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FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Richard Laverty

‘What do you want me to do? Tell Luka Modric where to stand?’ Tottenham hero Peter Crouch recalls Harry Redknapp’s hilarious response to tactics query

Harry Redknapp, manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on February 26, 2012 in London, England.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Peter Crouch has recalled an amusing story of how then manager Harry Redknapp responded when queried about the lack of tactical work being done at the time. 

Redknapp had guided Tottenham to the Champions League for the 2010/11 season with a squad which included new signing Crouch, as well as the likes of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and, of course, Niko Kranjcar. 

Redknapp then added Netherlands star Rafael van der Vaart to his squad for their first campaign in Europe’s elite competition, and speaking to FourFourTwo, Crouch recalled how Redknapp reacted when pushed to do more tactical work with the players. 

Peter Crouch was one of Harry's heroes at Spurs (Image credit: Getty)

“Harry was looking on, going, ‘Look at this, we’re living the dream with these players’,” remembers Crouch. “I was part of the team, and even I was going, ‘F**king hell, yeah, we are!’ You were watching football being played correctly.” 

“I remember Harry standing back a lot of the time and just saying, ‘Go out and play’. He didn’t really need to say anything else. I remember Robbie Keane saying to him, ‘We need to do more tactically’. 

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“He replied, ‘What do you want me to do? Tell Luka Modric where to stand? Van der Vaart how to play forward passes? Just go and enjoy it!’” 

It would be a successful Champions League campaign too, topping a group above Inter Milan, then Crouch’s sole goal knocked out their rivals AC Milan in the second round, before the team crashed out to the mighty Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. 

Harry Redknapp's tenure at Spurs was one with plenty of stars (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite the heroics of new signing Van der Vaart, who became the club’s top scorer in the Premier League that season with 13, they couldn’t repeat the feat of finishing in the top four.

Ironically it was Crouch’s own goal in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City which proved terminal, a year on from scoring the winner in the same fixture at the right end to secure Tottenham’s place in the Champions League for the first time. 

More Tottenham Hotspur stories

In FourFourTwo's Season Preview, we look at why Tottenham fans can be excited again for the future.

Spurs have been linked with a move for Chelsea misfit Romelu Lukaku this summer as a replacement for Harry Kane. Tottenham are also reportedly interested in 'the next Thierry Henry' to fill the gap left by their all-time record goalscorer, while Djed Spence has been linked with an exit this summer after making just four appearances since signing last summer.

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