Quote:
Originally Posted by culverwood 
The long ball to Crouch is not the normal Spurs way but he seems to be very effective in Europe and in International matches as the players he is up against are not use to him. If we can have a fit Bale, Lennon and VdV they can all cause trouble against any opposition. Our defence has been fragile this year but mainly due to injuries, last year it was one of the best. Two of King, Woodgate, Dawson or Gallas should be good enough but this year it has mainly been Gallas plus one other and a good defence needs stability. Sandro seems to be coming good at last and Modric is one of the best. Gomes is hot and cold sometimes great sometimes horrible. Our forwards are not in top nick, none of them are scoring goals in a way that makes them a first pick but Crouch, Defoe and Pavliachenko are all good players one of the just need to hit a run of form. One difference from many Premier League clubs is that we have a decent squad and usually a bench of subs that can come on and make a difference.
Barca close down quickly and hold the ball like nobody else.
While Inter were very effective last year, it was an exceptional group that did what they did against Barca.
Spurs, like Arsenal are not that sort of side. If Spurs try to pull that tactical nightmare that was Arsenal then dont bother watching, it will be 4-0 on aggregate.
Long balls to Crouch, while boring, will prevent a side like Barca from too much commitment forward since once well headed ball into VdV's path could crack open the defense. Barca's other deadly weapon is how their defensive backs get forward. Bale and Lennon could potentially prevent this but they need the ball fed into them. If they try to be defensive they will fail. You cant beat Barca by soaking up pressure. Inter did it, but they'd fail today, and no other team in world football exists today that could do it.
