Tottenham Must Nail Down the Midfield Combination to Beat Newcastle

A lot has been made of Tottenham’s dearth of attacking options so far in the build-up to the campaign opener against Newcastle Saturday.

One thing that has been completely overlooked is the thought as to whether or not Spurs can come into the match at St. James Park with the right combination in the middle of the pitch.

Of the positions on the squad, the deeper midfield spots have not exactly been the pillar of strength during the preseason.

Having not shown a particular affection for any of his current options, head coach Andre Villas-Boas has a rather important decision to make for the late afternoon kickoff.

It would seem that in Villas-Boas’ eyes, Tottenham have neither of the deeper midfield options that make his system tick, though the one they might have is being bandied about in transfer speculation.

Instead, Tottenham have a gaggle of 4-4-2 style central midfielders that don’t necessarily match what Villas-Boas wants in either position.

The defense and the attacking trio towards the front are more defined and Villas-Boas, short of a forward or two, seems to like what he has in regards to potential combinations.

But it might be that the distribution from deep that causes Tottenham the most problems against the Magpies.

Tom Huddlestone can ping deep passes but is not terrifically mobile compared to others and is not as strong defensively as Villas-Boas would like for the deep midfield position.

Jermaine Jenas is not any better defensively but does have the drive to make runs from deep. His passing, however, seems to negate him from the more advanced of the deep midfield spots.

Jake Livermore is better defensively than Huddlestone but does not feature anywhere near the passing range that the deep midfielder needs for Villas-Boas.

Sandro has not been with the squad all that long while Tom Carroll, perhaps the liveliest of the passers, is probably not ready for the step up in competition that he is likely to face.

Getting this decision right Saturday is a must for Spurs, who know that a loss against a potential top-four rival is not the ideal way to open up the campaign.

But how does Villas-Boas go about his decision?

Because of the defensive duties that are required from both positions, it’s likely that Livermore will get the nod in at least one spot while Jenas, who has featured as a starter in most of the preseason schedule, might get the other spot.

If the Daily Mail are to be believed, Huddlestone will not be in the reckoning at all, leaving the choices limited.

It’s worth pointing out that on the Tottenham Hotspur website, the squad’s formation has been listed in matches as a 4-2-3-1.

While one could argue semantics all day long, it shows that Villas-Boas does not seem to think that the squad has the right players for his regular scheme.

Whatever the case may be, Villas-Boas needs to get this decision right. If the forwards are not up to snuff then the midfield must be able to control the match.

Against Newcastle, that will be no easy feat.

With their wealth of talented midfielders such as Hatem Ben Arfa, Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, the Magpies currently hold an edge in the middle of the pitch.

Spurs will need to be able to blunt the attacking instincts that Newcastle possesses while also dictating control of the tempo.

Failing to do so might make for a long evening ride back to North London with their tails between their legs.

The black-and-white-striped Geordies will be in full voice Saturday.

Tottenham need to get this decision right and make things happen on the pitch to get the season up and running.