The Soccer Blog: Ossie Ardiles - Spurs Should Fear Nobody (Except Barcelona)

Thursday 13 January 2011

Ossie Ardiles - Spurs Should Fear Nobody (Except Barcelona)

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Ossie Ardiles – Spurs Should Fear Nobody (Except Barcelona) Jan 13th, 2011 @ 01:00 am › Robert Reed
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Ossie

The Offside was at White Hart Lane today to discuss Spurs’ prospects for the season with Tottenham legend Ossie Ardiles. The World Cup winner was Tottenham manager between ‘93 and 94, and as a Spurs player won the FA Cup in ‘81 and ‘82 as well as the UEFA Cup in ‘84.

The brief was no politics, so talk of the stadium and Beckham’s move were off the agenda.

So, to kick off, do you think we really stand a chance of winning the Premiership this season? Or is that just ‘Harry talk.’

‘Yes, I think we have a genuine chance of winning it this year. Spurs are one of the best teams in the country, they just have to believe it themselves. It’s all about belief. If we beat United at the weekend..we have a run of winnable games..we could move right up, but the important thing is we must qualify for the Champions League.’

Do you think Harry needs to strengthen the team? Who could we sign who’d make a difference?

‘I think Spurs already have a very strong squad. Fabiano has been linked a lot, and is a very good player. I know Suárez has also been linked, he would be a good signing. The squad maybe just needs tinkering with, rather than any big changes.’

ossie-ardiles_1243211c Do you think we have missed Tom Huddlestone?

‘No..I thought we would but we haven’t..Modric is playing so well in central midfield, and with Bale it is like they [the opposition] only have three in midfield because they double up on him. We score goals whether he [Huddlestone] plays or not, but he and Modric do play well together.’

Who has been your player of the season so far?

‘It has to be Gareth Bale. The way he scored three against Inter was incredible. Van der Vaart has been great as well. He scored in his first game and just kept scoring..£8million was a bargain, he would have been cheap at twice that.’

Can Spurs realistically hang on to Gareth Bale long term?

‘It is the Champions League again. If Spurs keep qualifying, why would he want to go anywhere else?.. He’s already playing for a Champions League side..Tottenham are a very attractive team right now. If Spurs can keep qualifying more players are going to want to join us than will want to leave.’

Do you see Spurs as favourites against United on Sunday?

‘Yes I think so. There is not much between the two sides this season and when teams play at this ground there is a great atmosphere, there always has been..we are looking very good at home.’

ossie_ardiles AC Milan await next month. How crucial will it be to play the second leg at White Hart Lane?

‘Well it shows we are the better team as we have that privilege. It is important against an Italian team like AC..they like to keep it tight away from home but it won’t be easy for them. If they don’t score enough goals at home in the first leg it will be very hard for them when they come here.’

Will Gareth Bale be as key to Spurs’ success as he was against Inter? AC’s right back is meant to be a bit quick..

‘Maicon is quick, but Bale was too good for him. They [AC] will have a plan for Bale, they will double up on him. It’s what Inter should have done, but they just thought Maicon would handle him as he is the best right back in the world.’

Apart from Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona, I’m not worried about any of the other teams in the competition. Do you think AC are still a team to be feared?

‘I would say only Barcelona we should worry about. All the others we can beat. AC Milan are not as good as they were, although they are top of their division..Inter was the harder game and Spurs beat them. Barcelona though, are the best team in the world by far. They would be very hard to beat.’

So, are Arsenal as good as out?

‘Err…yes.’

Fair enough…Roll on Sunday!

COYS!

Ossie Ardiles was at White Hart Lane for the launch of the Sportingbet Spurs Zone, a new club website giving fans exclusive access that will place them at the heart of all the action at Spurs.

Some Related Spurs Posts:Super Spurs Beat Werder Bremen, And Make It Look Easy! (Includes Highlights)Palacios Could Make Spurs’ Season Something To Crow AboutDefoe Back In November. Nurofen For Mr Redknapp!AC Milan? Spurs Always Do Things The Hard WaySpurs Vs Liverpool At The Lane, No Hangovers Please! Categories: Blogroll, Champions League, Players, Premier League, Team News
Tags: AC Milan, Blogroll, Champions League, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Manchester United, Ossie Ardiles, Players, Premier League, Rafael Van der Vaart, Spurs, Team News, Tom Huddlestone, Tottenham Hotspur