Carrick 'replacement' Tainio crocked

With two weeks to go until the big kick off, it comes as no surprise to find that our favourite Finn is struggling for fitness. An ankle injury sustained in training, and a likely two week recovery period means that Tainio may struggle to make the opener against Bolton. Disappointing not only for the player himself, but for everyone who may have considered him a possible 'replacement' for Carrick (including The Guardian whose match report on the Inter game made exactly that claim).

Whilst it may seem an unlikely proposition initially, when one examines the stats from last season it does not seem such an unreasonable claim, at least in terms of creativity. Carrick was Spurs' top assister last term, with six, whilst Tainio managed four. However, once you account for the time he missed through niggling injury problems, Tainio is revealed as the most productive assister in the squad (barring Murphy's contribution to Charlton's cause):

Tainio
Minutes: 1780
Assists: 4
Assist ratio: 1:445

Carrick
Minutes: 3295
Assists: 6
Assist ratio: 1:549

Mido
Minutes: 2283
Assists: 5
Assist ratio: 1:457

It won't come as much of a surprise to those who watched his performances closely. Two excellent assists for Carrick's two goals, and an excellent reverse pass for Mido's goal against Charlton demonstrate how effective he can be picking passes in the final third. Now if he could just stay fit...

Squad for the match against Borussia Dortmund: Robinson, Cerny, Lee, Dawson, Davenport, Gardner, Assou-Ekotto, Routledge, Lennon, Murphy, Jenas, Ghaly, Huddlestone, Zokora, Ziegler, Berbatov, Defoe, Keane.