On Thursday
night Tottenham said 'ta-ta’ to
the team from the Tatars. Victory over Rubin Kazan moved them close to
qualification from Group A to the knock-out stages of the Europa League and, satisfyingly, and
not just alliteratively, it was secured with a second-string as manager Harry
Redknapp shuffled his squad.
He also
joked that he “didn’t get over to Rubin much” but Spurs will travel to the city
of Kazan, in the Republic of Tatarstan, knowing that this win was hard-earned
and also afforded them the opportunity to rest even more senior players. “I
will be going with a very, very young team out to Russia, for sure,” Redknapp
said. It had the feel of someone organizing a school trip.
Fortunately
the only Russian to score at White Hart Lane yesterday was in a Lillywhite
shirt. This was a good evening for Roman Pavlyuchenko — striking a thunderous
first-half free-kick to settle matters — with Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev, a
devout Muslim, clutching his worry beads even tighter as the ball hit the net.
Berdyev is
always seen with the beads and Redknapp was asked afterwards if he, also, used
anything to reduce the stress on the touchline. “No, not really,” he said. “I
just get very anxious.” There were, indeed, a few moments of anxiety throughout
this encounter and Rubin, fluid and fluent, will have come away knowing that
they, at least, deserved a draw and possibly more.
Spurs will,
despite resting so many players, have to assess the injured this morning with
both Sandro and Giovani dos Santos withdrawn as precautions with tight calf
muscles and, more worryingly, Aaron Lennon once again failing to complete a
match because of his hamstring problems.
“He doesn’t seem to be able to get through a
game at the moment,” Redknapp said. “it’s a problem for him.”
But there
were so many pluses for Spurs — not least in more promising performances from
Tom Carroll, a tiny but tidy 19-year-old midfielder, makeshift central defender
Jake Livermore and Danny Rose who probably should also have won a penalty last
on after embarking on a Gareth Bale-style run down the left wing only to be brought
down.
By the end
Redknapp threw on three of his most experienced players to shore matters up but
he husbanded his resources and gained the right result.
Rose had won
the free-kick that led to the goal, also. As the left-back weaved his way
towards the penalty area, he was tripped. Referee Jorge Sousa marched
Pavlyuchenko back two yards but it actually afforded him a better angle and
with Kyle Walker distracting goalkeeper Sergey Ryzhikov — Salvatore Bocchetti
was subsequently booked for his protests —the striker hammered a right-footed
shot high into the roof of the net.
The
visitors, facing English opposition for the first time, and best-known in these
quarters as being the final club of Spurs’ one-time record signing Sergei
Rebrov (a name that still has chairman Daniel Levy breaking out in a cold
sweat) spurned two headed opportunities.
For the
first, Sharonov, unmarked, met a corner only to steer his header narrowly wide
and then the impressive Gokdeniz Katradeniz ghosted in behind Rose to be picked
out by Bocchetti with an in-swinging cross. His header was firm and goal-bound
but was superbly parried by Heurelho Gomes, recalled in goal.
A Jermain
Defoe shot flew past the post and Pavlyuchenko forced a smart save from
Ryzhikov but Rubin, who two years ago were beating Barcelona away in the
Champions League, pressed with Alexandre Ryazantsev forcing an alert block from
Gomes and then another shot from the midfielder was diverted before Noboa
Tello’s follow-up was deflected, again just wide.
Spurs steadied
but couldn’t stem the tide. Substitute Younes Kaboul superbly halted another
replacement, Obafemi Martins, as he shaped to shoot with the former Newcastle
United striker then woefully heading wide from the corner.
Karadeniz
continued to pull the strings but Spurs remained untangled to the end, holding
on to collect the points and head their group.
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