Spurs fans may still be stunned by their team's exit from Europe in Eindhoven. Penalty shoot-outs are perhaps the most numbing way to exit a cup competition but there were a lot of positives to take from the game against Eredivisie leaders PSV.

Tom Huddlestone was immense.

This past week may have been the making of Big Tom. Tottenham eased to a 4-0 win against West Ham on Sunday thanks to two goals in the first 11 minutes. Both were scored by Dimitar Berbatov and set up by Huddlestone, who showed what a good dead-ball specialist he can be.

'Martin Jol claimed Huddlestone could be as good as Franz Beckenbauer and his range of passing has led Spurs fans to compare him to former Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle. As a result he has been nicknamed Tom Hoddlestone'


Juande Ramos has worked his magic with Tom. Since the Spaniard took over at White Hart Lane, his new dietary reforms have noticeably made Spurs a tougher proposition. This is most clearly illustrated in the way Huddlestone now moves around the pitch at pace, whereas under Jol he would amble through games. And over the 120 minutes at the Phillips Stadium, Huddlestone dominated a congested midfield and showed his brilliant range of passing.

Under the new regime The Hudd has gradually forced his way to becoming a first choice starter. Despite the fact that he can also play at centre-back, it is now Didier Zokora who drops back to defence when Ramos tinkers with the side.

And Huddlestone is becoming a crucial component in Ramos’s tactical adjustments. In the Carling Cup final, the introduction of the former Derby midfielder changed the game. It freed up Aaron Lennon to run at the Chelsea back line and Huddlestone was involved in the incident that led to Spurs equalising from the penalty spot in the showpiece Wembley final.

Even though he is only 21, it feels like Huddlestone has been around for many years. And despite his young age he has played a lot of football for Derby, England Under-21s and Spurs.

Former Spurs manager Martin Jol claimed Huddlestone could be as good as Franz Beckenbauer and his range of passing has led Spurs fans to compare him to former Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle. As a result he has been nicknamed Tom Hoddlestone.

In the tradition of many Spurs midfielders from years gone by, Huddlestone has a touch and a passing range that is almost unsurpassed by any other Premier League player. Andrea Pirlo has shown in recent years that despite the fast-paced nature of the game these days, a “quarterback” style deep-lying midfielder can be crucial to a successful team.

Spurs’ midfield has not been the same since the departure of Michael Carrick - and Huddlestone is beginning to show that he could be better than the Manchester United midfielder.

Huddlestone could also be more than useful for Fabio Capello and England. In recent years the best English midfielders have been box-to-box men such as Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. The Hudd offers something different and could well find himself battling Gareth Barry and Owen Hargreaves for the holding role in the England midfield in the coming years.

However, the 6ft 3in Huddlestone has shown in recent months that he doesn’t just sit; he was all over the pitch at PSV, helping out the Spurs full-backs as well as supporting the strikers and playing some delicious balls to Robbie Keane, Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov.

Like all Spurs players, the England Under-21 midfielder will be compared to Arsenal’s finest. In Huddlestone’s case this is Cesc Fabregas, who is already one of the best midfielders in the world. But, in truth, with his physique, The Hudd is more similar to a recent Arsenal great in Patrick Vieira - and with his touch and ability on the ball, he could very well develop into one of the best central midfielders ever seen in English football.

An excellent compilation on Huddlestone can be seen here.