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DEEP IN MY HEART
Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough, 26th September 2007, White Hart Lane, The Carling Cup 3rd Round
James Keen
Time to dream again people. time to dream again!
We will all be remembering 2003/04 and that glorious day in Cardiff. It still sends shivers down my spine when I think of it and no doubt many of us will be piping up with our pre-match fact of the day; "The last time we played these in the League Cup we won it!"
And yes, I'll be one of those people regurgitating that fact to my colleagues.
That day we drew after ninety minutes, were still level after 120 minutes and then finished the Spurs off in Germanic style from the penalty spot. And the rest, as they say, is history. A glorious, beautiful, wonderful piece of history.
But we must not rest upon our laurels. We must press on and look for our next piece of silverware, our next day in the sun. And is there a better chance of picking up more silverware than in the League Cup? The simple answer is no.
Tottenham have not been playing particularly well this season and are currently languishing in the bottom three, but let's not get carried away - we all know they'll still finish in the top eight as it's early days yet and they've a lot of quality in their squad.
So much quality that they can afford to leave their star strikers, Keane and Berbatov, on the bench and still field two England internationals in Bent and Defoe.
Last week Spurs rested a number of players in their UEFA Cup tie against Famagusta and battered them easily, 6-1, which showed that Spurs reserve players are hungry. Their first team are struggling and they want their place in the side. Games like the Boro in the Carling Cup are ideal opportunities so this will not be an easy test for the boys in red and white.
I'd expect Mr Southgate to play it safe and field a mixture of reserves and first teamers. He cannot afford any more injuries to key players before Saturday. With Arca, Pogatetz, Huth, Mido, Tuncay and Aliadiere all out injured for this game, although Mido and Tuncay will return for Sunday's game, Boro really cannot afford to lose any more players before the weekend.
It wouldn't surprise me if Rochemback was rested. We need his creative qualities at the weekend so I'd expect Lee Cattermole to come into the side.
This may also be a good chance to give Tom Craddock or Ben Hutchinson a run. At some point this season they will be required, and I have been impressed by what I've seen of them, so this would be an ideal chance to give them a game.
Mohamed Shawky will also be in contention for a start, and could step into the side owing to the fact O'Neil is cup-tied, so I think Southgate will stick with his captain for this game to ensure a bit of stability in the middle. Shawky, however, will probably make his debut, possibly from the start, but maybe as a sub.
The main concern going into this game is goals. Lee Dong-Gook has proven time and time again that he isn't cut-out for top class football. His record in Korea may be good, but his performances in Germany were shaky at best.
Lee was not a threat against Sunderland, and against a better side, reserves or not, he will find life much more difficult in North London.
My fingers are crossed for him though. After his goal in the Northampton game, perhaps this is his competition. Without a firing Dong-Gook we are very light up front.
So, we go to Spurs without three strikers, two midfielders and two defenders, all of which would ordinarily be in the first fourteen so we are extremely weakened. We will also probably rest Rochemback and Woodgate to protect them for the weekend, and I can imagine Brad Jones will be given a go in goal to keep him happy.
So, with ten first team players unavailable and out, the outcome is unlikely to be a positive for the Boro. But, you never know, the kids may come good and the fringe players may put it in to make sure they get another chance at a start in the fourth round.
Lets all pray together for a repeat of the 2003/04 Quarter Final. I'd take a penalty win, no doubt about it.
The outcome: My heart says we can sneak a narrow victory in sudden death penalties as the Mighty Gook fires past Radek Cerny to make it 11-10, but my head tells me not to be so daft and to just forget about the cup this year as Boro crash out in painful style with a 3-0 defeat, all goals scored by people called Boateng.
Last Season: Tottenham 2-1 Middlesbrough, 5/12/06, Premier League, (Berbatov 48, Keane 84, Huth 80).
Boro Form (most recent result first): DLWWDW
Tottenham Form: DWLDLW
Boro Probable Team: Jones, Young, Taylor, Wheater, Riggott, Boateng, Cattermole, Shawky, Downing, Dong-Gook, Craddock
Tottenham Probable Team: Cerny, Chimbonda, Young-Pyo, Kaboul, Rocha, Boateng, Huddlestone, Lennon, Bale, Defoe, Bent
Man to Watch: Jermaine Defoe
RETURN TO DEEP IN MY HEART INDEX HERE
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