Published: 13 September, 2012
OFF THE SHELF with DAN CARRIER

TOTTENHAM head to the Madejski Stadium on Sunday to take on Reading with several first team players having scored goals for their countries during international week.

Jermain Defoe, Gareth Bale and Jan Vertonghen all hit the back of the net in World Cup qualifiers, while Steven Caulker scored for England under-21s.

Caulker told the Spurs website that the double-header victories against Azerbaijan and Norway has left all of the England players dreaming of competing at the European Under-21s Championships, which are being held in Israel next year.

He said: “We achieved what we set out to do when we met up eight days ago – to win both games and from a defensive point of view, keep two clean sheets. I thought Norway provided a tough test on Monday but we showed good character to come through it.

“We’ve only lost one game in the qualifying process, so there are plenty of positives to take into the play-offs. I’ve played in quite a few big games in the last couple of years, including the Olympics, and with my first senior call-up, the play-offs will be right up there.”

Meanwhile boss Andre Villas-Boas has been boosted by the news from Spurs Lodge that Emmanuel Adebayor has had a week of hard training, putting him in contention for a starting place against the Royals on Sunday as his team looks to kick-start their league campaign.