On the face of it, the last week of February was a very good one for Spurs. Bolton were overcome in the FA Cup fifth round replay, while Everton - a potential rival for fourth place, who have lost only once in their last twelve league games - were beaten at White Hart Lane. Spurs once again sit in fourth, ahead of Man City on goal difference.

A place in the quarter-finals and another three points do not, however, tell the whole story. After the Bolton game, Owen Coyle said that "we lost the game, but 4-0 isn't a fair reflection", a sentiment with which it's hard to disagree. Despite resting key players - including the combative Kevin Davies - Bolton were the better side during the second half at the Lane. The same was true on Sunday, with Spurs dominating the first half and then being dominated in the second, prompting David Moyes to dust off the cliché, "a game of two halves". But for Landon Donovan's horrendous miss, Everton would have achieved the point that their committed display merited.

This tendency to fade in the latter stages has been a recurring theme this season. The most obvious explanation might be a lack of fitness, but the last two games in particular point to something different. Coyle transformed his FA Cup side with the introduction of Mustapha Riga, while Moyes made a series of effective tactical changes. In neither case did Harry Redknapp seem to know how to respond.

In fairness, the options available to him on the bench against Everton were somewhat limited. Limited is certainly a good word to apply to Younes Kaboul, who replaced Tom Huddlestone before the hour. Whether lacking clear instructions or simply uncomfortable in a midfield role, Kaboul looked completely out of his depth.

After the game, Redknapp expressed his concern about the injury to Huddlestone and its implications:

"We don't know how bad his injury is at the moment but it doesn't look good. He'll have a scan and we'll see how it is but we are running out of central midfield players"

Indeed it does appear that Redknapp has a mini-midfield crisis on his hands. Bentley and Jenas are both injured, with the latter about to undergo surgery. Lennon's return has been delayed by another six weeks. O'Hara remains on loan at Portsmouth, while Wilson Palacios, on nine yellow cards, sits on the brink of suspension.

One possible solution would be a midfield containing the three players who were outstanding on Sunday - Bale, Kranjcar and the sublime Modric. This would mean bringing Assou-Ekotto in at left-back, with Bale playing in front of him. While such a line-up would carry plenty of attacking threat, it clearly lacks some steel. Let's hope that either Palacios can behave like an angel or, if the tenth yellow card is shown, that Ledley King is fit enough to play in the holding role. Either way, Spurs will do well to hold on to their Champions League place in the coming weeks.