Peter Crouch steals the show but it’s Wilson Palacios who is pulling Spurs’ strings

Tom Collomosse
24 Sep 2009

Preston 1-5 Spurs

WITH 22 goals in eight games this season, Tottenham are proving to be one of the most potent attacking teams in the top flight.

Yet for all the finishing prowess of Peter Crouch — who scored a hat-trick at Deepdale to send Spurs into round four of the Carling Cup — Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane, the heartbeat of this side is a man who has scored just once in 19 matches for the club.

Wilson Palacios may have only a basic grasp of English but he has a thorough understanding of the qualities required to become one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League.

While the expertise of the forwards caught the eye, Spurs' most impressive work last night was done by Palacios, whose £12million arrival from
Wigan during the January transfer window remains Harry Redknapp's smartest piece of business since he took over at White Hart Lane almost a year ago.

Playing at the base of a midfield diamond before later operating alongside Jermaine Jenas in a flat four, Palacios won tackles, never wasted possession, and was always available to receive the ball when a team-mate was in difficulty.

Palacios appears timid off the field, but he exudes self-assurance on it. Keane is one of the spikiest characters at the club, yet Palacios gave as good as he got when the Spurs skipper berated him late in the game for failing to release the ball quickly enough.

Perhaps Keane should have kept his counsel, because Palacios had already proved to be a fine judge of a pass. With Spurs 2-0 up, the Honduran sent Aaron Lennon — who had replaced the injured Giovani Dos Santos — clear with a perfectly-weighted ball, allowing the former Leeds United winger to tee up Crouch's second.

The tall striker was included in a strong Spurs line-up, and he repaid Redknapp by scoring three times, the final goal a stunning back-heeled
volley.

Crouch now has five goals from only three starts since moving to Spurs in the summer and Redknapp will find it difficult to leave out the 28-year-old when his team take on Burnley at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

“When I'm given the chances, I can only produce and try to stake a claim for a starting place,” said Crouch, who opened the scoring after 13 minutes. “I would be disappointed to be on the bench against Burnley, because I want to play every game.

“We've done pretty well so far this season, so I can't argue too much, but hopefully I've done enough.”

Redknapp must wish he had such variety at his disposal in defence, but with Ledley King — who had a scan yesterday on his hamstring problem — and Jonathan Woodgate sidelined, Spurs look vulnerable at the back. At least Michael Dawson played 81 minutes of his first game of the season after recovering from an Achilles injury but a better team than Preston would have exposed Spurs' weaknesses.

Whenever a high cross was delivered into their penalty box, the visitors looked ill at ease but with successive 5-1 wins behind them in the competition this season, Spurs continue to enjoy the Carling Cup.

Don't be surprised to see them in their third final in as many years on 28 February.