began, Dawson found himself consigned to the fringes of the squad as Andre Villas-Boas played William Gallas in preference.
Ah, ‘tis the unmistakeable scent of le grand fromage wafting into town. Oddly enough we find ourselves in the exalted position of being able to do the seasonal double over this lot, for possibly the first time since a wide-eyed and youthful AANP would stare transfixed at the shoulder-feints and mullet Chris Waddle and his mullet feinting this way and that.
It is a frustrating thing for football fans to have to watch their team struggle to rectify an issue that seems so obviously in need of work.
For supporters of Tottenham Hotspur, the way in which their side stood firm in the closing stages of their 1-0 win over Swansea City will have done much to strengthen belief in the ability of the defense to not automatically capitulate under pressure late on in games.
Steven Caulker looks set to make his first start for the full England side tonight as they prepare to face Sweden but have the centre half's performances ensured that he is inked in on AVB's teamsheet for the rest of the season?
Caulker impressed while on loan at Swansea in the last campaign and it was obvious that he was ready for regular first team football in the Premiership.
An unlikely beneficiary following Benoit Assou-Ekotto's injury has been Steven Caulker. After BAE's problems forced him onto the sidelines, AVB first used Kyle Naughton and then Gareth Bale at left back before Jan Vertonghen slotted in and looked as if he'd been playing there for his entire career.
Steven Caulker made his fourth appearance of the season as Spurs beat Manchester United on Saturday evening and the centre half is starting to build an impressive reputation in the Premier League.
Steven was a vital part of Swansea's success last season and it always seemed likely that Tottenham would give him an opportunity on his return.
Tottenham's head coach Andre Villas-Boas has already inferred that the club are unlikely to start next season with five senior centre halves but who from the current quintet will make way? Until now, the assumption was that William Gallas would leave in the summer but there is a growing rumour of a deal involving fellow Frenchman Younes Kaboul.
It must have been a happy moment for former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp when he was re-united with Ryan Nelsen at QPR at the end of last year. However, as Harry begins his tenure at Loftus Road, the New Zealand centre half is off to the MLS and that move will leave an experienced gap in the heart of the QPR defence.
Prior to Tottenham's narrow 1-0 win over Swansea in December, the club were notorious for conceding late goals, most notably in the previous fixture when the side let in two late strikes at Everton in a 2-1 defeat.
Since the Swansea game however, the defence seems to have a tougher edge and Tottenham have recently recorded some late, late goals of their own against Manchester United and also against Lyon last night.
Tottenham seemed far more effective at keeping Swansea away from the penalty box on Sunday and it was clear that the team had taken a different approach to defending a late lead. Last gasp goals have been costing us all season and while we remained nervous, it all seemed much calmer on the pitch than it did at Everton seven days ago.
With just a few weeks left in the EPL season, the fight for a top four finish looks like it will come down to the final day of competition. Manchester United has long since wrapped up the title, but the next four teams in the table are neck and neck and still have a lot to play for. With just hours left to capture a spot in next season's Champions League, injuries could be a key factor in determining the top four.
