2012–13 Tottenham Hotspur Squad
I had completely forgotten about this. I did this a while back on Rap Genius, my views on the 2012–13 Tottenham Hotspur Squad. As it’s primarily my opinion, why not bring it over here too? So yeah, here it is. I finished this about a month ago, so some views may be a bit outdated, as well as the fact that it doesn’t reflect the players who have since been released, such as Big Game Gallas; regardless, here’s something to look forward to, I’ll likely be doing another one of these next season! Woo! Let’s get into it, I’ve left the appropriate Rap Genius links in and all that, so you can check it out with pictures and stuff. Yeah!
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Manager: André Villas-Boas – Undoubtedly the coolest manager in the Premier League (as shown by this Facebook comment), the man has had a beautiful first season at White Hart Lane. AVB, or Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas to give him his full name, had a great season prior at Chelsea but was dismissed at the end of the season; well, their loss was our gain as he seamlessly integrated himself into the club. His debut season with the Lilywhites was a nice one, and as he gets to know the club, he’s only going to get better and better!
GK: 1 Heurelho Gomes – Gomes has been a notable absentee from the team this season, agreeing to go on loan to 1899 Hoffenheim on the final day of the January transfer window. After his first match, Hoffenheim manager Marco Kurz had this to say about Gomes’ debut:
Gomes has shown a very solid performance. Although he has only trained once with us, his aura was strong.
His performance didn’t decline, as he was made captain by his third match. Unfortunately, Gomes’ season came to a premature end when he broke his metacarpus on the 6th of April. Everyone is hoping he makes a speedy recovery.
FW: 2 Clint Dempsey – Clint Dempsey is the interim captain of the United States national team. Not really relevent, but it still counts for something! Clint has had a very nice season, he scored his first, and the eventual match-winning goal for Tottenham in a 3–2 win over Manchester United. This was the first time in 23 years that Tottenham had won at Old Trafford. Clint also had a lovely, if unexpected goal to tie the penultimate game of the season up against Stoke. Got to give props to Deuce for that one!
DF: 4 Younès Kaboul – Unfortunately Kaboul only managed one appearance in the past season; not playing another game since he aggravated a knee injury following the opening match of the season at Newcastle. Hopefully he can get back to first-team form in time for next season — prior to this season, he was one of the most consistent centre backs on the team, and I’m pleased to say the signs are looking good!
DF: 5 Jan Vertonghen – Vertonghen has been one of the most consistent forces on the Spurs squad this season, being named the Premier League Player of the Month for March 2013 and earning a place on the 2012-13 PFA Team of the Year. Despite being a defender, he’s not afraid to mix it up, netting himself 6 goals in all competitions this season. With a burning desire and drive to play, one thing is for sure, this season isn’t the last we’ve seen of Jan the Man!
MF: 6 Tom Huddlestone – An ever present threat in the squad, Huddlestone has had a good season, getting himself four assists over the the 20 Premier League games he played since coming back from injury the season prior. Now we just wait and see what the midfielder can do next season! Also, I’ve got to give a shout-out to his hair too! Big!
MF: 7 Aaron Lennon – Lennon has had a big year this year, scoring four goals and gaining eight assists, as well as being named captain for the first time in his tenure at Tottenham! Couple that with a contract extension to 2016, the future at White Hart Lane looks bright for Azza!
MF: 8 Scott Parker – Despite playing his first game of the season mid-December, ever since it has been hard not to pay attention to Parker. Actually, I’ll let William Saletan explain this, as he has put it much more eloquently that I’d be able to!
What Parker does instead is win games. He does this not by punctuating the match but by controlling it. He smothers oncoming attacks. He forces opponents off the ball. He orchestrates distribution out of the back, setting in motion a Spurs onslaught that will culminate 60 yards downfield … You can’t watch the game up close without noticing Parker.
“You can’t watch the game up close without noticing Parker.” Sums it up really!
FW: 10 Emmanuel Adebayor – Adebayor. Where to begin? After playing for Arsenal, Man City and Real Madrid, he finds himself at Tottenham. Despite struggling to find his form during the majority of the season, he became a key player in the later fixtures of the season, securing a draw against Chelsea and a win against Stoke. Don’t worry Ade, I never lost faith in you.
MF: 11 Gareth Bale – Gareth Bale. Does he really need an annotation? If you’re on the Rap Genius page for Tottenham’s 2012-13 squad, you know who this man is. The PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year and a member of the PFA Team of the Year; if you were to draw up who you wanted on a dream team of the past year, he’s likely going to be on top of your list.
Don’t ever leave us Gareth. AVB loves you, and so do we.
DF: 13 William Gallas (vice-captain) – Despite being vice-captain, Gallas has had little time on the pitch this season. Playing 19 matches and picking up a goal shows that he still has it though; we will have to wait until next season to see what the French defender will bring to the table!
DF: 16 Kyle Naughton – Kyle Naughton has played a solid defensive position this season, giving the opposition a difficult time trying to score in his 26 appearances. With Naughton going on loan several times in the last few years, (to Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Norwich City) it was nice to have him back on our squad. We will have to wait see what he makes of next season!
FW: 18 Jermain Defoe – Jermain Defoe is a warrior. A striker on-and-off (for a season at Portsmouth) for Tottenham since 2004, the 2012-13 season was great for the play he recieved, scoring 15 goals, taking himself to joint-seventh place on the all-time Tottenham Hotspur scorers list. As well as that, he bagged himself another two goals for England too! Another year, another season coming up for Defoe, but one thing seems certain, he’s bound to add to his goal tally in the 2013-14 season!
MF: 19 Mousa Dembélé – Being one of Spur’s major transfers prior to the season did not put any pressure on Dembélé, scoring on his debut against Norwich City, as well as putting Lyon out of the Europa League with a 90th minute goal. Next year is set to be just as big for midfielder from Belgium!
DF: 20 Michael Dawson (captain) – Michael Dawson is definitely a worthy captain of the squad; as Carlos Tevez stated:
I know he doesn’t play for England, but he is the best English defender I have played against.
You can’t really say much more than that. Scoring two goals in the 34 appearances he had this season, there’s not much else you can ask of from a defender. After he almost slipped away to QPR, we were fortunate to retain his services! Hopefully 2013-14 will be even bigger for him!
MF: 22 Gylfi Sigurðsson – Sigurðsson is one of the most exciting players on the Spurs squad. Before coming to White Hart Lane, he was voted player of the season for two consecutive seasons; for Reading in 2009-10 season and in 2010-11 for Hoffenheim respectively, and his form certainly isn’t any lower here. The Ice Man has grabbed himself 7 club goals this season, including a beautiful lob against Basel.
MF: 23 Lewis Holtby – ‘Lucky’ Lewis Hotlby is a man of ambition. Playing 17 games this season, you can’t help but feel he is going to come back next season bigger and better. Despite his lack of goals this season, he has been a pivotal player at times, providing two assists; next season will likely see his eye for goal come into full effect.
GK: 24 Brad Friedel – Despite getting older, Friedel is still a reliable hand to have around the pitch, it’s less about age and more about experience in this case! Joining the club in 2011, he has extended his deal to 2014, so, despite Lloris being played more regularly as of late, there’s plenty of time for the American to get some more clean sheets, you know he’s going to do it!
DK: 25 Hugo Lloris – The go-to keeper for Villas-Boas this season, and with good reason; the French number one is also their captain and one of the most consistent keepers in the world. Lloris has had a great season, with some incredible saves. His play in December 2012 earnt him a nomination for Barclays Premier League Player of the Month for December 2012, as he only conceded four goals in six games. Next year is looking just as big for this man!
DF: 28 Kyle Walker – I genuinely feel Kyle Walker is a player than any team would be happy to have. Yeah, he might get heated a bit more than he probably should, but that just shows his passion for the game. Setting up six goals in his 50 appearances, his blistering pace, as well as his strength show this man is full of positives. Only aged 22, in a few years (if not sooner), he’ll be one of the most highly-rated defenders in the country. Mark my words.
MF: 29 Jake Livermore – Something of a quiet season for Jake Livermore this year, he played just 19 matches across all competitions, but don’t let that fool you, being called up for England in their 2-1 win over Italy shows that there is a great deal of talent in the man. Hopefully next season the 23 year old will get more chances to show it! We know he is commited to the team; after his goal in 2009 against Barca, he was asked what it was like to score against the best team in the world. His reply?
Score against the best team in the world? I play for them.
You’re right Jake. I’m still proud of you for that one.
MF: 30 Sandro Raniere – Similarly to Kaboul, Sandro’s season came to a premature end, picking up a knee injury against QPR. Again similarly to Kaboul, we can only hope this isn’t still having an impact by the time next season rolls around! Prior to that, Sandro had managed a goal and two assists, definitely a shame to lose the man early!
DF: 32 Benoît Assou-Ekotto – Something of a disappointing season for Assou-Ekotto, playing just 15 Premier League games this season, as a result of a knee injury after three games, making his return three months later. However, in the time he did play, he shows that the injury has done nothing but fuel his flame, with some great performances this season. Stating that he wants to see out his career at the Lane, the commitment, dedication and all-round play of the French defender makes him one of the most reliable and consistent players on the team.
DF: 33 Steven Caulker – In 18 Premier League games this season, Caulker has managed to score two, grab an assist and take 14 shots. Great stuff for anyone, that’s for sure, but for a defender, that’s an impressive tally! However, toward the end of the season, his appearances became more sporadic, hopefully we’ll get to see more of the big man next season!
MF: 46 Tom Carroll – Despite only being 20, Tom Carroll looks as though next season may be a big one for him. He made his Premier League debut on the 3rd of November, replacing Kyle Walker in the 79th minute of a 1-0 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic. Despite the loss, he had a strong showing in his first match and garnered a lot of praise. Hopefully next season, that form will carry over!
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