Silvestre ready to stand tall against Crouch
Monday, September 13, 2010
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Mikaël Silvestre picks out Tottenham Hotspur FC's Peter Crouch as the main threat to SV Werder Bremen as the former Arsenal FC central defender targets another clean sheet.
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After helping SV Werder Bremen hold FC Bayern München to a goalless draw on his debut on Saturday, Mikaël Silvestre has his sights on keeping Tottenham Hotspur FC off the scoresheet when the English side visit the Weserstadion in UEFA Champions League Group A on Tuesday.
With Bremen rocked by injuries to regulars Per Mertesacker and Naldo, Silvestre stepped in at left-back against Bayern where he was given a stern test by Philipp Lahm's probing runs. It was the 33-year-old's first match since signing from Arsenal FC in late August and he admitted "it was not easy to start from zero".
With a clean sheet and a point to show for his efforts, though, the former Manchester United FC defender is looking forward to getting straight back into action on Tuesday against a team he knows well. "We have only trained a few times together, but we are professionals," he said. "We have to communicate a lot and we will do our best to perform as well as we did in Munich. Everyone speaks English in Germany so communicating is not a problem.
"I remember some good games against Tottenham, and they have improved and are now one of the best teams in one of the best leagues. They deserve to be playing in the Champions League. Tottenham have a lot of experienced players including [Silvestre's former Arsenal and France team-mate] William Gallas. He is a big fighter."
With Jermain Defoe injured, Peter Crouch is likely to lead the line for Tottenham, and he is a player Silvestre recognises as being "very dangerous in the air". He added: "He is always in the right place at the right time. You can compare him to David Trezeguet in that regard."
Before the stalemate at Bayern, Bremen had conceded nine goals in their previous three games. Silvestre, though, is confident the hosts can handle the Tottenham threat. "There are no easy games in the Champions League but we can beat anyone and teams have a lot of respect for Werder Bremen. I have played a lot of games in this competition and I'm used to it and I have complete faith in my colleagues. They are very experienced and we can handle the pressure."
