Brad Friedel on Tottenham’s form, transfers and race for top six
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We recently chatted to Premier League stalwart Brad Friedel ahead of West Ham versus Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend.
The former goalkeeper had his say on all things Spurs, including their recent form, where they need to strengthen and the race for European football this season.
Here is what the American had to say ahead of his West Ham v Tottenham Ladbrokes 5-A-Side selection…
On Tottenham
“I don’t know what’s happened at Tottenham; it was all going so well earlier in the season. Then they lost late on to Liverpool, having been top of the league at the time. It’s not as if their performances have been necessarily bad, they’ve just not been able to get the results.
“They’ve had a bit of bad luck but they’ve not really been at their best defensively. They’ve been conceding far too many what I would consider sloppy goals.
“There’s some tremendous talent in that squad, and if Harry Kane’s effort against Man City goes in, they’d have had a bit of confidence for the rest of the game and it could have been a completely different result. But after that first goal went in for City, you just knew they were going to win.
“There are fine lines in all of their games at the moment and things just aren’t going their way. But I don’t see any disgruntled players on the field; it’s just not clicking at this moment in time. Jose Mourinho teams are generally very resolute defensively, but we’ve not seen that of late.
“They’re just not getting any breaks offensively or defensively at the moment. Shots are hitting the post and going out rather than in, penalties are costing them. I guess you have to make your own luck so they’re going to have to keep working hard.”
Where could Spurs strengthen
“I think Spurs could probably do with bringing in another holding midfielder and a couple of centre-backs. If you look at the options they’ve got going forward, they’re blessed with so much quality. They’ve got goalscorers and players that can create. They just need to be a bit more resolute in the central areas and defensively.
“Things haven’t worked out the way Spurs would’ve wanted them to with Gareth Bale. I’m not there on a daily basis so all I can talk about is my experiences with Gareth from when I played with him. He was one of the very best in the world at the time and I still think he’s right up there today.
“When he’s fully fit and motivated, he’s very difficult to stop. I’m reading things and hearing comments and it doesn’t look all harmonious but for everyone’s sake I hope it comes good for the rest of the season.
“They are too reliant on two players in Harry Kane and Heung-min Son but there are goals in that squad, and Bale is just one example of that when he’s fit and firing.”
Predictions for Tottenham’s season
“Tottenham should finish in the top six. The squad they have, the manager they have, the staff they have, the training ground and the stadium.
“They should be in a Europa League spot as an absolute bare minimum. If they don’t qualify for Europe in one way or another, it’s a big, big disappointment.”
Match prediction: West Ham 2-2 Tottenham
“If you were to push me for a score prediction, I’d go with a 2-2 draw. My heart wants to see that change to a 2-1 win for Tottenham, but I can see this finishing a draw.”
