Spurs need man with vision to take next step

AFTER Spurs drew 0-0 with Manchester United in December, Harry Redknapp speculated that the then-Newcastle striker Andy Carroll would be a terrific reinforcement for his side, but regretted that he would cost at least £40m.

Liverpool got him at a £5m discount on Redknapp’s price and his performances so far suggest they paid a healthy £25m over the odds. From Redknapp’s point of view there would be no better time for Carroll to start showing why he was once so highly valued than in tonight’s match against Manchester City at Anfield.

Liverpool are too far back in the league to save themselves, but maybe they can save Spurs by beating City. There had been a vaguely dreamlike quality to Spurs’ season before reality’s hideous intrusion in the form of Tuesday’s 4-0 battering in Madrid. The heady sense of unreality has been replaced by a gnawing feeling in the guts. One of the Premier League’s most prudently-run clubs have found themselves in a risky place.