Spurs star: We’re fully capable of fighting on three fronts

By Ben Pearce, Tottenham correspondent Thursday, January 10, 2013
7:00 AM

Clint Dempsey says Tottenham’s FA Cup triumph over Coventry proves that Spurs have the strength in depth to fight on three fronts in the second half of the season.

Andre Villas-Boas made seven changes to his side against the Sky Blues on Saturday, but there was no evidence of a wobble as the stylish Lilywhites took a comfortable 3-0 lead into half-time.

Dempsey was one of the players who came into the starting XI, with the American responding with two goals and an assist for Gareth Bale.

The victory may have come at home against League One opposition, but the 29-year-old feels the performance underlines the potency of Spurs’ squad, and their ability to compete strongly in the Cup, the Premier League and the Europa League.

“There’s a lot of quality in this team and it’s great to be a part of this team during this period, and it’s about doing something special together this year.

“We want to do well in all the competitions that we remain in, and we want to finish in a position to qualify for the Champions League next year.

“Everyone wants to play as much as possible, and when you get your opportunities to play you’ve got to show that you deserve to be out there.

“Everybody wants to make those moments count, and it just shows the quality that we have in the squad and the competition for places.”

Tottenham showed a deadly fluidity against Coventry on Saturday, and Dempsey believes Spurs fans will see more of that unpredictability in future.

“I think we’ve got a lot of players who can play in a number of positions,” he said.

“Gylfi [Sigurdsson] can play on the left or right or behind a striker. I can do the same, so can [Gareth] Bale, and [Aaron] Lennon can play on the left or the right as well.

“You see a lot of interchanging because it’s natural. It gives us a little bit more flexibility to try to put teams off balance.

“We’ve got a lot of options as a team and it’s good to have that competition – it’s only going to make us stronger.”

Dempsey missed the games against Stoke and Aston Villa in December through injury, but he believes he has made an effective return to the side after scoring three goals in the last two games.

“I was on a good run of form before, but I picked up an injury in the first five minutes of the Swansea game,” he said.

“I tried to play through it but I had a Grade Two tear of my abductor, and I was out for 10 days – but I feel like I’ve picked up where I left off in terms of my contribution in the attacking third.

“I put [Emmanuel] Adebayor through against Sunderland, I got a goal in the Reading game and then got two goals against Coventry.

“I think the season’s gone okay so far. I’ve got six goals and five assists in all competitions so it’s starting to look better.

“I’m someone who likes to score goals and get assists, so it’s good to be getting my stats up and contributing. It’s going well but I still want to get better at what I’m doing.”

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