Filed under: Birmingham, Tottenham, Premier League, Football, Match Previews
PREMIER LEAGUE: WHITE HART LANE, SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011. KICK-OFF: 1600 BSTHarry Redknapp insists this is Tottenham's best season since the inception of the Premier League but their reward is the consolation prize nobody wants.
Whatever happens in this game, Spurs will be competing in the Europa League next season, enforcing a regular diet of Thursday-Sunday football that can play havoc with a team's Premier League ambitions.
Win and they will qualify by virtue of finishing fifth, lose and they almost certainly will gain access via the Fair Play league which carries with it the additional burden of entering the competition at the first qualifying round scheduled, helpfully, for the end of June. Incentive enough, if they needed any, to finish the season in style.
Birmingham have already qualified for the Europa League thanks to their victory over Arsenal in the Carling Cup final but Alex McLeish, the manager, would swap that success for a guarantee of Premier League football next season.
The Blues' form has nose-dived since their Wembley triumph and they go into the final day knowing that even victory may not be enough to keep them from slipping into the bottom.
There are plenty of dead rubbers in the final round of matches. This is most certainly not one of them.
Key Match-up: Sandro v Barry Ferguson: Sandro has added strength to Spurs central midfield but the young Brazilian will know he has been in a match after tangling with Ferguson for 90 minutes.
Form Guide: Tottenham's Champions League exertions appear to have caught up with them with Redknapp's side falling away in the race for fourth after claiming just two wins in their last 11 games. Birmingham's form has been similarly unimpressive and two wins in 12 games has seen them drop to fourth bottom.
Odds: Tottenham 8/15, Birmingham 11/2, draw 3/1
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR:
Redknapp's preparations have been disturbed by striker Jermain Defoe going public in his frustration at being left on the fringe of things at White Hart Lane this season, raising the possibility the England forward could move on.
The manager, though, insists Defoe remains an integral part of his plans and has offered a blunt assessment of the reason for the forward's failure to start more regularly.
"He is in my future plans but he hasn't played much this year because he hasn't played well enough to play regularly," Redknapp told a media briefing. "That's the top and bottom of it, there's no other reason.
"No one has more faith in him than me, I signed him at West Ham as a kid, then at ortsmouth and brought him back to Tottenham. He's a fantastic player in my opinion but his form this year has not been anywhere near where it's been in the past.
"That's why he's not played regular. We want him at his best and when he is, he's a fantastic goalscorer. It's all well training well but it's what you do when you get on the pitch, isn't it?"
And he added: "He'll come back. Next year is another year and he's an 18-20 goals a year man, not a four goals a year man. That's been the problem this year but I have every faith in him."
Redknapp has never disguised his belief that Spurs ust back up last season's fourth-placed finish if they want to establish themselves as a leading club but is satisfied progress has been made despite missing out on the Champions League this time.
"If we finish fifth this year and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League I would say it was the best season Tottenham have had since the start of the Premier League," he said.
He admits, though, all the pressure will be on Birmingham in the final game. "It's more important for Birmingham in all honesty," Redknapp said. "It's important for us but for Birmingham to stay in the Premier League is massive.
"It's difficult because Alex McLeish is a great guy, like all the guys at the bottom - there's not one where you think 'I hope they go down'. I wouldn't want to be jumping on the touchline when we score, I've got feelings for Alex McLeish and all the other lads. They don't deserve it and none of them have underachieved."
Strategy: Last weekend's victory over Liverpool put Spurs in the driving seat in the race to finish fifth when they finally rediscovered the form that has gone missing in recent weeks. Rafael van der Vaart struck an outstanding goal but the Holland international is doubtful for this game, increasing the pressure on Luka Modric to provide the side's creative spark against a Birmingham side seeking to reprise the spirit of Wembley.
Injury Update: Like van der Vaart, Steven Pienaar is also doubtful although Alan Hutton, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Jermaine Jenas are all fit to return.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/05/20/tottenham-v-birmingham-preview-mcleish-wants-return-of-wembley/
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