Rafael van der Vaart believes Harry Redknapp will give Tottenham the psychological edge in the race for fourth.
Dutch international hopes to lead Tottenham into Europe
Rafael van der Vaart believes Harry Redknapp will give Tottenham the psychological edge in the race for fourth.
Tottenham and Manchester City are again locked in a race for the UEFA Champions League in a repeat of last year's tussle.
Spurs' European commitments and a run of five draws from their last seven games have seen them fall four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City.
The two teams meet on May 10th in a game that could ultimately decide which of them get to dine at Europe's top football table.
Situations
In these types of situations, the finest of margins can give you the edge.
And Dutch international Van der Vaart, who has played for some of Europe's biggest teams, feels the personal touch of Redknapp could be the decisive factor.
"Redknapp is a sensational psychologist. So many times he's raised morale. His support is better than any training session," said Van der Vaart.
"Direct communication with Harry is the key. I spoke more to him in my first few months here than I did to anyone in years at Real Madrid.
"He's made our challenge clear - win all our matches, hope City slip up and qualify for the Champions League again. If this is not possible we must seize the Europa League position."
Brazilians
Meanwhile, Tottenham's abrasive Brazilian Sandro is looking forward to locking horns with his countrymen David Luiz and Ramires against Chelsea on Saturday.
Sandro had a slow start to his career in North London but as he settled his physical style of play became a key component in Redknapp's armoury.
"I like the physical side of the game. I don't think I am your typical Brazilian footballer," said the Brazilian.
"When I was at Internacional in Brazil they said I was an English player. So it's wonderful I have come to Tottenham."
