Tottenham 1 Bolton 0:HARRY REDKNAPP says you can "have your life on Ledley King going" to the World Cup in South Africa. The prediction is so much more than the flattery you often hear from a manager to his player, particularly after said player has been instrumental in another vital victory.
When the Tottenham manager speaks to Fabio Capello, there is only one player under discussion. “The only one he’s ever asked me about is Ledley,” said Redknapp. “I spoke to him about six weeks ago. He’s asked, ‘How’s Ledley, how’s Ledley, how’s Ledley?’”
Capello has never had the opportunity to select King, the talismanic Tottenham centre-half whose knee problems are well documented, but the summer’s World Cup is set to be a different matter. According to Redknapp, Capello has considered the rest time between England’s matches and has come around to the idea that King’s inclusion is worthwhile.
“He’s a certainty to go to the World Cup,” said Redknapp. “[Franco] Baldini [Capello’s assistant] was here again and look at the game at Manchester United the previous weekend, Ledley was our best player. He’s a cert to go. The thing is when Fabio Capello spoke to me, he said he had six days between each game. I said it’s not a problem, then. What a great player to have. Even if he doesn’t start him, if something happens with Rio [Ferdinand] or John [Terry], then you’ve got him to come in.”
Redknapp, however, must now tread a familiar path as he prepares for Wednesday night’s match at Manchester City, where the final Champions League place will be at stake. There is the hope, however slim, that King’s knee will not balloon to twice its size and he will be fit. With everything that is riding on 90 minutes at Eastlands, King is willing to press through any agonies. Yet the fact is that, almost always, he just cannot get on to the pitch.
“He’ll come in and the physios will try to settle it down,” said Redknapp. “It’s a difficult one. If he plays at City, he probably won’t play on Sunday in the final game at Burnley but Wednesday is now Wednesday. I could have played him at City and not against Bolton and Burnley. It’s a gamble but if we didn’t win against Bolton then there [would have been] no Wednesday. I couldn’t not have played him against Bolton.”
Sebastien Bassong is expected to deputise for King but Redknapp’s defensive worries run deeper. Heurelho Gomes, the goalkeeper who has enjoyed such an excellent season, injured his groin after coming for a cross in the 90th minute and signalled to come off. Redknapp, though, had used his three substitutes and the Brazilian played out time in discomfort. There was relief for the home support that Bolton did not extend him. “It’s painful,” said Gomes. “I don’t know if it will be okay for Wednesday. We’ll see.”
Ben Alnwick, Spurs’ back-up goalkeeper, stands to make his first Premier League start for the club in arguably their biggest game since the final day of the 2005-06 season when, having been ravaged by gastroenteritis, they lost 2-1 at West Ham to be pipped to fourth spot by Arsenal.
“There are quite a few players here now who were at the club then so we know the hurt,” said the midfielder Tom Huddlestone, whose beautiful first-time strike into the top corner made the difference in Saturday’s match.
With seven minutes of the first half left, the midfielder picked up Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s pass to hammer a 22-yard strike past Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.
Bolton spent most of the match on the back foot thanks to the pace and agility of Gareth Bale, who put in yet another outstanding performance for the north London club. Kevin Davies blazed over from 25 yards just before the break as Bolton looked to get back into the game.
Spurs players came back onto the pitch to salute the home fans after signing off their home campaign with this vital win ahead of the crunch clash against Manchester City.
