Spurs boss hints at permanent change in tactics

Harry Redknapp admits that a change in formation is behind Tottenham’s recent resurgence, and concedes that “it’s hard to play 4-4-2 these days”.

Buoyed by the success of his open, aggressive 4-4-2 formation in the 5-0 victory over Newcastle, the Spurs boss stuck with the same plan against Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton – and lost all three games.

That was followed by a disappointing 1-1 draw with Stoke at White Hart Lane, giving Spurs a tally of one point from a possible 12 in the Premier League.

But Redknapp has now changed tack, opting for a 4-2-3-1 system which was born in a 2-0 win at Norwich in December – and the result is a rejuvenated Tottenham who earned a crucial point at Stamford Bridge before beating Bolton and Swansea at the Lane.

“I thought it [the formation] suited us at Chelsea especially,” said the manager. “You get outnumbered in the middle if you play with two central midfield players, so we matched them up in the middle of the park. It gives you a lot of control of the game playing that way.

“It’s hard to play 4-4-2 these days. You can get away with it sometimes, when you are on top of games. But against better teams, when they play three in there, it can make it very difficult.

“With this system, you have an extra player in there and you can get more control of the ball, and more control of the game really.

“Ade [Adebayor] has done well up there on his own in the last few games – I thought he was excellent against Chelsea. So it’s a system I like.”

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