The race for the fourth place in the Premier League ended last night with Tottenham Hotspur beating rivals Manchester City at Eastlands 1-0 and securing that coveted Champions League spot.
Harry Redknapp said that the achievement is a massive step forward for Spurs, who could yet usurp North London rivals Arsenal for third place in the league.
It was a deserved win for Spurs who arrived at Eastlands with only a win in mind, with two strikers and the likes of Aaron Lennon in their starting line up.
Given the strike power on show fans would be forgiven if they expected something more akin to the 6-6 draw that was going on simultaneously in the Scottish Premier League between Hibernian and Motherwell.
But in the end it was a simple headed goal from Peter Crouch that seperated the two Premier League teams, coming in the 82nd minute of a an enthralling match.
A proud Harry Redknapp said, “We came here to a hot atmosphere and got at them and we deserved the win. Crouchy was top class and led the line and he deserved the goal. I also think Jermain Defoe had his best performance away from home for some time.”
A pat on the back from Spurs chairman Daniel Levy followed for Redknapp for what he called an amazing achievement, adding; “Harry’s done a great job and we’re very proud of him and the whole team.”
Things were surely much different in the Manchester City boardroom where the least that was expected at the start of the season was to claim fourth place.
I am sure there would have been a wry smile on the face of former manager Mark Hughes on hearing the result following the manner of his dismissal earlier in the season.
Given his credentials Hughes’ replacement Roberto Mancini is obviously a decent football manager, but whether it is down to his command of the English language or not, he has never come across as being the most confident of Premier League coaches.
His substitution of, perhaps City’s only hope of a goal, in Craig Bellamy for a rusty Roque Santa Cruz last night was nothing less than bewildering and he does not convey the passion that Hughes has shown an abundance of in the past.
Maybe if Mancini stays he will improve things at City, possibly get rid of some of the players he has inherited for others that he would choose himself, but last nights defeat will make recruitment of new players a little more difficult than if City had qualified for the Champions League.
It has to be remembered that Manchester City are still relative newcomers to having massive financial backing, and while Spurs may not have such an enormous luxury they have been among the most prolific clubs in the transfer market for three or four seasons now.
There is a massive squad at Redknapp’s disposal and it is worth bearing in mind that Robbie Keane, Jamie O’Hara and Alan Hutton are all still Spurs players who are currently out on loan.
Overall it is great to see the ‘top four’ dominance broken down and maybe a top six emerging making for an even more competitive and entertaining season to come in August.
2 comments so far
1 Bob // May 7, 2010 at 4:44 pm
This is a great result for Harry Redknapp and Spurs. I cannot wait to see Spurs in the Champions League next season.
This is also good news for British football management. It’s about time other clubs took the lead from Spurs and Fulham and started employing British managers instead of relying on big name foreign imports.
2 Football Souvenirs // May 8, 2010 at 6:06 am
Its great to see Spurs achieve a Champions league place and this is the result of good management, the Manchester City venture will be very interesting to observe over the next few seasons, buying top players is one thing but managing their egos and balancing a team is the key to success, very few managers can achieve this.