Redknapp, a tactical genius?

Harry Redknapp’s Brilliant Tactical Pragmatism




Posted on December 12, 2011 by Max Bergmann




Lost
in Stoke’s controversial win on Sunday, in which referee Chris Foy
failed to award Spurs two clear penalties and a legitimate goal, was
Harry Redknapp’s magnificent tactical switch to a 3-5-2 at halftime.

Redknapp is frequently described in the UK as an old school football
manager that doesn’t really do tactics. He is credited with being
popular among the players and of having restored solidity to Spurs (an
expected trait of English managers), but overall he is widely considered
a rather simplistic thinker when it comes to tactics and strategies.
During Spurs Champions’ League run last year, UK journalists often
expressed doubt that Redknapp had the tactical nous to cut it against
the Europe’s best tacticians. With victories over Inter Milan and AC
Milan that should have been put to rest. But the notion that Redknapp is
more of a working class meat and potatoes football coach that is good
for some great quotes in the press but lacks the intellectual
sophistication to ever be elite – continues to hang around Redknapp.
Some of this is that he has a Joe Bidenesque ability to provide the blue
collar sound bite – exhibit A was Redknapp’s fantastic zinger this
weekend at Mr. Foy, “But he’ll look at it tonight on TV when his wife’s making him a bacon sandwich
and he’ll think ‘**** me, what have I done there’.” Interestingly, many
of Spurs fans buy into this line of thinking and are only just now
realizing that Redknapp is an internationally elite manager and can cut
it tactically with the best of them.

What is different about Redknapp is that he is a pragmatist. He is
not dogmatic about how his team plays. He doesn’t care if he plays route
one or plays tiki-tak or plays narrow or with width. He is about
finding what works with the players that he has. But just because he
doesn’t have a style like Arsene Wenger or Barcelona, or is tactically
obsessive like a Rafa Benitez does not mean he isn’t a master tactician.

The case in point was the game against Stoke on Sunday. Most have
focused on Spurs inability to deal with Stoke’s set pieces and long
throw-ins, which resulted in Stoke’s goals and troubled Spurs throughout
the first half. While Spurs did not deal well Stoke’s size, it could
hardly be suggested that a team in such flying form would deviate from
the lineup or the 4-2-3-1 formation which had led to a record unbeaten
run. The size of Stoke was always going to pose a challenge for Spurs,
but a contributing problem for Spurs, was the unrelenting pressure put
on by Stoke. It was a tempo that Stoke could only maintain for about the
first 30 minutes, but that was enough to give them a two goal lead. But
in those 30 minutes Spurs overpowered Scott Parker and Luke Modric, as
well as Rafa Van Der Vaart when he dropped back. Stoke also out muscled
Spurs wingers Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon. Needless to say Chris Foy’s
leniency in allowing such physical play greatly aided Stoke. At the half
Spurs had gotten a little bit of rhythm to their play, but they still
looked rather tame.

Down 2-0 at the half Redknapp made two unconventional half time
substitutions, bringing on Jermaine Defoe for Aaron Lennon and even more
surprisingly centerback Sebastian Bassong for Benoit Assou Ekkoto, who
was having a strong game at LB. Turning to a 3-5-2 with Gallas at right
center back, Yunes Kaboul at CB and Bassong at left center back, Spurs
still had width with Bale and Kyle Walker on the left and right, and
because Stoke possessed little speed up top Bassong and Gallas could
move forward to support the attack. The addition of Defoe for Lennon
allowed Redknapp to have a second target in the box, as well as to move
Van Der Vaart deeper into the midfield to out number Stoke. After
withstanding a Stoke flurry just after half time, Spurs took control of
the game. At around the 60th minute, Spurs scored after Modric won a
penalty, while there was not immense contact, it was correctly given.
Spurs pressure only increased resulting in the bizarre stretch where a
legit goal was disallowed and Ryan Shawcross should have been called for
two different penalties and have been sent off. More bizarre was the
sending off of Yunes Kaboul with a second yellow for what barely looked
like a foul. If Foy hadn’t intervened the good money would have been on
Spurs equalizing and perhaps even taking three points. One can’t but
think that a more established top side gets those decisions – but that’s
a different story.

Spurs ability to come back and Redknapp’s willingness to make
pragmatic and effective tactical changes has been a key factors in Spurs
resurgence. It was apparent last season when Spurs consistently came
from behind – most notably against Arsenal at the Emirates where
Redknapp recognized that Spurs width meant that a narrow Arsenal had
Spurs center midfield out manned 4 players to 2. He took off Lennon
moved Van Der Vaart into a midfield role. The game turned at halftime,
resulting in a classic 3-2 Spurs win.

It is true that at times Redknapp has a scatter shot approach toward
the transfer market, sometimes looking for good deals more than getting
players that could fit a particular system. However, Redknapp has found
ways to incorporate the quality players he signs – adapting his tactics
to his players, rather than the other way around.

Unfortunately, for Spurs, these traits apply perfectly to the
characteristics of a national team manager. And when England start
looking for their next manager next summer, Redknapp should be the
obvious and deserving choice to move England beyond the
Gerrard/Lampard/Terry/Ferdinand era.

lol what a load of Bollox.
why didnt he toughen our midfeild up. why did defoe get dropped.

why take lennon off

baz why did harry wait untill 86 minutue to take off one of our nakerd players.

vdv was walkin parker was walkin both out of puff

nice to see an intelgent debate