Pre-match analysis of Birmingham versus Spurs

By Jon H
August 14 2003

Below is a pre-match analysis of the first Premiership game of the season - Birmingham City versus Tottenham Hotspur. It includes an assessment of where the game is likely to be won, and lost, and a possible reason for optimism.

Below are the possible line-ups for the opening premiership game of the new season:

=============Bennett===========
=======Tebily===Purse===Coly======
Kenna=Savage=Clemence=Dunn=Lazaridis
======Figueroa/John===Dugarry======

I think a 4-4-2 formation would work well against this line-up:

======Keane============Postiga====
Acimovic==Jamie===Ricketts=====Davies
Tarrico===Gardner====Bunjy=====Carr
==============Keller==============

Bench: Sullivan, Zamora, Anderton, Blondel, Marney.

Jamie Redknapp who's tackling has certainly shown signs of improvement over the close season can prove to be more than a match for either Savage or Clemence. Gardner and Bunjy will marshal Birmingham's front-line, although I'd like to have seen Perry at the heart of the Spurs defence. Carr and Tarrico should be able to counter the threat of Birmingham's wingers as Blackburn did to us in the Worthington Cup Final a couple of seasons ago. Much though, will depend on Spurs midfield getting to grips with both Savage and Dunn in the engine room. If Spurs win this battle then the game is there for the taking. The early exchanges will be crucial as Birmingham will be desperate to start the season where they left off in May. Spurs on the other hand will be equally desperate to erase the bitter disappointment felt at the end of another season of under-achievement. I travelled to St Andrews last season and I certainly travel with more optimism now than I did then. The principal reason for this optimism is that we now have much more pace and guile in our forward line with the additions of Kanoute, Zamora and the Portuguese sensation, Helder Postiga. With the strikers we now have at the club there will always be a chance to nick a goal away from home. One thing for certain is that it will be a cracking atmosphere at St Andrews - as it was last season - a fitting curtain raiser to the new Premiership season. My prediction: 1-2 with Spurs grabbing a late, late winner from Zamora Jon H 14/08/2003