Harry Redknapp must solve his defensive nightmare

Harry Redknapp has been around long enough to know the pitfalls of pre-season prophecies. "Last year, I remember Tottenham beat Roma 5-0 the week before the season," Redknapp recalled. "I met people who were saying: 'Tottenham are fantastic - wait till you see Tottenham.' Then the season began . . ."

He did not have to finish his sentence. Spurs started the campaign at a stagger and sacked Juande Ramos after just eight games, with Redknapp being parachuted in from Portsmouth to save their skins.

The heady predictions that sprang from that breezy dismantling of Roma merely underlines that warm-ups are just that. It is why Redknapp will not be panicking at seeing his side dispatched with ease by Celtic at a largely deserted Wembley yesterday.

And yet, for all that, the Tottenham manager clearly has serious issues to address. Up front, Spurs look lightweight, with Robbie Keane still struggling for sharpness and Jermain Defoe pining for a muscular foil to complement his quicksilver style, although the imminent arrival of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth should solve that particular problem.

More irksome is the tattered state of Tottenham's defence, with the season's opener against Liverpool less than three weeks away.

Michael Dawson has already been ruled out for a month with an Achilles injury, Jonathan Woodgate is still in America receiving treatment on a groin problem and Ledley King, with grim predictability, has failed to kick a ball all summer.

In their absence, Redknapp fielded Pascal Chimbonda and Dorian Dervite at the heart of his back four at Wembley and was duly treated to the sort of displays more suited to Hackney Marshes than the Venue of Legends.

Mistakes were served up like pick 'n' mix: a complete absence of markers for Chris Killen's opening headed goal, a chronic lack of pace as Georgios Samaras sprinted clear to score the second and, early in the second half, some comically inept attempts to tackle Paddy McCourt as he slalomed into the area only to slice wide.

It was enough to have the few thousand Spurs fans in attendance watching through their fingers and Redknapp did not attempt to sugar-coat his analysis.

"Everyone can see that we're short in defence," he said. "No disrespect to Pascal and Dorian but they're not going to start the season together. It was hard for us - a young lad playing with a full-back alongside him.

"But it's difficult when you look around and we're really struggling in that position. We're nowhere near signing any defenders." Such statements should always be taken with a barrow-load of salt where Redknapp is concerned: he insisted Tottenham's move for Crouch had fallen through last Friday, only for Portsmouth to confirm it was virtually a done deal 48 hours later.

Tottenham depart for another pre-season tournament in China today but do not be surprised if Redknapp spends the flight drawing up a wish-list of centre-halves. On Sunday's evidence, he simply cannot afford not to.