My thanks go to occasional Spurs Odyssey correspondent Ivan "Dr Hotspur" Cohen, who gives his "coaches eye view" upon yesterday's proceedings

FRIENDLY FIXTURE
TUESDAY 3RD AUGUST, 2004
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 (1) FEYENOORD 2 (1)

Spurs scorer:-
Kanoute, 27

Feyenoord scorers:-
Kuyt, 40, 69

Teams:-
Spurs(4-4-2):- Keller, Carr (Edman, 45),Doherty, Bunjevcevic,Taricco; Marney (Jackson, 70),Redknapp (Mendes, 45), Brown (Gardner, 58),Ricketts (Hughes, 81); Bakari, Kanoute (Defoe, 45)
Subs not used:- Fulop; Ifil, King; Silva

Feyenoord (4-4-2):- Babos, Bosschart, Chali, Kuyt (Lazovic, 78), Buffel (Kalou, 45), Goor (Magrao, 62), Mtiliga, Smolarek (Castelen, 58), Paauwe, Loovens, Gyan (Zuiverloon, 45).
Subs not used:- Lodewijks, Ven der Berg, Pardo.

Last night I sat down with my wife to watch the Spurs play against Feyenoord in the first "semi-final" of the Kappa Cup, which was broadcast by Eurosport GB live from Spain. It was our first chance to see Spurs since Santini took over the reigns, so we had little idea what to expect. Given that it was the latest of a series of pre-season friendlies meant that our expectations were even more uncertain, however, we hoped for some signs of what is to come during the Premiership season, which starts in a little more than a week's time. I shall not indulge with a match report per se, as Paul Smith has become the report-meister in these parts for some years now, but will opt for a few comments based upon my observations:

Both halves, Spurs lined up with a traditional 4-4-2 formation. Santini looks to be keen to adopt this, and play it to best effect, although there is much to do to get it right.

Although there were very few substitutions, this was a chance for Santini to see many of his players in action, some of them in unusual (for me) combinations. It was also a chance to see (hopefully) up-and-coming youngsters, such as Marney and Jackson (mysteriously referred to as Jamie by the commentator) and some possible signings as well as new signings. For me, the new Swedish left-back, Edman, looks to be a solid find. When he played left-back in the second half, Tarrico was moved to his (more natural?) right side, where I thought he played well enough. However, there were many more negatives: For me Redknapp was virtually anonymous. When Michael Brown left the field during the second half, we became devoid of any worth in central midfield. Ricketts, who played most of the 90 looked a poor imitation of what we have seen from him in the past. Admittedly, his best performances have been from the bench, but frankly he is too lightweight, easily deprived of possession and was unable to make much headway running against defenders. His passing is woeful. Marney looks to be useful, but in need of more experience at a high level. The new on-loan striker from Lens (Dagui Bakari), left me with mixed feelings, as he was inconsistent, and I still do not know why he left the field during a Spurs corner (it looked to do with his shirt being torn, but he could have sorted that out after the corner) (Ed: The referee ordered Bakari off to change his shirt. This was the subject of much critical comment from the poor commentary team). Gardner, who played second half was simply shocking, and on this kind of form must be behind Doherty and Bunjevcevic in the pecking order. I was quite pleased with the latter, whose reading of the game at centre back was fine. However, he looked much less the part when moved to midfield when Gardner came on. Doherty was, well, Doherty. He has some fine aggressive qualities, but needs to work harder on closing down players in particular.

This was a match played at quite a slow pace. It was patently obvious this was a friendly match, as there was hardly a tackle made (except for one poor attempt from behind by Mendes, earning him a yellow card). The lack of ambition and commitment by either team was disappointing in one respect, but given the nature of pre-season friendlies, hardly surprising. Spurs looked like they had been working on getting players behind the ball when the opposition were in possession, but this is something that they will need to work at much harder. Spurs' transition from attack to defence is simply poor, and will require more commitment from the midfield players than has been hitherto the case. Indeed, the way the defence is left exposed by its midfield will be Spurs' key vulnerability if it does not improve swiftly.

The other key flaw which is too patently obvious is the inability of the midfield to offer a decent and reliable service to the forwards. In the second half, Kanoute had been replaced by Defoe, but it is difficult to recall a single pass or cross being played to him.

This is a difficult game on which to assess Spurs' chances for the immediate future. With some key players absent (Sean Davis, Paul Robinson, Simon Davies, etc) it remains difficult to know if Santini even has his best XI worked out in his mind yet. It would certainly be fair to say that he is giving every player at Spurs a chance to show their worth. He is trying different combinations, which suggests he is looking for possible "chemistry" between players. However, Santini and Jol still have a lot to do before August 14th, including much fitness work (both stamina and speed, dare I suggest!). Having just booked a family ticket for Spurs vs Cagliari this coming Saturday at the Lane, I am hopeful of a more settled team and improved performance before we face the newish-look Liverpool at WHL and before the world on Sky TV the following weekend.

Ivan "Dr Hotspur" Cohen

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