Why Spurs Will Remain In The Top Four Next Season

In recent weeks, I have heard many people comment that the Spurs' achievement in qualifying for the Champions League and attaining that coveted 4th spot was somewhat a fortuitous piece of luck, and that this season, the unassailable wealth of Man City, and the proposed rise of Liverpool under miracle-manager Roy Hodgson, will see Spurs fall back down to mid-table mediocrity.

However, the Spurs have a balance to their side that other teams challenging for the top 4 fail to have. Not only do Tottenham possess a strong morale which Liverpool have not had towards the final stage of last season, not only do they have a powerful team bond which is difficult for sides such as Man City, who have players unsure of their futures, with too much of a threat to player positions, and not only do they not have any prima-madonas such as Bellamy, Robinho, Torres and Gerrard, but the Spurs' players also all bring their own styles and techniques which combine perfectly to help them progress on the biggest stage.

The partnerships in defence, attack, and in the forward line, through the middle of the park, will guarantee that Spurs finish in the top four next season. It is not just about individuals, as City will discover to their downfall in the coming season, that defines a good and successful team. If we take a look at the centre-backs for the Spurs, we see Michael Dawson and Ledley King, provided the latter will be able to play the majority of Tottenham's games. These two players are naturally talented defenders who have played alongside each other for the past 5 years, and who can fully understand each others game. Again, comparing this to their closest rivals, City will most likely start with Kolo Toure and Jonathan Lescott, players that very rarely start together and are not fully aware of how their partner reads the game. Time and again at the Lane, the towering Dawson will help cover King, and time and again a rare Dawson error is read perfectly for King to intercept. It is this telepathic communication and understanding that will help keep Spurs' defence tight and mean.

If we then look at the centre of Spurs' midfield, consisting of Huddlestone, Palacios, and Modric as the playmaker who often drifts into the centre, we can further appreciate the different aspects of the game that each player brings to any match. Palacios is the stereotypical hard-tackler of the team who carries the utmost importance in breaking up and quashing the opposition attack. This obviously benefits the defensive aspect of the game. Huddlestone, meanwhile, may also assist Palacios in this tackling role and winning the ball back for Spurs to progress upfield, but Huddlestone carries his own valuable significance for Spurs, most notably in his long range passing ability that can slice open opposition defences for Jermain Defoe to thrive upon. The combination of tackling from Palacios and passing range and ability of Huddlestone is a perfect partnership for quick progression up field, ultimately resulting in a greater number of chances created and the snuffling out of any chances against.

However, not only that, but Modric is also key to this midfield trio. Unlike his other two midfield partners, Luka Modric possesses fantastic skill and has the talent to easily take on players and thread short through balls through to the attacking prowess of Defoe. This combination of skill and attacking flair, along with the tackling and passing ability, reveals the range of different talents that Tottenham have available. With Lennon's pace and improvement in crossing for the waiting Peter Crouch, it appears that Tottenham have every kind of technique and ability in their ranks, which their rivals will find difficult to assemble.

Furthermore, Tottenham's attacking line-up consists of 4 top-quality strikers, all with different styles of play to bring to the table that will do nothing to harm Tottenham's prospects of affirming their Champions League status. Undoubtedly, Bellamy and Tevez are fantastic individual players, but I question their ability to fit into the same team as strikers, particularly as they both have similar facets, such as being a workhorse. With the Spurs however, Robbie Keane is the workhorse in the Spurs line-up, whereas Jermain Defoe carries a different role of being the powerful finisher, a different but equally pivotal role in the attack, and one who is arguably the best finisher in England. He is one that also thrives off of Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric, who had many assists to their name last season.

On the contrary, Peter Crouch is seen as the ideal partner to Jermain Defoe, primarily because of their difference in style and the balance that this creates. They are both well aware of their strengths and weaknesses together, due to their playing days at Portsmouth together. As well as creating several goals each for each other in the 09/10 season, Crouch's heading ability is second-to-none, and this aspect of the game is further improved by the crossing of the speedy Lennon on the right wing.

Pavlyuchenko can also aid in any of the roles mentioned above, being a good finisher and header of the ball, if called upon by Harry Redknapp.

It is therefore clear to see that Spurs have a fantastic overall balance to their side that incorporates all of the fundamentals needed in a side, and this will ultimately triumph over the millions spent by Man City and the world class players that Liverpool undoubtedly possess in Gerrard and Torres. And all this is without having mentioned the quality of Gomes, Gareth Bale, Niko Kranjcar and Aaron Lennon!