Stoke City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2 SUCH HAS been the turnaround in Tottenham's fortunes under Harry Redknapp that keeping his fourth striker happy has arguably been his biggest headache. So to stumble across one energised by swapping the dazzle of Monte Carlo for the drizzle of the Potteries is a godsend.
Eidur Gudjohnsen has had to bide his time since arriving on loan from Monaco in January but the latest addition to Spurs’ “bare bones” – the results of a scan on Roman Pavlyuchenko’s hamstring will be digested today – drew Gudjohnsen from the bench on Saturday.
The Icelander’s response was resounding: his left foot thrashed Spurs ahead seconds after the interval and an unselfish shimmy allowed Niko Kranjcar to seal a fourth consecutive Premier League win. Others have become restless as forward number four – Pavlyuchenko pined for Russia and Robbie Keane flew the nest for Celtic, albeit temporarily – but Gudjohnsen has viewed the position as an opportunity to revive a career that shunted to a scoreless standstill in France.
“I’ll take any game I get,” said the 31-year-old, whose previous goal was for Barcelona 13 months ago. “I didn’t adapt to French football. I’ve nothing bad to say about the club or anyone there, it was just not a good match. People talk about the weather in Monaco, in Barcelona . . . Football is about being happy what you’re doing, and I feel alive again since I came back to England.”
Despite Spurs’ injury list, there is similar vibrancy coursing through their challenge for the Champions League places. Stoke away is the perfect fixture to gauge those credentials (the three teams above them won there this season) and indeed those of the north London club’s progress since Redknapp’s appointment.
For it was at this ground 17 months ago that Spurs hit their lowest ebb, a 2-0 defeat ending in tears for the goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after he poleaxed his team-mate Vedran Corluka, and for the manager Juande Ramos, after just a year in charge.
Redknapp inherited a team four points adrift at the bottom, the exact advantage they held over Liverpool at the final whistle on Saturday in pursuit of fourth place.
Spurs maintained their fluency with the ball in the face of tough conditions and robust opponents. Luka Modric dictated the tempo, particularly after Dean Whitehead’s second ill-timed challenge on him reduced Stoke to 10 men seconds after Gudjohnsen’s opener.
Redknapp was in awe of Gudjohnsen’s display during a pre-season friendly against Barcelona and pipped West Ham for his signature in the winter window.
Yet it was a more unnatural trait which was Spurs’ most impressive in their first league victory at Stoke in a quarter of a century: resilience. Yes, it was hairy at times, but heads and boots went in often enough to limit the home team to Matthew Etherington’s 64th-minute penalty.
“Every time you give the ball away, you invite pressure,” said Redknapp, who left out Wilson Palacios, one booking away from suspension, with Wednesday’s FA Cup replay with Fulham in mind.
“It’s a strange game you’ve got to play here. Every time they get a throw-in you get scared to death. It’s unreal.”
Rory Delap provided some late attempts at a point, all foiled.
“For anyone to come here and win is a good result,” Delap said. “We don’t make it easy for anyone, even with 10 men.”
Guardian service
