Over the next 10 days, Luka Modrić, Niko Kranjčar, Vedran Ćorluka and the rest of the Tottenham Hotspur will directly affect who lifts the English Premiership trophy as 2009-10 champions. In one of the tightest races in recent years, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all have legitimate chances to be crowned the best in England. Tottenham stands as the only common denominator in this Premier League equation as all three contenders must play the Spurs one more time. How many crucial points can they take away? And most importantly, from who?
As Tottenham battles for that exclusive fourth and final Champions League spot, they will truly have to earn it. With only six games left in the season, the next three will be against England’s elite: Arsenal on April 14th, Chelsea on April 17th and Manchester United on April 24th at Old Trafford. Spurs will need at least four points from these three matches to stay in the Champions League hunt. Anything less will see them in Europa League next season.
This will be Tottenham’s test to see if they truly belong in Champions League for next year. Should they get through this gauntlet of English giants, a match with Manchester City still awaits them on May 5th. What does fortune hold for the team from White Hart Lane?
Croatian Soccer Report makes Serbian news. boo hoo.. For the wrong reasons of course. These people make me sick. All they get out of Bogut interview was "Bogut priznao da sluša Tompsona!" and "Australijski košarkaš voli ustaše". What a bunch of idiots. Oh, and they wrote that Bogut plays for the Pheonix Suns….hahaha..
Thanks for the link Marko.
http://www.alo.rs/sport/26145/Bogut_priznao_da_slusa_Tompsona
@razor…ok, because you supposedly heard of Modric before most people did, you are an expert…..you sound like some seljak, "ja sam maloga gleda kad je bio 12., znao sam odma da ce biti nesto od njega…… Nobody is ripping the kid, he is a very good player, but he is not elite.
Most of us who follow the game and have connections within the cro game knew about him.
and easy on the comaprison with modric and zuti…..
zuti was proclaimed best young player at his time, modric is not.
Theres no doubt about it,Modric has the skill to make a real impact in the EPL,I havent been excited about a Cro player since the Prosinecki days,Sure Suker was a Mean Striker, But Prosinecki's imagination & wonderfull creativity was un-matched until Modric came along..
I have high hopes for Modric,I love watching him play when hes at his best,but dont like to see him struggling,I remember when i was watching the 2006 world cup with my friends who had never heard of Modric at the time,I had allready seen him play as I was in Cro several years earlier & knew what potential he had,When he made his brief Cameo I told them to remember his name because he would outshine the rest of the squad & be well known in a few years, & not long after this was the case..hes still got plenty of time to ingrave his name into EPL history,I hope he continues to improve..
As for Arshavin, hes a pocket pitbull, small but the power he delivers when he shoots is unbelievable, like u said he is definitly goal hungry,& has a very cocky attitude,It works for him tho,has had a great season..
Andrei Arshavin is a little more arogant than Modric. Modric is one of those guys who will do his job, but is more than happy to pass on responsibility in the penalty area. Arshavin however wants goals. His long distance shot is powerful as he throws his whole body into it. When you watch Arshavin shoot you'll see he is barely still standing afterwards. Its sort of like what justine henin does in tennis to outpower bigger opponents. Modric has plenty of time, but if he adds goals he will be one of the very best. Also i'm very happy to see him play central recently as he could do with getting use to the physical nature of EPL central mids if he is to cope there for the national team. Brilliant first goal by Rakitic by the way at the weekend.
who gives a damn when it was written, the fact is that Modric stated he wanted to add some muscle, muscle = weight,
And to start of who in the hell thinks Modric is fast to begin with, Ive never seen Modders as fast,Hes technically gifted & very good with the ball in tight places, To be honest he's rather slow, Speed is not his game,Lennon is fast,Gareth Bale is another..
& Anter just try to say to Carl lewis that he has no Athletism, the guy competed in every Summer olympic event in the book, He was also a Great sprinter..
@ Razor,
This article was written in 2008. That's right when Modric got to the Spurs. There's no way Modric had a clue who Glenn Hoddle and Paul Gascoigne were. He was probably just fed that my the media or by Tottenham.
And there's no way he's putting on more weight. He has a small frame, period. Nothing wrong with that. All these soccer players are super lean as it is. You can add a bit more muscle but that's about it.
And these sprinters don't have athleticism. That's why they run. No ball. No goals. Just run straight.
1st of all Ziva Istina, Adding Bulk to your legs does not make you slower,It makes you faster,I mean look at all the sprinters at the olympics,there legs are like tree trunks..
2nd It was infact Luka Modric Himself who stated he wants to add some Bulk & weight to his frame,So he could adjust to the EPL a little better..
& Finally & most Importantly, I Am Very happy With Modric's Ability, Ive been following his progress since he was a youngin & recognised he had ability long long ago,way before others even heard of his name,Because I like the Kid so much my Expectations for him have become very high,& I just want to see him being the best he can be..End of Story
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Luka-Modric-I-want-to-be-Spurs-new-Glenn-Hoddle-article53517.html
WOW! Paul Scholes makes things interesting between the top 5. The season is anything but over and today's Tottenham-Chelsea match is crucial. You can catch it today on FSC at 12:30PM(ET).
There will also be live streams all over the place.
The only issue I've been having with Modric lately is his inability to finish semi-easy chances within 12 yards of goal. He's not even putting the ball on frame for godsakes. Modric get's nervous. That's the end of it.
He doesn't need a powerful shot if he could place the ball and like ziva said adding for weight would negate his speed- and he's a speed player. I believe he scored against Chelsea last year. Let's see hwat he could do today. Man City Man Utd still 0-0 in the 64th…
at this point in his career, its whay you see is what you get with Modric. He is not going to add muscle or bulk to his legs. That would negate his speed. He is a fine player, be happy with what we have.
Moders definitly struggles on goals, his shots just don't seem to have enough power, yes like u said height could be a factor, but then again look at Arshavin,hes small also but his shots are like rockets & usually on target,Luka needs to add some bulk to his legs,so he can add some power to his shooting..
Modric is a excellant world class ball carrier and technical footballer and playmaker, but he does not deliver around the penalty area which is going to stop him from being one of the worlds best. It also causes Croatia a problem which is why he needs supplementing with others. Its obviously to do with his height as to why Modric can't shoot that well. I was kinda hoping Modric would be the next Pavel Nedved, but he's sort of at this moment the next Valeri Karpin. Karpin was an excellant footballer and highly respected in Spain, but he was just missing one or key things and Modric is a little similar. He stills has time, but he needs to find a way to add goals to his game.
@Ziva Istina,
hmm.. I dont think I can "Tell surjak to return the money he and his crew stole from hajduk" and continue to do business with him, or should I say business for him and Hajduk, as I am not getting a penny.
As far as Barcelona at Poljud, this is almost as crazy as Hajduk at Home Depot Center. Odds are stacked high against both.
Tiger Woods is a tool.
Tell surjak to return the money he and his crew stole from hajduk….then again he needs the cash to entertaiin all his women in split. Tiger Woods could learn a thing or two from surjak on keeping his whores quite.
As for barca, my guy in hajduk still thinks it wont happen. He ccant believe the club would spend 2 million to bring them in.
@Slaven,
Barcelona is only in talks with Hajduk. A date hasnt been finalized. I will speak to Surjak in the next few days to get the full scoop. I will keep you guys posted.
Gomes' play lately leads to beleive there will be no signing of pletikosa as has been rumored. Don't why you would replace one shaky keeper for another shaky keeper.
i watched the game on espn2 from start to finish. modric played well. he defended well, and his vision and ability to quickly change speed/direction with the ball makes him very difficult to defend against. he can make even the best defenders look stupid.
bale was great too, although i still think his ideal position is left back.
gomes was unbelievable in net. he was in the zone, making saves at point blank range. and the one on van persie's free kick…they showed the replay angle from behind van persie…it looked like it was going upper 90 for sure, but gomes still got a fingertip on it.
overall, i think spurs still have a good shot at the 4th CL spot.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23824889-luka-modric-is-ready-to-take-centre-stage-after-another-class-act.do
Sky Sports gave Modric a match rating of 6,which is about right, he stuffed up several good chances..& did not create to much..
Gomes was man of the match, his saves where unbelievable, truly amazing to see his turn around,from being a laughing stock at tottenham last season to pulling out world class saves,Tho he does still look nervy during some games,hope he can maintain the good form..
Bale has to be the most improved player in the EPL, that kid is a gun,he has finally taken the monkey of his back,Tottenham were unable to win with him in the squad earlier on,& now he is just a joy to watch,I take my hat of to him,Bale has earnt my respect,He can become something big if he keeps playing the way he is..
King & Dawson were as solid as a rock, & BAE had a good game also..
The Strike from Rose was Unforgetable, I was glad to see him debut after following his progress & reading about him in the Hotspur Magazine..
Overall was a great performance from Tottenham but i still don't think it will be enough to see them through to CL, Have many tough games to play & if they were to some how steal that 4t spot,It would be an absolute miracle & miracles are hard to come by,they have to rely on Tevez, Adebayor & Bellamy to have several bad games,which i dont see happening,Tevez is unstoppable at the moment..City are going in as favourites against there bitter rivals this weekend,does not suprise me tho with the way Man City have been playing..
Both Corluka and Kranjcar picked up injuries against Portsmouth. Hopefully they'll be back for Chelsea at the weekend.
Modric had a good game, great defensively and distributed the ball well, although missed a couple of very good chances.
All in all excellent result for Spurs.
It's on ESPN2 in the States. I haven't seen any streams.
2-0 Spurs. Bale goal from a long through ball.
does anyone have a live stream link for this game? Please post thx
What a shot by Rose! Who is this kid? 1-0 Tottenham early. Almunia should have punched that out easily. What's his deal? He's my fantasy keeper.
amazing strike from rose. robben-like. spurs 1-0 in the first 10 minutes.
corluka and kranjcar aren't even on the bench for spurs v arsenal. what's up with that?
The Spurs choked on some bottom of the table clubs and that has jeopardised their 4th spot. If they didn't fuck around so much they would have been a contender for 3rd spot.
Apparently Barcelona are coming to Split to play Hajduk.
I think we are too quick to criticize at times when a player has an off day. Modric is coming off an injury and will continue to struggle in the strong and physical Premiership. Like Ziva said "Modric is a very good player and but he is not a star player." Lets face it, he is no Fabregas, Lampard, Gerrard, etc etc.. however, he is a very very good player. Lets remember that Modric is only 24 years old, still a few years short of his prime. The only thing that concerns me is Modric going down with an injury.
I dont think Tottenham is good enough to hold off Man City and Liverpool for the final champions league spot. I still see Tottenham finishing 6th. However, with Liverpool still in Europa League, they might be able to squeak out 5th.
Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1
I think Modric will be ok.. I think Spurs brought him back prematurally from his injury and I don't think he's match fit. However, the time is now for Spurs. Man City are the favorites to clinch 4th according to the book makers, but enough of Tottenham getting 5th. It's now or never.
modric is fine. he has the confidence of his manager. redknapp even called him spurs' only 'world class player'. what hurt spurs most this year is that they are practically starting a different back 4 every game because of injuries. and they would be best off starting modric, huddlestone, palacios and kranjcar in the midfield. enough of bentley and bale in the midfield. bentley to the bench where he belongs, and bale to left back where he belongs. and they need to get rid of crouch and bring in a stud striker over the summer to team up with defoe.
the knock on Modric was and always will be his fragile body. EPL has plenty of hacks playing defense and these guys pound on midfielders and forwards.
Modric is a very good player and but he is not a star player. He needs another midfielder (central or defensive) at Spurs to help him.
He wouldn't be the first player to have his form drop as the season gets longer,
It seems alot of soccer players lose their hunger after they get injured.
Manchester City have a few tough games coming up too. They have been more hungry than the Spurs for that 4th spot lately. It's going to be a good race. Bentley and Pavy need to ride the pine.
Luka's game on the weekend against Portsmouth was horrible & has left alot of Spurs fans questioning his consistancy, Ive seen alot of comments this week on spurs forums etc about how fans expected more from him since his injury return & he hasn't lived up to his expectations from last season..Unfortunatly Id have to say I agree,Luka just has not been the same since the injury,hes had a couple good games since then,just dont see the drive & creativity in him any more,hes just not getting enough of the ball period,& when ever he does,he seems to lay it off quickly..I hope he has a better season next time round,really hope he can make something of him self in the prem..
Tottenham don't stand a chance, If ever the time was right to qualify it was now, Liverpool were not them selves this season & opened up that 4th spot for a new comer, & Man City is only going to get stronger from here, They lost & drew crucial matches which should have been points in the bag, Wolves,Stoke & Hull..
What can i say,same old Tottenham,Same as before..