da bet7： Rafael Van Der Vaart will surely go down as one of the greatest signings in Premiership history. So far this season, the £8m signing has scored ten goals and created seven assists. It seems, in Tottenham he has found a club willing to build their side around him, and that suits him down to a tee. The side may have not yet recreated the 4th position finish in the Premier League of last year, but they are in the last 8 of the Champions Legue and widely regarded as one of the most exciting teams in Europe.
da apostaganha： Van Der Vaart has a lot of confidence both on the pitch and off it. I think this self-belief is vital to Tottenham if they are going to achieve great things. He is not afraid of anyone and never shows any signs of fear. This is something the other players at White Hart Lane should learn from because at times I think Tottenham are guilty of being soft.
At the San Siro, he was the only player to get in the face of Flamini for his tackle that injured Corluka. On the whole, the reaction to the tackle from the Tottenham players was tame, but Van Der Vaart was not. He was passionate to defend his team-mate Corluka, and outraged that Flamini should encourage the fans cheer an illegal tackle. It was a big occasion in front of an intimidating crowd, but Van Der Vaart showed his passion and did not hide away.
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In the return leg at White Hart Lane Flamini, again, left the ground with two feet in a tackle on Benoit Assou-Ekotto. It doesn’t matter if Flamini wins the ball, leaving the ground with both feet is dangerous. Furthermore if Ekotto had shielded it, he would have broken his leg. Van Der Vaart, yet again, was the only man (fans excluded) to have a go at Flamini.
Spurs need that kind of fighting sprit. I’m not questioning anyone‘s effort or commitment, Dawson, Gallas, Sandro and others showed great determination against Milan, but at times I feel Tottenham are a bit too nice. For example, Bale has been told off by Harry in the past for being too soft and for shaking a player’s hand after he has been badly fouled. Players like Lennon and Modric have no presence which will sway a referee’s decision. Even Crouch often smiles and looks frustrated rather than outraged.
Even Barcelona, who have the opposite reputation of a dirty side, rush to the referee to make a decision to ‘protect their players‘. In reality they just want to see their side win. At the Nou Camp, players pressured the referee to get Van Persie booked for a foul on DanI Alves. This offence was not as dangerous as Flamini’s tackle on Corluka or Assou-Ekotto.
I’m not saying Tottenham need to cheat, but it is important to be bold, and at times a bit nasty. If five players had complained to the referee, Flamini could have been sent off in both legs. He definitely did not deserve to be on the pitch at the end of the game at the San Siro. If Tottenham are going to progress into the side they have the potential to become, they need to be more gritty and at times show more fighting spirit, like Van Der Vaart.
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