Flying up front but brittle at the back - defeat to PAOK raises questions over Tottenham's defensive strength

Harry Redknapp’s eagerness to nail down progression to the latter stages of the Europa League finally became palpable about an hour before kick-off at White Hart Lane last night, with the inclusion of Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in his side.

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However, it took just 15 minutes of defensive madness for this comparatively strengthened Europa League XI to undo the previous continental endeavours of the Spurs’ fringe contingent.

The unfamiliar Plan B back four of Danny Rose, Sebastien Bassong, William Gallas and Vedran Corluka looked shaky from the start against a PAOK side that has scored goals in this campaign, but should never have worried a unit of that experience.

And it’s the catalogue of errors on show in last night’s opening exchanges that questions whether Spurs have the defensive depth to challenge when push comes to shove in the Premier League.

STRENGTH IN DEFENCE?

VEDRAN CORLUKA 6.0 Was routinely beaten in the opening stages but soon settled down. Not a showing that suggests he’ll be wresting a starting XI place off Kyle Walker anytime in the near or distant future.  WILLIAM GALLAS 5.5 Costly and poorly executed attempt to dribble out at the back set the tone for a defensive display that showed very little to suggest that any of Wednesday's back four will get much of a sniff in Premier League fixtures.

From Gallas’ mystifying decision to maraud out of the back in the fifth minute, only to lose possession and give up the opener, to Bassong’s inability to deal with limited movement in the box, to Corluka’s repeated torment at the hands of the ultimately pretty average Giorgos Georgiadis – it was a start to suggest that these players will be kept further than arm's length from Brad Friedel’s goal any time in the near future.

In fact, it’s hard to believe that Gallas and Corluka were first choice options for Tottenham last year and that Bassong was a mainstay in the side that nailed down Spurs’ first ever Champions League qualification.

Danny Rose, of course, cannot be thrown into the same bracket as the above yet the youngster’s attacking vigour from left back masks a defensive instability that is rash and vulnerable in comparison to the assured air that Benoit Assou-Ekotto has developed of late.

The 75 minutes of total domination could not undo the sloppiness of Spurs’ start last night, providing an ominous-looking contrast with the club’s recent Premier League form.

The side’s swashbuckling and fluid nature that has encapsulated in the run of form that has seen them rise to third – second if they win their game in hand – in the table masks a defensive instability that sees a clean sheet as a pretty rare occurrence. If they are to keep their noses in the race with the big boys, clean sheets against the likes of West Brom, Fulham, QPR and Blackburn should really be a given, seeing as some sides will find a way to stop Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, EmmanuelAdebayor and Co. from running riot.

With question marks permanently residing over the fitness of Ledley King, and Michael Dawson not much nearer to full fitness, it’s doubtful as to whether the happy equilibrium that runs through the Spurs team will span the 25-odd games they have left this season.

Running conversely to the flow of this argument is the fact that Spurs’ almost inevitable failure to progress through to the knockout stages of the tournament will work to strengthen their Premier League ambitions.

But on the evidence of last night, its seems that every Tottenham fan will have more than just their fingers crossed for the continued good health, plus more, of Redknapp’s preferred back four.