Monday 10 September 2012

I said 4th for Spurs; if I could change it I would, will be a Europa League spot for them again!


It’s fair to say Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy has taken a risk! Sacking Harry Redknapp, who guided the club to Champions League football after arriving when they were bottom, and appointing Andre Villas-Boas whose previous Premier League experience was hardly a success. However I do believe there to be method in madness!


As great as Redknapp was for Spurs, in the really big games, his side went missing and given his age, he was always going to be a short-term fix. Villas-Boas on the other hand is 34 and, despite his poor spell at Chelsea, has the potential to be a great manager. It’s not going to happen overnight, Villas-Boas has brought new ideas and a new philosophy to the club, however I do believe if he is given a chance then he’ll be at Tottenham for a hell of a long time!

The loss of Luka Modric was a huge blow to Spurs; however for me they've found a like for like replacement in the classy Moussa Dembele. He can play just off the striker, but figured mostly in the centre of the park for his previous club Fulham, and will do so at White Hart Lane. Having missed out on Joao Moutinho on deadline day, Dembele needs to hit the ground running.

£15million well spent!

One thing you won’t see under Villas-Boas that you did with Redknapp is short-term fixes. Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen were added in January, both have left already. Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris and Dembele are players who could be playing at White Hart Lane in eight years time, all of whom have their best years ahead of them.

Key player- Gareth Bale. Having lost both Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart, Gareth Bale is going to have to step up and really rubber stamp his authority on games. For me he drifts in and out of football matches too much, and he, like Spurs have had a poor start to the season. The Welshman has undoubted quality and if Tottenham are to challenge for those Champions League spots then he needs to be more consistent.

More performances like the two vs Inter are needed from Bale

Prediction- 4th. When I started these predictions (before the start of the season, I’ve just been slow typing them!) I believed Tottenham would edge Chelsea out of the top four; however having seen both clubs starts I no longer feel this is the case; however will stand by my prediction, as it isn’t horrendously unlikely. It’ll take time for the Villas-Boas mentality to rub off on Spurs, and a top six finish is more realistic.

View from a fan – DanUnderwood

What would be a good season?
Qualifying for the Champions League as well as a decent FA Cup run like last year.

What would be a nightmare year?
Finishing outside the Europa League positions, this could happen considering where we were before Harry Redknapp.

Do you have the right man in charge?
Given time he is the right manager! Whether he’ll be given that is another matter.

How would you rate your transfer dealings?
I like who we’ve brought in; however we need cover at left back and go into the year with just two strikers! I don’t like the fact we sold Van Der Vaart either, whilst Modric’s exit was inevitable.

Who should we watch out for this year?
The likes of Jake Livermore and Sandro will probably get more game time considering Modric has left, and the latter is a really good player who could edge out Scott Parker.

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