In English football there was last year a changing of the guard at the top of the Premier League table. The stranglehold of the perennial big four of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool on the top of the standings was broken as Liverpool, whose season was rife with inconsistencies and injuries, faltered to a disappointing seventh place. In Liverpool's place was the resurgent Tottenham Hotspur, which charged into fourth place and, with it, a place in the Champions League.
The offseason proved to be a busy one for the Spurs as they looked to strengthen their back line, signing former Arsenal center back William Gallas on a free transfer and pulling off one of the transfer coups of the year by signing the immensely talented Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid for 8 million pounds after he was deemed extraneous by Real's new manager, Jose Mourinho.
Van der Vaart has proved to be a huge signing and is leading the team with six goals in the Premier League, and has brought stability to the team by forming a good partnership with Croatian playmaker Luka Modric.
While the Spurs have gotten out to a somewhat slow start, currently sitting in sixth place with 22 points and a game in hand against table−topping Manchester United and Arsenal, they have excelled in the Champions League, clinching a spot in the round of 16 with a game left.
The Spurs began the group stage paired with defending champions Inter Milan, Werder Bremen from the German Bundesliga and Dutch club FC Twente Enschende. The Spurs opened their Champions League campaign at White Hart Lane, defeating Twente Enschende 4−1 behind goals from van der Vaart, Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and Welsh winger Gareth Bale.
This season has been quite the coming for Bale, whom Tottenham signed in 2007 from Championship side Southampton, fighting away stiff competition from Manchester United. Bale has given manger Harry Redknapp a number of options, as he is capable of playing at left back or up the pitch as a left−winger.
Redknapp this year has deployed Bale in a more advanced position, playing him on the left side of the midfield, supporting the strikers Pavlyuchenko, perennial goal poacher Jermaine Defoe and beanpole forward Peter Crouch. It was against the defending champions of Europe, Inter Milan, that Bale showed his class. At the San Siro, the Spurs found themselves down 4−0 at the half, but Bale put in one of the great individual performances of the evening, scoring a hat trick and consistently torching Inter's right back Maicon, generally regarded as one of the world's best.
In the return leg, Tottenham put in a great team performance, winning 3−1 behind the play of Bale, who scored one goal and provided the cross for Crouch to score another, while Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the third. The Spurs wrapped up qualification to the knockout stages with a comprehensive defeat of German side Werder Bremen, winning 3−0.
While the Spurs have taken the Champions League by storm, their form in the Premier League has featured some lackluster results, such as a 1−0 loss to bottom−of−the−table West Ham United and a 1−1 draw with West Browitch Albion. To challenge for a Premier League spot, the Spurs will have to take points from top teams like Chelsea and Man. United, to whom they lost 2−0.
Of course, for any Tottenham player or supporter, the North London derby against Arsenal is always one of the highlights of the year, and this season, for the first time ever, the Spurs beat Arsenal 3−2 at Emirates Stadium.
In a season with remarkable parity in the Premier League, many pundits are posing the question: Can Tottenham Hotspur win it all? They do have the credentials, including a win over their hated archrivals Arsenal, and with stars like Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric leading the charge, they have the talent. But Tottenham has had problems in the past with a leaky defense and questionable goalkeeping in the form of Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who has been known to let in a howler or two each season.
The Spurs' talent is undeniable, but to put together a championship run, they will have to put all the pieces together.
Looking back: Tufts vs. Brandeis
On the back of senior tri−captain Colleen Hart, the Jumbos made a statement to the rest of New England with a come−from−behind 54−51 victory over Brandeis. Down as many as 10 points in the second half and playing without senior Vanessa Miller and junior Kate Barnosky, Tufts never let the game get away from it and slowly began to close the gap.
Then, with the team down three points and only four minutes of play remaining, Hart stole the show, scoring 11 points in the closing minutes, including a jumper with just under two to go that gave the team its first lead since well before halftime. Hart, who managed only three points on 1−9 shooting in the first half, turned it on down the stretch, totaling 19 in the second frame and leading her team to victory.
But it was not simply a one−woman victory. Sophomore Collier Clegg had 14 points, while freshman Ali Rocchi added eight points and three boards herself. The Jumbos also played a tough team defense, holding the Judges to just 29 percent from the field. Looking ahead: NCAA Football final weekend
The Jumbos may not have any marquee matchups on the slate for this weekend, but there is still plenty of college sports drama to unfold as the NCAA Div. I Football season enters its final week. While the BCS may be a complicated system, the scenario has become quite simple: No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Auburn are each one win away from a national championship game.
While the Ducks will not have it easy in a rivalry game with Oregon State, Auburn will face the tougher test in a rematch against No. 18 South Carolina in the SEC Championship game.
Auburn took the first matchup 35−27, but clearly had the advantage of playing at home. Now both teams must travel to Atlanta, Ga. for a neutral−field battle in the Georgia Dome.
Auburn senior quarterback Cam Newton may have narrowly escaped the Iron Bowl this weekend, but Alabama laid out a strong game plan for limiting his influence. If the Gamecocks can follow Alabama's lead, they may just pull off the upset of the season.
