Tottenham v Inter Milan preview- Redknapp calls for more Spurs spirit

Posted Tuesday, November 02, 2010 by PA

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp hopes his side's spirited but unsuccessful comeback against Inter Milan recently can spur them to victory against the Italians on Tuesday.

The Champions League debutants were heading for a humiliation at the San Siro until Gareth Bale's late hat-trick earned them a more respectable 4-3 defeat in Italy.

Describing the Group F match as a "massive game", Redknapp repeated the importance of avoiding another defeat against the European champions.

Urging the White Hart Lane crowd to play their part, he said: "We've got to set a high tempo, we've got to play the way we want to play and I think it'll be a great night's football."

Spurs' cause would be helped should new talisman Rafael van der Vaart complete his surprise recovery from a hamstring strain picked up at Old Trafford.

Redknapp said on Monday the playmaker had "every chance" of being fit, while just as important will be the return of Tom Huddlestone after two games out with an ankle problem.

Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was backed to fill the void left by the suspension of Heurelho Gomes, with Redknapp saying: "It won't faze him at all; he's played in so many big games in the past."

The Spurs boss also refused to read anything into his battle of wits with former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, saying: "I think we all get carried away about managers and coaches.

"The players will be out there Tuesday playing and it's whether they perform.

"It's not a case of me trying to prove I'm cleverer than Rafa or anything else; it's a case of my centre-forward trying to prove he's better than their centre-half and our midfield winning the battle in there."

That is something Tottenham failed miserably to do in the first half of their 4-3 defeat at the San Siro

But Gareth Bale's sensational second-half hat-trick salvaged some pride and a healthy slice of self-belief.

Redknapp said: "If we'd come away from there and it had been as bad as it looked at half-time, I think everything would've been very difficult.

"Getting beaten six or seven, it looked a real possibility after 45 minutes.

"For Gareth Bale to get such a fantastic hat-trick and to get some real respectability in the scoreline was very important for us."

Benitez believes Tottenham had one eye on their clash with his Inter Milan side when they lost at Manchester United on Saturday.

Spurs went down 2-0 at Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League just three days before Tuesday night's crucial Champions League showdown.

Redknapp has publicly stated his priority this season is qualifying again for Europe's premier club competition through the league.

But Inter counterpart Benitez reckons Spurs' approach at the weekend proved otherwise.

"For me, watching the game against United, it's obvious that they were just concentrating on this game," he said upon his arrival in London on Monday.

"I thought they were just thinking about this game because it's very, very important for them.

"That was my feeling."

Left-back Cristian Chivu stressed stopping Spurs was about more than stopping Bale.

"He's very good and he's very young," the Romania captain said.

"He still has plenty of time to become the player that he wants to be.

"For sure, he is achieving reaching a very high level.

"But when we talk about Tottenham, we are not talking about Bale.

"We are talking about a very good team which stays very good on the pitch, which is very strong physically and has players with quality.

"I think that's what we need to be careful about, not only one player."