Will Spurs evolve without their Player of the Season?

SATURDAY, 21 JULY 2012 10:46 TOTTENHAM LATEST

It can be argued that Scott Parker was Spurs most influential player last season, and one of the factors in the teams loss of form at the end of the season, was due to Scott’s exhaustion, from the manager’s lack of rotating his favourite players.

However as the new season is upon us with AVB in charge, a lot of pundits are predicting a midfield 3 without Parker involved (Sandro / Modric(Moutinho) / Sigurdsson)

Can this be true, a player who was nominated again for players player of the season in 2011/2012 has now been phased out.  If AVB wants to play a more progressive pressing game then Redknapp did, then surely no-one is better suited to this than Parker.  However AVB will want Parker to do more with the ball than Redknapp did.

So do Parker’s positives outweigh his negatives.

Is closing down players and putting their body on line, enough to hold down a regular place in a side wanting to play expansive football.  Why many fans appreciate Parker is that he is a throwback to an old-style of football, when every team needed a hard man.  However look at the Euro’s, in which are a good guide for how football is progressing, there was not much evidence of what Cantona used to a call ‘a water carrier’ apart from Parker himself!

Parker is an excellent team man, and his closing down of players in front of the back 4 is second to none in the Premier League.  However his lack of penetrative passing and his tendency to dwell on the ball could cost him a starting place in AVB’s starting eleven.

Also Spurs cannot halt any longer Sandro’s progress.  Sandro has the potential to be one of the most dynamic all round midfielders in world football, and you got the impression under Redknapp, that Sandro would only be picked if Scott was not available.  Unfortunately football moves on, and Sandro’s time is now.

Is this too harsh on Scott, or will he have to accept that Spurs will have to evolve under AVB.

Written by Christopher Clark  Published on Tottenham Live

http://tottenhamlive.com/blog/494-scott-parker-role.html #thfc 

Chris Clark © 2013    @Chrisclark1975