DubaiSpur
Ian Walker
Goalkeepers: Friedel vs. Lloris : We have the best goalkeeper in the league in Lloris, and despite Friedel's general reliability in 11-12, there's something about Hugo's superhuman concentration levels and consistency that makes him stand out for me. So, our current goalkeeper is better than the one we had under Harry, though Friedel's continued presence provides a reassuring link.
Right back: Walker vs. Walker : As far as I can remember, Walker seemed to play better under Harry than he did last season under AVB. Maybe he was more confident, or maybe the right-sided Kaboul's magnificent form helped him out (as compared to our general lack of a defensive star last season save for Verts on the left), but he seems a fraction more unsure under AVB. So, for now, Harry had the better right-back.
Left back: BAE vs Rose : 2011-2012 BAE was probably the best left back I've seen in a Spurs shirt. Calm, collected, great defensively and a surprisingly effective threat in attack. Rose's slowly improving, but Disco Benny wins hands down for me. Harry had the better left-back.
Centre-backs: Kaboul, Gallas, Ledley, Daws vs. Daws, Chiriches, Verts and Kaboul : Kaboul was phenomenal in 11-12: blindingly quick, a titan in the air and great at organizing the back line. By contrast, he's played a grand total of one PL game under AVB. Our Kaboul loses out to Harry's Kaboul. Ledley had a great first half of the season, but faded badly in the second half. Our new Ledley (in playing style, at least), Jan, was consistent throughout, gliding around the field dispossessing players with ease and equally comfortable on the left or in the center. So, AVB's Jan was better than Harry's Ledley. Daws under Harry was a somewhat marginalized player in 11-12, whereas he's the bedrock of AVB's back line, forming an able partnership with Jan. So, AVB wins this one as well. And finally, we haven't seen anything of Chiriches yet, but equally Gallas had a very injury-hampered season in 11-12. So on that score, we'll chalk it up to a draw. So, overall, Harry had a better Kaboul, AVB has a better Daws and Verts was superior to 11-12 Ledley, while Chiriches vs Gallas is probably a draw. So, overall, AVB edges this one: he has the better CBs at present.
Right wing: Lennon, Bale, VDV and very occasionally Modric/ Kranjcar vs. Lennon, Lamela, Townsend : Lennon didn't do as well in 11-12 as he did in his halcyon days of 09-10, but equally, he never really impressed last season either, despite providing a great balance to the side when he did play, with the same going for this season. So, about the same. Lamela cuts inside, as did Bale in 11-12, but I'd wager Lamela will take a while to adapt to the pace and speed of the PL, and thus Bale on the right was marginally better for Harry when compared to Lamela's probable slow start. Townsend is a better right winger than both the oft-perspiring VDV and the centrally-inclined duo of Modric and Kranjcar. So, AVB wins that one. Overall, AVB has the better right midfield.
Central/attacking midfield: Parker, Sandro, Modric, VDV, Livermore vs Sandro, Capoue, Eriksen, Holtby, Dembele and Paulinho: Don't get me wrong, for the first half of 2011-12 Parker was brilliant: an all action powerhouse bursting around getting stuck in. And Modric was consistent throughout the season, while VDV sparkled often enough to make his last year at the club memorable in its own right. Livermore and Sandro were both able back-ups as well. However, Sandro has now evolved into probably the best ball-winner in the PL, and a supporting CM cast of Eriksen, Capoue, Holtby, Dembele and Paulinho ****s all over any squad depth Harry could have claimed to possess. So, overall, AVB wins comfortably: he has the stronger central midfield.
Left wing: Bale, Kranjcar, Lennon vs. Chadli, Sigurdsson, sometimes Townsend, hopefully Eriksen: Bale was a ferociously good left-winger during the first bit of 2011-2012 (before all that 'he plays on the left' jazz), with Kranjcar and inverted Lennon somewhat decent back-ups. So far, Chadli hasn't shown that kind of breathtaking form (although he's been promising) and Siggy's done well, though admittedly against Norwich. Townsend's mainly stayed on the right and Eriksen's sole appearance has been in the CAM role. Still, all told that's a lot of good players vying for a spot, which again ****s all over what Harry had as cover, although he didn't help himself by ostracising and then banishing Pienaar. So, we don't have the stardust now that we did when Bale played on the left, but we have a ton of cover for that position: overall, a draw between AVB and Harry.
Strikers: Ade, Defoe, Pav, Saha vs. Soldado, Ade, Defoe: Ade was phenomenal in 2011-2012. Our version is a terrible, terrible imitation by comparison. Defoe is two years older and a wee bit slower (albeit bulkier), while Soldado's shown movement and instincts good enough to place him miles above Pav and Saha. Unfortunately, that doesn't quite make up for Harry's Ade and Defoe being better than AVB's Ade and Defoe, so it probably swings Harry's way: he had the better strikers.
Overall, this 2013-2014 side has a better goalkeeper, better centre-backs, better right wingers, and way better central midfielders. Harry's side had the better right-back, left-back, and strikers, with the left wingers of the 11-12 and 13-14 vintages having to settle for a draw.
Considering that in total this means AVB has a better squad than the one that finished fourth with 69 points in 11-12 (more quality in more areas), expecting us to at least surpass that 69-point mark is the bare minimum, with surpassing the 72 points we garnered last season being a highly desirable target, and finishing fourth or above a desirable outcome. AVB doesn't have many excuses given this summer: I trust he'll deliver.
Right back: Walker vs. Walker : As far as I can remember, Walker seemed to play better under Harry than he did last season under AVB. Maybe he was more confident, or maybe the right-sided Kaboul's magnificent form helped him out (as compared to our general lack of a defensive star last season save for Verts on the left), but he seems a fraction more unsure under AVB. So, for now, Harry had the better right-back.
Left back: BAE vs Rose : 2011-2012 BAE was probably the best left back I've seen in a Spurs shirt. Calm, collected, great defensively and a surprisingly effective threat in attack. Rose's slowly improving, but Disco Benny wins hands down for me. Harry had the better left-back.
Centre-backs: Kaboul, Gallas, Ledley, Daws vs. Daws, Chiriches, Verts and Kaboul : Kaboul was phenomenal in 11-12: blindingly quick, a titan in the air and great at organizing the back line. By contrast, he's played a grand total of one PL game under AVB. Our Kaboul loses out to Harry's Kaboul. Ledley had a great first half of the season, but faded badly in the second half. Our new Ledley (in playing style, at least), Jan, was consistent throughout, gliding around the field dispossessing players with ease and equally comfortable on the left or in the center. So, AVB's Jan was better than Harry's Ledley. Daws under Harry was a somewhat marginalized player in 11-12, whereas he's the bedrock of AVB's back line, forming an able partnership with Jan. So, AVB wins this one as well. And finally, we haven't seen anything of Chiriches yet, but equally Gallas had a very injury-hampered season in 11-12. So on that score, we'll chalk it up to a draw. So, overall, Harry had a better Kaboul, AVB has a better Daws and Verts was superior to 11-12 Ledley, while Chiriches vs Gallas is probably a draw. So, overall, AVB edges this one: he has the better CBs at present.
Right wing: Lennon, Bale, VDV and very occasionally Modric/ Kranjcar vs. Lennon, Lamela, Townsend : Lennon didn't do as well in 11-12 as he did in his halcyon days of 09-10, but equally, he never really impressed last season either, despite providing a great balance to the side when he did play, with the same going for this season. So, about the same. Lamela cuts inside, as did Bale in 11-12, but I'd wager Lamela will take a while to adapt to the pace and speed of the PL, and thus Bale on the right was marginally better for Harry when compared to Lamela's probable slow start. Townsend is a better right winger than both the oft-perspiring VDV and the centrally-inclined duo of Modric and Kranjcar. So, AVB wins that one. Overall, AVB has the better right midfield.
Central/attacking midfield: Parker, Sandro, Modric, VDV, Livermore vs Sandro, Capoue, Eriksen, Holtby, Dembele and Paulinho: Don't get me wrong, for the first half of 2011-12 Parker was brilliant: an all action powerhouse bursting around getting stuck in. And Modric was consistent throughout the season, while VDV sparkled often enough to make his last year at the club memorable in its own right. Livermore and Sandro were both able back-ups as well. However, Sandro has now evolved into probably the best ball-winner in the PL, and a supporting CM cast of Eriksen, Capoue, Holtby, Dembele and Paulinho ****s all over any squad depth Harry could have claimed to possess. So, overall, AVB wins comfortably: he has the stronger central midfield.
Left wing: Bale, Kranjcar, Lennon vs. Chadli, Sigurdsson, sometimes Townsend, hopefully Eriksen: Bale was a ferociously good left-winger during the first bit of 2011-2012 (before all that 'he plays on the left' jazz), with Kranjcar and inverted Lennon somewhat decent back-ups. So far, Chadli hasn't shown that kind of breathtaking form (although he's been promising) and Siggy's done well, though admittedly against Norwich. Townsend's mainly stayed on the right and Eriksen's sole appearance has been in the CAM role. Still, all told that's a lot of good players vying for a spot, which again ****s all over what Harry had as cover, although he didn't help himself by ostracising and then banishing Pienaar. So, we don't have the stardust now that we did when Bale played on the left, but we have a ton of cover for that position: overall, a draw between AVB and Harry.
Strikers: Ade, Defoe, Pav, Saha vs. Soldado, Ade, Defoe: Ade was phenomenal in 2011-2012. Our version is a terrible, terrible imitation by comparison. Defoe is two years older and a wee bit slower (albeit bulkier), while Soldado's shown movement and instincts good enough to place him miles above Pav and Saha. Unfortunately, that doesn't quite make up for Harry's Ade and Defoe being better than AVB's Ade and Defoe, so it probably swings Harry's way: he had the better strikers.
Overall, this 2013-2014 side has a better goalkeeper, better centre-backs, better right wingers, and way better central midfielders. Harry's side had the better right-back, left-back, and strikers, with the left wingers of the 11-12 and 13-14 vintages having to settle for a draw.
Considering that in total this means AVB has a better squad than the one that finished fourth with 69 points in 11-12 (more quality in more areas), expecting us to at least surpass that 69-point mark is the bare minimum, with surpassing the 72 points we garnered last season being a highly desirable target, and finishing fourth or above a desirable outcome. AVB doesn't have many excuses given this summer: I trust he'll deliver.
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