SOCCER: UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:HARRY REDKNAPP wasted no time in trying to book his flight to Madrid, for a scouting trip he might only have dreamed of in the not too distant past. At the back of his mind, however, was the need to avoid humiliation.
“Real are playing Atletico and I am going to go back to Madrid to see if I can get mugged again,” the Tottenham Hotspur manager said, referring to his last trip to the Spanish capital, when he had his pocket picked outside the Vicente Calderon stadium. “They know I had a few quid on me last time and they are waiting for me. The boys will be out there, saying: ‘Where’s that mug?’ I’m going to take Joe Jordan with me this time.”
Redknapp’s quip about his assistant related to the Scot’s recently reinforced reputation as a hard man. No one at Spurs can quite believe Jordan has been banned by Uefa for one European match after he was head-butted by the Milan captain, Gennaro Gattuso.
“Seriously, what is Joe supposed to have done?” Redknapp said. “He has been banned for being nutted. It’s crazy.”
Redknapp, though, was quickly back into his stride. “Joe won’t have any money on him,” he warned any Bernabeu thieves. “Joe also said to me he had never been to the Bernabeu . . . I told him, ‘You’re not going to make it this time, either’.”
Redknapp is buzzing with excitement and so are his players, particularly Rafael van der Vaart, who was out of his seat when Tottenham were drawn with Real Madrid, his former club, in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“Real Madrid are a great name in world football,” Redknapp said. “I remember watching the 1960 European Cup final on TV, when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3, with Puskas, Di Stefano, Gento . . . Real were the team in world football.”
The modern vintage is not too bad, either, and Redknapp will enjoy pitting his wits against Jose Mourinho, a manager he described as “one of the all-time greats”.
But when Spurs play Madrid, the exciting match-ups will be on the pitch. Real’s attacking threat are obvious but Redknapp said the Spanish club would be wary of his main men too. The stage is set for Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Van der Vaart.
“Let’s not kid ourselves. “They know the damage that some of our players can cause. We feel we can play against anybody,” said Redknapp.
If they can get past Madrid, it is likely Barcelona will bar the path to the Wembley final.
Yet Redknapp and Tottenham have shown a relish for taking on the biggest names, an ability to be inspired rather than intimidated, and they will approach the Madrid tie with the exuberance that has carried them this far.
Guardian Service
