In defence of Redknapp

From the sounds of things, you'd have thought we'd just been relegated. The anger emanating across the Tottenham community last night and spilling over into this morning was palpable. A 4-1 defeat to our bitterest rivals, a generally limp display and a White Hart Lane crowd forced into an early exit. The old ground will have hosted happier occasions than the one last night, that's for sure.

A lot of things didn't go to plan: Arsenal put out a much stronger team than we, or even they, expected, our band of fringe players and first-timers had a mixed bag and we displayed that time-old Tottenham tradition of defensive implosion. Yet, for ninety minutes, we were actually still in the game. And, although it hurts to lose in such a manner, what we mustn't forget is that this was the Carling Cup – a tournament that we've admittedly excelled in lately but one that shouldn't be too high on our list of priorities for this campaign. For the first time in eons, the argument could be plausibly made that it was more important for Arsenal than it was for us, an argument that is reflected in their team selection. And fair play to them, they deserved their win and their away support gamely joined in the minute's applause before the game for Spurs legend Bobby Smith, who passed away recently.

This blog unfortunately wasn't able to be at White Hart Lane in person, or indeed in blog form – work commitments saw to that. And so it's understandable that the fans who paid good money to support their side would have expected a performance, and a team sheet, that reflected their investment in both the club and the derby itself.

The general consensus is that Harry got it wrong last night but on closer inspection that might not be the watertight theory many are claiming it to be. Fatigue has started to rear its ugly head and we're only into September. We've a schedule like few too many before this season – the Champions League brings with it extra games and extra commitments. And even if we're to depart at the group stages, there's still the possibility of Europa League qualification and another stack of energy-sapping fixtures. Throw into the mix the FA Cup, a competition everyone treats with at least some semblance of seriousness, and our efforts to hang around near the top of the Premier League and we're left with a lot of matches to play over the course of the season. If players are getting tired, and getting injured, as regularly as they are now then squad rotation will be an incomprehensively vital part of any success we have designs on this season.

North London derbies are important, of course. They're the basic fabric of the intense rivalry we share with our neighbours and provide an opportunity for the fans to throw their weight behind their team in the most vociferous fashion possible. But the Carling Cup 3rd round pales in comparison to a league meeting or a cup semi final. It's not even in the same fraction. Redknapp, ever the thinker, saw an opportunity to rest his key players, players who had been showing signs of tiredness and injury, and he took it. The side he fielded wasn't a reserve side, nor was a composition of youth players. It was a seasoned team, with experience (Palacios, Bentley), fringe players (dos Santos, Naughton) and debutants (Caulker, Sandro) - players that deserved an opportunity to impress or needed match time to re-establish their credentials. It was a team Redknapp believed could win the game. And, lest we forget, we were a post's width away from doing just that.

Harry may have failed to recognise the perceived importance of the occasion. But the only crime committed last night was the lapse of defensive concentration that allowed Arsenal not only to force the door ajar but to burst through it. Players might have been playing in slighty alien positions and the formation may not have been the one to achieve success on this occasion. But if the long term gains of his decisions benefit the club in the shape of, say, Champions League progression or another top four spot, then the pain felt in the immediate aftermath of the defeat will be wiped away forever and last night's game will be consigned to nothingness. Let Arsenal have their moment in the North London sun – if they choose to gloat with an early season League Cup win over a weakened Spurs side then that's entirely their decision.

Bottom line: Harry knows what he's doing. This is the man who not only rescued us from relegation but who propelled us to our highest Premier League finish last season. He has a bigger plan and, though he'll be disappointed by the manner of defeat, he'll learn from it and move on. It would be best if we, as fans, did the same.