How will your team line-up now?

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Now the window is shut, how do people think their team's first 11 will shape up?

Interesting to see how Spurs (and my opinions of players) have changed in 2 years:

Same thread 2008/09

Same thread 2009/10

Van Der Vaart has just been confirmed as arguably the bargain capture of the window, eclipsing last seasons £2.5m signing of Kranjcar.

We're seeing 4-4-2 being used less and less with 4-5-1 being favoured, I still think Spurs will line-up 4-4-2 for most games. Though they have the resources to play 4-5-1, time will tell if it gets used in difficult away games!

My first 11:

4-4-2

----------------Gomes------------------
Corluka--Dawson--King/Gallas--Bale
Lennon--Huddlestone--VDV---Modric
---------Defoe-----Crouch-----------

4-5-1

----------------Gomes------------------
Corluka--Dawson--King/Gallas--Ekotto
---------------Huddlestone------------
Lennon---VDV--------Modric-------Bale
-------------Crouch/Defoe-------------

 

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Personally I would think Van Der Vaart too lightweight to play centre-midfield in the big games but he'd be great in the hole in front of two bigger central midfielders. He's a great option to have for Modric as either can play on the left too.

People said Modric would be too light weight and he proved them wrong, I didn't think VDV was that light weight when I've seen him.

I like how you suggest King can shake off his sicknote rep in the first thread

He did play 29 games that season.

 

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Scholes and Giggs still first 11? Seriously amazing considering their ages, though there's obviously no doubting their quality you've got to have big question marks over the future of Utd's midfield.

 

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What makes you think VDV will be a flop?

 

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He was amazing at Hamburg, and to say he hasn't looked decent at Real is unfair, he's not hit the heights of what he did previously but he was at the least "decent".

 

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The same as what I posted then basically.

 

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Woodgate has been left out, I wonder what odds you can get for him retiring.

 

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He is a chunky monkey. Wouldn't say it to his face though...

If you compare Huddlestone to how he was even 2 years ago he is a very different player in certain respects.

He was always capable of a defence splitting pass with either feet, but in the past couple of years he has lost some of the sheer muscle he was carrying and is now more mobile and gets box to box much more. He's still not the quickest of players but he gets about and works hard.

 

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There might be a reason why he was only £8m.

He wouldn't get a game at Real with their summer acquisitions and Real are heavily in debt.

He's got ability but has never gone on from the player he was at Ajax.

His 48 goals in 116 games while at Hamburg suggests otherwise. He never replicated such a strike rate while at Real, but he certainly wasn't terrible.

His reputation comes about more from Football Manager than what he's actually achieved.

Depends how you measure players achievements. In 20 years time when people look back at a player like Gerrard will people say he never got on from when he was 25, because he won sod all afterwards?

 

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As for the rest of your post; I didn't say he was a bad player but he certainly hasn't lived up to the reputation he's got.

Depends what reputation that is, if that he is one of the best players in the world then maybe you have a point.

He done well at Hamburg but you've got to take into account the standard of the League; the German League's been in decline for the last 10 years and was particularly poor the season's VDV was there.

I thought the German league if anything has actually been improving the last 10 years, in fact in UEFA's coefficients it is now ranked above Italy.

His first big test was at Real and he managed 12 goals in 70 games.

Don't just judge a player on their goals, take Modric who is a similar player but has only 6 goals in 60 league games for Spurs. Yet his contribution to the team is huge.

He's not a bad player and ~£8m is about right for him. He certainly not the great bargain some are making him out to be though.

If we had done a survey a week ago, I imagine most supporters on here would have bit someone's hand off for getting VDV for £8m.

 

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You don't JUST judge a player on their goals, but if they're scoring lots it's generally a good sign.

 

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You don't know who you'd play right back? What happened to that tall black German?

 

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All valuable squad players, Sandro is Huddlestones deputy, Dos Santos versatility makes him useful. I can't see Rose getting much of a look in, I'd like to see him go out on loan somewhere.

 

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Is Etherington still gonna be first choice?