Following a weekend of table shifting, all five London clubs failing to record a victory and Liverpool clambering back up the table, I have decided to take a look at one particular incident - Tom Huddlestone's stamp on Bolton and Sweden striker, Johan Elmander. This isn't the first time the Tottenham midfielder has landed in hot water for his violent outbursts following an elbow to FC Twente striker Marc Janko in Spurs' 4-1 victory over the Dutch Champions. Fortunately for Spurs, the ex-Derby anchorman escaped a three-match ban in the Champions League leaving him free to play in the key fixtures against the Champions League holders Inter Milan. Yet, his most recent outburst could lead to a three-match ban still with referee Chris Foy failing to note said incident in his post-match report.
Redknapp has since gone on record to state that he missed Huddlestone's stamp (a claim I find hard to believe) and stated "Tom's tame. He's a good footballer isn't he? He's not aggressive". I, and I dare say many others, beg to differ with the Tottenham manager's quotes. His elbow on Janko and his stamp on Elmander this season whilst his entanglement with Manchester City hothead Nigel de Jong in the Manchester City - Tottenham fixture last season clearly indicate that Huddlestone has an aggressive streak to him.
For me, this aggressive streak is a much needed trait that certain midfielders must possess. My two examples of this lead me to two Premiership greats in the same position - Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane. Both may not have seen eye-to-eye and clashed on a number of occasions yet both possessed the ability coupled with the nasty streak to make them both successful midfielders in the modern game. The stats don't lie either. Vieira captained the Arsenal team that went unbeaten for 49 games to win the Premiership in the 03/04 season whilst Keane Manchester United to countless trophies whilst aiding them to the 1999 Champions League final, unfortunately, missing out due suspension after picking up a booking in the semi-final away to Juventus (a match described as Keane's finest in a Manchester United shirt).
The only major downside to this competitive streak is the disciplinary record that comes with it. Keane himself managed to accumulate eleven red cards in a Manchester United shirt whilst Vieira has picked up eight red cards in his career. It is clear that a poor disciplinary record and aggressive, competitive streak come hand in hand yet, if this attitude wins you trophies, I doubt the fans of Manchester United and Arsenal cared much at the time when their team was winning the Premiership.
Therefore, this nasty streak Huddlestone has begun to show could be an indication of things to come from the young England international. His stamp on Elmander and elbow to Janko in the 2010/11 season maybe a sign that the Spurs man is ready to play dirty to win, a quality that, if handled correctly, can reap the rewards yet the downside is, of course, the poor disciplinary record that can be accumulated and the image the goes with the attitude. The only question left is, is Huddlestone ready to become Tottenham's midfield 'hard man'?
Will write again soon.
Laters,
Macca
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