Tottenham group wide open says Redknapp

Harry Redknapp declared Tottenham's Champions League group wide open after watching them mark their debut in the competition with a 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen.

With holders Inter Milan producing an identical result at FC Twente last night, it means all four teams cannot be separated in Group A following the opening round of fixtures.

And despite seeing his side squander a two-goal lead at the Weserstadion, Spurs boss Redknapp was in no doubt five more performances of that calibre would be more than enough to progress.

"It'll be a tight group for sure. Twente are a good side; Inter couldn't win there," he said.

"If we can draw away from home and win our home games, we'll be okay.

"I couldn't ask for more than what we did."

Redknapp added he could have asked for a victory, something that looked a foregone conclusion after 43 minutes of football as good as anything Spurs have produced during his two years in charge.

They were rampant during the first half at the Weserstadion, taking full advantage of their opponents' slovenliness to score via a Petri Pasanen own goal and a contender for goal of the season from Peter Crouch.

They might even have been three or four up before a crazy four-minute spell either side of half-time saw Hugo Almeida and Marko Marin draw Bremen level.

It then could have got much worse for Spurs as both sides missed glorious opportunities to snatch victory.

"We hung in there at the end and we had a couple of great chances," said Redknapp.

"We're all disappointed when you're 2-0 up and you don't win.

"I was delighted with the performance, really.

"We were much, much better than them in the first half.

"They didn't get near us."

He added: "It was a perfect 43 minutes.

"If we'd have been three or four goals up, it would have been a fair reflection of the play.

"From never having a shot or bothering their goalkeeper, they suddenly found themselves 2-1 and they had something to go for.

"They got that goal when, really, they were struggling to live with us and it gave them a lift."

Spurs' decision to field a 4-5-1 formation paid dividends early on but it relied heavily on Rafael van der Vaart, who began to struggle with a calf injury and was withdrawn shortly after half-time.

Redknapp revealed the Holland midfielder would be monitored ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League game at Wolves.

"We got him off before he actually got a tear," he said.

Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf was at a loss to explain his side's appalling first-half performance and agreed with his opposite number the group would be a tight one.

"This group consists of very strong teams," he said.

"All teams have great qualities and that was also reflected in the way Tottenham played.

"We had a lot of respect for Tottenham even before this match.

"We knew that they can play great football and I think that this group is extremely tight and a very difficult group and that is also reflected in the result of the other match."