Spurs working with Gomes to deal with Delap throw threat

Tottenham goalkeeping coach Tony Parks has revealed that he has been working with Heurelho Gomes on how to deal with Stoke City’s set-piece threat.

Rory Delap’s long thrown-ins have caused havoc for a number of Premier League teams and Parkes admits although they’ve done their homework, you can’t plan too much for it.

“I think it’s very difficult to defend against. Rory Delap has certainly perfected a long throw that, for me, is almost more dangerous than a corner kick,” Parks told the Journal.

“It’s flat, it’s low, it comes in at a slightly different angle obviously. His most dangerous area is probably where he’s level with the 18-yard line.

“It’s a difficult one in terms of where do you pick up? Do you go man to man? And you have the added problem of there being no offsides for throw-ins, so Stoke will do all they can to pen the goalkeeper in.

“I think referees need to try to be a little bit stronger because goalkeepers can be obstructed from doing their work. I don’t hold with the view that goalkeepers are overprotected. The referees need to work out who’s running to block runners off and things like that.

“It is difficult but I don’t think that you can overplan for it. You have to do your homework on it and then you have to have defenders and goalkeepers who are more committed than the attackers in terms of wanting to be the first contact on the ball.”

“Harry [Redknapp] hasn’t asked me to do any special preparation with him,” said Parks. “Part of the preparation in the week before any game is to deal with crosses, whether that be corners or long throws, and that will be no different this week.

“On Thursday we’ll have a whole day of giving him crosses from all different areas of the pitch. He is one of maybe three goalkeepers in the league that will definitely come and deal with crosses for you.

“What you have to realise then is that if you’ve got a goalkeeper who wants to come and help you out, now and again he’s going to make mistakes.

“But I’d rather he made a positive mistake in coming to deal with a cross and trying to help the defence out than getting stuck and pinned on his line.

“If I remember correctly, just before I came to the club last year I think Gomes defended Delap’s throw quite well up at Stoke.”

Related Topics