Ryan Nelsen will have no problem pitting his wits
against Chelsea's strikers if called upon for this weekend's FA Cup
semi-final.
The New Zealand defender has warned the Blues that
Tottenham still have players who can rip them apart despite their recent
wobble.
Tottenham's poor Premier League form sunk to a new low on
Monday when they suffered only their third home defeat of the campaign
against Norwich.
The fourth-placed Londoners now appear to be out
of the reckoning for third place and are level with Newcastle, vying for
a top four finish and spot in the Champions League.
Spurs manager
Harry Redknapp now also has a major selection headache in defence ahead
of Sunday's semi-final after Younes Kaboul hobbled off with a knee
injury against Norwich.
Michael Dawson is out for the season with
an ankle injury, while William Gallas and Ledley King have struggled
with calf and knee complaints all season, meaning Nelsen may be thrust
into action at Wembley just three months after his release from
Blackburn.
"I've played them (Chelsea) for the last eight seasons, we've all played against them," he said.
"That's why I was brought in, to help out if situations arise like that, of course."
Despite only drawing at Fulham on Monday, Chelsea have undergone a mini-transformation under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo.
The Italian has got his squad playing with more fluency and venom.
Spurs, in contrast, have been a shadow of their former selves in recent weeks.
Redknapp's
men have won just once in their last eight league games but they are
buoyed by their recent 0-0 draw at Chelsea, where they were unlucky not
to beat the Blues.
"I think the last time we played Chelsea it was
probably a game that we could have won, so we'll go there with a lot of
confidence," Nelsen said.
When quizzed about the fear of facing
the likes of Juan Mata, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, the All
Whites captain replied: "Well, they will be facing (Emmanuel) Adebayor,
(Jermain) Defoe and (Louis) Saha, (Luka) Modric and (Rafael) van der
Vaart... We all see what they can do every day in training."
NZN