• Defoe has missed six out of last 10 spot-kicks
• ‘Plenty of other people can take them,’ says Redknapp

Harry Redknapp will tell Jermain Defoe that he does not want him to take any more penalties for Tottenham Hotspur, after the striker’s latest failure from 12 yards against Leeds United in the 2-2 FA Cup fourth-round draw on Saturday.

The England international also missed an injury-time spot-kick at Everton in the Premier League last month which would have given Tottenham victory and, from his last 10 attempts for Spurs and his previous club Portsmouth, he has been successful only four times.

Tottenham’s first-choice taker is Robbie Keane, but he has not been on the field for the club’s two most recent penalties, ­paving the way for Defoe. ­Redknapp also said that Tom Huddlestone or Niko ­Kranjcar could step up if required. Defoe’s penalty woes are a distant worry for ­England, with the World Cup finals in mind.

“I haven’t told Jermain yet but I will have a word with him,” said Redknapp. “He would want to carry on because he loves scoring goals. You know what he’s like. But the one at Everton was in the 90th minute to win the game and it’s a different pressure. When you are 3-0 up, it’s easy. When you miss a couple, obviously it plays on your mind a bit. We’ll see.”

Defoe’s technique from 12 yards has been placed under scrutiny. Many of his goals in open play are the result of his powerful shooting but when he places the ball, as he often does from the spot, he can fluff his lines. “He’s a great goalscorer but his penalties haven’t been so great,” Redknapp said. “When you place them, unless you can be accurate and stick them up there like Jermaine Beckford did for Leeds against us, the keeper often goes the right way. Julian Dicks was a great penalty taker and Ray Stewart at West Ham used to smash them.

“The players practice them, they take a few after training but nothing can replicate what you do in a real game. Plenty of people can take them, like Tom or Niko. We will have to look at it.”

Redknapp revealed that Roman Pavlyuchenko had injured his groin in training morning and was a doubt for the Premier League visit of Fulham tomorrow night while Aaron Lennon remains unavailable because of his groin problem. ­Lennon has not played since the victory over West Ham United on 28 December and he has undergone a scan to get a progress update.

John Bostock has returned to Tottenham, after the League One club Brentford decided not to take up their option to extend his loan. Redknapp was asked whether the 18-year-old midfielder, who arrived at White Hart Lane from Crystal Palace in July 2008 with a big reputation, had kicked on in his development.

“Not at the moment,” Redknapp said. “He’s got terrific ability and you just hope he will do it. He can do it. Maybe I need to get him working and training with the first XI, get him in the squad a bit and see what he can do.”

Tottenham HotspurHarry RedknappDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk

• Re-arranging fixtures ‘a nightmare’, says Wenger
• Liverpool and Tottenham face major congestion

Arsène Wenger can sometimes appear a lone voice in the world of the Premier League manager, and not only because of his non-interest in horse-racing and the post-match drink. Yet the Arsenal manager spoke for the majority, and certainly those of his colleagues with a European interest in the second half of the season, when he assessed the impact of the bleak mid-winter weather.

“The fixtures are a nightmare,” said the Arsenal manager, as he looked ahead to the inevitable pile-up. “To find reasonable dates in the season is difficult. We tried everything to play last Wednesday against Bolton [when the match was snowed off] and we were glad to play on Saturday against Everton because it’s difficult to find the dates.”. All of the so-called Big Four face unenviable work-loads as they juggle the demands of domestic and European competition while Fulham and Everton, too, have progressed into the knock-out phase of the Europa League. The snow and ice, however, has ratcheted up the pressure on everyone, particularly as the domestic season is scheduled to finish early to allow Fabio Capello’s England squad extra time to prepare for the World Cup finals. The question of how to squeeze in postponed matches is vexing.

“I think the Premier League will extend the season for an extra week or so,” said the Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, whose club have been forced to postpone home games against Aston Villa and Bolton during the cold snap. “I think it is an absolute must, because games are piling up for everybody. Some of these teams are also still in the Carling Cup, the FA Cup and also in Europe and it’s going to be a nightmare for them if they don’t look to extend the season.”

Liverpool and Tottenham may rearrange their Premier League fixture at Anfield, which was postponed on Sunday, for either Tuesday or Wednesday night of next week. No final decision has yet been taken but the case is representative of the general problem. If the clubs, and the Premier League, confirm either date, it would mean Liverpool, starting with tomorrow night’s FA Cup third round replay against Reading, would face a sequence of six matches in 17 days while Tottenham would have five in 14.

“We have seen it many times when teams suddenly end up having these kind of runs and it gets difficult towards the end of the season,” said the Tottenham manager, Harry Redknapp. “It can make or break their season.”

Although the Premier League would consider accommodating domestic games on Uefa match nights, it may have reason to dread its leading clubs being involved in FA Cup replays or merely making the latter stages of the competition; the FA Cup quarter- and semi-finals clash with Premier League dates.

It was revealing to note Wenger’s reaction to Manchester United’s FA Cup third round defeat to Leeds. He remarked that at least it meant they would have a free weekend before the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Milan. Finding the space to breathe has become an obsession.

Arsène WengerArsenalHarry RedknappTottenham HotspurPremier LeagueDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk