Tottenham Hotspurs boss Harry Redknapp credits his players for success
Tottenham Hotspurs boss Harry Redknapp has insisted that it’s the players who have to prove themselves if they are worthy enough for the Champions League. It would be the first time in nearly half a century that Spurs would be playing in the prestigious tournament and even though Redknapp himself has little experience in the field, yet he puts the focus on his players.
An exciting clash can be expected when Spurs travel to Germany to face Werder Bremen today and it would be the first time that both, the team and the manager will feature in such a tournament after 50 years.
Redknapp stated that he doesn’t think that he has anything to prove to anyone, following his undoubted achievements with the Spurs. The North London club was fighting relegation when Redknapp took charge and within two years, Redknapp has taken the club into the English top four.
"I proved what I could do by getting them into fourth place from where we were. My record has not been too shabby. I never think I've got anything to prove,” claimed the 63 year old manager.
The manager added that it would be the players who have to prove the world a point and the maximum he can do is to put together the best combination possible. The manager claimed that it would not be difficult for him to pick the best combination and it’s the player’s mental condition if they can go out on the field and cope up with the pressure. Redknapp argued that Spurs is a side which has quality players and most of them feature regularly for their national sides respectively.
The Spurs manager did accept his mistake of using the wrong tactics against Young Boys in the Champions league play offs and vowed to learn from that. The manager insisted that even the experience of Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t stop Manchester United throwing away two points in their 3-3 draw at Everton. The Red Devils were comfortably ahead at the 91 minute mark but owing to some slack defending, Everton managed to score two goals within two minutes.
Redknapp thus argued that one can never stop learning and Ferguson would be learning from what went wrong at Goodison Park. When a team is sitting pretty with a 3-1 score line with only 2 minutes remaining on the clock, the match is at the mercy of the team’s players and not the manager.
"It doesn't matter if you're Alex Ferguson or who you are, there's nothing you can do," stated the Spurs Boss. The manager admitted that playing a 4-4-2 combination away from home would be equivalent to committing suicide and would want to try something different away from White Hart lane in Europe. As a matter of fact, Redknapp employed a 4-5-1 combination in their premier league match when they were away to West Bromwich.
The manager confirmed that he would most probably employ the best players available on paper against the Germans but would be without midfielder Luka Modric, who is yet recovering from the pain in the left leg suffered against West Bromwich. New signings Rafael Van Der Vaart and William Gallas can be expected to play, but may feel fatigued following their debuts on Saturday.
Both these players have had vast Champions league experience with their former clubs and that would be vital for the rest of the side who are yet to experience such pressure. The manager trusts his players to climb out of Group A which would be a mega success considering it is their first season in the coveted tournament.
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