mawspurs
25-06-2010, 11:23 AM
Source: Football Fan House
Tottenham upset the odds to clinch their place in the Champions League last season. What was even more impressive was they did it despite suffering injuries to several key players along the way. Luka Modric, Vedran Corluka, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe all had lengthy spells on the sidelines.
But two players spent longer on the treatment table than others, notably Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.
If the two centre-backs were fit they would probably be, not only the first choice pairing for Spurs, but also give John Terry and Rio Ferdinand a run for their money in the England squad.
There can be no doubt that King is a fantastic player when fully fit. He is strong, quick and dependable. Woodgate on the other hand compliments King in the sense he is a better passer of the ball and a calming influence at the back. Together they are an ideal pairing.
However, King's chronic knee problem and Woodgate's groin injury shows no signs of abating, so it could be unlikely we see the two in action together again.
King's knee injury is tolerated by Spurs. He undergoes intensive training in the swimming pool and is allowed extra rest in between matches so the club can get as many games out of him as possible each season.
Yet while he is carrying an injury, it makes him more susceptible to other problems, such as the groin injury he sustained against the USA at the World Cup.
Even the club's manager Harry Redknapp admitted he felt the 29-year-old's tournament was over as a result of the problem.
While Tottenham accommodate King's injury problems, Woodgate has been cast aside. The former Real Madrid defender is reportedly at a low ebb as medics are baffled by his groin problem.
Woodgate, 30, has undergone a hernia operation and further surgery to cure the problem. He did make a return to action in he 9-1 victory over Wigan on 22nd November, but that proved to be the last of his three appearances in the 2009/10 campaign.
Redknapp has sympathy for the defender's plight. He said in May: "He [Woodgate] texts me all the time - he has been very low, obviously.
"Can you imagine what his life has been like? He has treatment all day and he is doing recovery work. He is a great lad, a top bloke, but his problem is that nobody can get to the bottom of his injury. Woody has had a nightmare."
But while Redknapp has sympathy for his two crocked defenders, he also knows he needs to have players who can play week in, week out if they are to repeat their success of last season.
Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul and Sebastien Bassong are all good players in their own right, but even Redknapp must realise he needs another strong defender in his squad.
He will also need to make a big decision about Woodgate, for while he may feel for the defender, the club cannot afford for him to miss another season.
It could therefore, be time for Redknapp to do the unwelcome task of releasing a player due to injury. He won't relish the task but Spurs have to move on without Woodgate.
Tottenham upset the odds to clinch their place in the Champions League last season. What was even more impressive was they did it despite suffering injuries to several key players along the way. Luka Modric, Vedran Corluka, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe all had lengthy spells on the sidelines.
But two players spent longer on the treatment table than others, notably Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate.
If the two centre-backs were fit they would probably be, not only the first choice pairing for Spurs, but also give John Terry and Rio Ferdinand a run for their money in the England squad.
There can be no doubt that King is a fantastic player when fully fit. He is strong, quick and dependable. Woodgate on the other hand compliments King in the sense he is a better passer of the ball and a calming influence at the back. Together they are an ideal pairing.
However, King's chronic knee problem and Woodgate's groin injury shows no signs of abating, so it could be unlikely we see the two in action together again.
King's knee injury is tolerated by Spurs. He undergoes intensive training in the swimming pool and is allowed extra rest in between matches so the club can get as many games out of him as possible each season.
Yet while he is carrying an injury, it makes him more susceptible to other problems, such as the groin injury he sustained against the USA at the World Cup.
Even the club's manager Harry Redknapp admitted he felt the 29-year-old's tournament was over as a result of the problem.
While Tottenham accommodate King's injury problems, Woodgate has been cast aside. The former Real Madrid defender is reportedly at a low ebb as medics are baffled by his groin problem.
Woodgate, 30, has undergone a hernia operation and further surgery to cure the problem. He did make a return to action in he 9-1 victory over Wigan on 22nd November, but that proved to be the last of his three appearances in the 2009/10 campaign.
Redknapp has sympathy for the defender's plight. He said in May: "He [Woodgate] texts me all the time - he has been very low, obviously.
"Can you imagine what his life has been like? He has treatment all day and he is doing recovery work. He is a great lad, a top bloke, but his problem is that nobody can get to the bottom of his injury. Woody has had a nightmare."
But while Redknapp has sympathy for his two crocked defenders, he also knows he needs to have players who can play week in, week out if they are to repeat their success of last season.
Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul and Sebastien Bassong are all good players in their own right, but even Redknapp must realise he needs another strong defender in his squad.
He will also need to make a big decision about Woodgate, for while he may feel for the defender, the club cannot afford for him to miss another season.
It could therefore, be time for Redknapp to do the unwelcome task of releasing a player due to injury. He won't relish the task but Spurs have to move on without Woodgate.