Why AVB has it harder at Spurs then the media favourite Redknapp ever did

Last weekend saw Harry Redknapp face his former employees for the first time since his questionable sacking in the summer. Under Redknapp Tottenham had their best four years of Premier League football, peaking at Champions League qualification in 2010, however if Andre Vilas-Boas was to bring Europe’s elite competition back to White Hart Lane, then it’d surpass Redknapp’s achievement.

Not for one second am I suggesting ‘Arry’ didn’t do an amazing job at Spurs, that isn’t in question. When he took charge back in 2008 the club were adrift at the bottom of the league after picking up just two points from eight games and in 24 months were facing the likes of Inter Milan and Werder Bremen in the Champions League.

AVB's Spurs rescued a late point against Manchester United on Sunday

What am I saying is everything was in piece for Redknapp to succeed at Tottenham. He had the core of a very good squad in the form of Luka Modric, Michael Dawson, Aaron Lennon and the then underused Gareth Bale. During his tenure the transfer windows were all about who he was going to add, with none of the departures against Redknapp’s wishes. In Andre Vilas-Boas’s first transfer window he lost two world-class players in Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart.

Vilas-Boas hardly arrived at White Hart Lane with a glowing CV in English football following his dismissal from Chelsea just seven monthsinto a five year deal. For me he arrived at Chelsea at the wrong time, and his timing at Tottenham was even worse if anything. Whoever followed Redknapp was always going to be under extreme pressure. Not many saw the former Portsmouth manager’s dismissal coming, leaving fans and pundits alike confused.

And following just two points from their opening three games, including 1-1 home draws with the likes of Norwich and West Brom, the White Hart Lane faithful were growing restless very early on. However much to his credit, Vilas-Boas has turned it around! Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League and even have a better points return from the same fixtures as last year.

The pressure was heavily on Vilas-Boas following their 1-1 draw with Norwich

One thing Redknapp has always had is he is loved by the media. AVB can’t say the same. Ridiculed for his job at Chelsea, and not given the respect he deserved for his amazing season with Porto. Going into the game at Old Trafford, a tabloid printed a piece suggesting there was ‘choas’ at White Hart Lane, with all the star players not liking the new manager in charge. Subsequently Tottenham went to Old Trafford and stunned the hosts winning 3-2, something Spurs haven’t done since Gary Lineker and go back in 1991. The majority of the players at the end of the game hugged their manager, and clearly want to play for the ‘gaffer’ as Gareth Bale said at the end of the game.

Despite having a return of just 0.25 points per match from their first eight games, Spurs were never going to be relegated the year ‘Arry’ took over, they had too much quality, meaning there was only one direction for them, up! Champions League qualification the very next year however was beyond their expectations, but they didn’t have to fight off the sort of quality that exists currently in the Premier League.

You could easily suggest that eight teams can realistically challenge for Champions League football, whilst only six could in the 09/10 season. The two that missed out on the top four where Manchester City and Liverpool. City weren’t the machine they are now; whilst Liverpool were on the start of their heavy slide which saw them slip from 2^nd the previous season to 6^th and even lower since.

With both Manchester clubs seeming to have a stranglehold on the top two, realistically there is only two spots left, and with Chelsea favourites for third, meaning it’s likely if Vilas-Boas is to qualify for the Champions League, he’ll have to do something no Spurs manager has done in Premier League history, finish above their London rivals Arsenal!

Tactically Redknapp has always been questioned, and there are signs that Vilas-Boas has already answered a few questions that were asked last year. Tottenham struggled when playing both Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermaine Defoe in a 4-4-2 last season, with Redknapp often leaving Defoe on the bench, often hinting the two couldn’t play together. Yet Spurs’ recent fun of good form (seven wins in nine over Christmas), started when AVB changed from 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2, with Defoe in particular in fantastic form this season.

Having conceded a ridiculous amount of late goals in the earlier stages of the season, Tottenham appear to have stopped that rot and are defensively much stronger than at any previous point so far, meaning they’ve given themselves a very good platform to qualify for the Champions League for only the second time, and if they are to do so, I wonder if AVB will get the credit that Redknapp did for the same achievement? 

Premier League Tips

Last weekend's returns - Loss of £2.04
Overall returns - Profit of £12.32

Weekend accumulators:
Winners: Arsenal, Reading, Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle. Fiver returns £117.73

Goals Galore: Arsenal, Reading, Wigan, Everton and Southampton. Fiver returns £60.24

Saturday 27th October

Aston Villa vs. Norwich
Saturday's early kick off see's Paul Lambert come up against Norwich for the first time since leaving the club in the summer. It's fair to say the way Lambert departed Carrow Road has left a bittersweet taste in the mouths of the Norwich fans despite the amazing work he did with the club in the three years he was there.

Aston Villa are slowly getting there under Lambert, and drastic change was never going to happen overnight. Norwich were superb in their surprise victory of Arsenal last week, and will have to be as good if they are to register their first away win of the season on the weekend.

I don't fancy many goals at Villa Park, however Lambert should get revenge over his former employers in a narrow victory.

Aston Villa 1 Norwich 0 - 8/1 with Betvictor - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Under 2.5 goals - 13/12 with 188bet. - Returns of £10.41
Aston Villa to score first - 4/6 with Ladbrokes - Returns of £8.33
Darren Bent to score and Aston Villa to win - 13/5 with BlueSquare - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £1.46

Arsenal vs. QPR
Back to back defeats for Arsenal have turned a promising start into an average one. Mark Hughes and QPR would've settled for an average start, and after eight Premier league games they are winless and bottom of the pile.

Against the bigger sides this year QPR have competed well, earning home points against the likes of Chelsea and Everton, but away from home they've been poor since their return to the top flight. Arsenal need a win to keep in touch with those above them, and three points aren't a given especially when you consider they've dropped five points at the Emirates already this year.

On their day Arsenal can beat anyone, and they should have too much for a disjointed QPR at home on Saturday.

Arsenal 3 QPR 1 - 11/1 with Stan James - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Over 2.5 goals - 1/2 with Paddy Power - Lose a fiver
Thomas Vermaelen anytime goal scorer - 6/1 with Ladbrokes - Lose a fiver
Both teams to score - 4/5 with Skybet - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £20

Reading vs. Fulham
After seven win less games, at home to Fulham is a must win match for Brian McDermott and his Reading side. Fulham were very patient in their win against Aston Villa on the weekend, and despite dominating the game had to wait until the 84th minute for their winner.

The Championship winners are in need of their first three points of the season

Reading have improved over their last three games, and were unfortunate not to beat both Newcastle and Swansea, so back them to register their first win of the campaign here.

Reading 2 Fulham 1 - 11/1 with Betfred - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Both teams to score - 4/6 with Bluesquare - Returns of £8.33
Reading to win - 17/9 with Pinnacle - Lose a fiver
Pavel Pogrenyak anytime goal scorer - 5/2 with bwin - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £11.67

Stoke City vs. Sunderland
The game at the Britannia see's the battle of the draw masters. Between them they've drawn 10 out of 15 Premier league matches, so it's safe to say the draw is the bet I've gone with here.

The additions of Charlie Adam and Steven N'Zonzi have brought an extra bit of quality to the Stoke midfield and if either side are to win it'll probably be Stoke given their impressive home record; however I can't separate these two sides.

Stoke City 1 Sunderland 1 - 6/1 with Betfred - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
First team booking Stoke - 5/4 with bet365 - Returns of £11.25
Draw - 12/5 with Skybet - Returns of £17
Both teams to score - 21/20 with Coral - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Profit £8.25

Wigan vs West Ham
Another borderline decision went against Wigan on the weekend, with Arouna Kone's header ruled out for offside, with replays suggesting the Ivorian striker was onside. If the correct decision was made then Roberto Martinez's side would've had all the momentum heading into the final 15 minutes of their game with Swansea, however the Welsh side managed to prevent a Wigan equaliser.

West Ham impressed again last weekend, and they were extremely clinical at home to Southampton in a 4-1 win. Sam Allardyce's side head to Wigan in form and full of confidence, and an away win could be on the cards.

Wigan 1 West Ham 2 - 11/1 with Totesport - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Both teams to score - 4/6 with Ladbrokes - Returns of £8.33
Andy Carroll anytime goal scorer - 9/4 with Stan James - Lose a fiver
Draw or West Ham - 4/7 with Skybet - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £11.67

Manchester City vs. Swansea
Manchester City will be wanting to put their Champions league nightmare behind them in the form of a fourth consecutive Premier league victory. Swansea had struggled since their early victories, but their 2-1 win over Wigan was a huge one for the club.

Mancini has said City need a miracle to progress from their Champions league group

Roberto Mancini's side will have too much for Swansea at the Ethiad and will win comfortably.

Manchester City 3 Swansea 0 - 15/2 with Bet Victor - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Sergio Aguero to score and Manchester City to win - 6/5 with Ladbrokes - Lose a fiver
Over 2.5 goals - 11/21 with Betfair - Lose a fiver
Manchester City to win to nil - 12/8 with Skybet - Returns of £12.50

Match returns - Loss of £7.50

Sunday 28th October

Everton vs. Liverpool
The first Merseyside derby of the season comes along with both teams finding their best form of the year. Everton have lost just the once in the league this campaign and have made their best start to a season since 2004/05. Liverpool are unbeaten in three Premier league matches, their best run of the season, collecting seven points from nine.

Gerrard with his match ball after Liverpool's 3-0 derby day victory at Anfield last year

Everton don't have the best record in this derby, however I fancy them to edge it here by the narrowest of margins.

Everton 2 Liverpool 1 - 10/1 with Stan James - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Both teams to score - 8/11 with Bet 365 - Returns of £8.63
Everton - 17/10 with Betfred - Lose a fiver
A penalty to be awarded - 15/8 with Paddy Power - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £11.37

Newcastle vs. West Brom
Both of these sides conceded late leads last weekend, with West Brom eventually losing at home to the ten men of Manchester City, whilst Demba Ba scored a late own goal in the Tyne-Wear derby to help Sunderland rescue a late and probably undeserved point.

Newcastle are yet to find top gear yet this year, winning just twice in the league. West Brom's have been fantastic, and would've been disappointed to lose to City last week, just showing how far they've come under their new manager Steve Clarke.

Despite their Europa league mid-week match, I fancy Alan Pardew's side to win here.

Newcastle 2 West Brom 1 - 8/1 with Stan James - Returns of £45

Other tips:
Demba Ba anytime goalscorer - 6/4 with Coral - Returns of £12.50
Newcastle to win - 68/67 with Pinnacle - Returns of 10.07
Both teams to score - 13/19 with 32 Red - Returns of £8.42

Match returns - Profit of £55.99

Southampton vs. Tottenham
Southampton were poor last week, with their second half showing in particular not good enough, whilst Tottenham and Andre Villas-Boas was left to curse their selection problems as Spurs lost 4-2 at home to Chelsea.

One thing is for sure, there will be goals in this game. Between them they've just one league clean sheet this year, and both don't have a problem finding the net, just keeping them out.

Back Tottenham to win here in a classic.

Southampton 2 Tottenham 3 - 25/1 with Stan James - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Over 3.5 goals - 11/8 with Paddy Power - Lose a fiver
Both teams to score - 4/7 with Ladbrokes - Returns of £7.85
Jermaine Defoe anytime goal scorer - 6/4 with Boyle Sports - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Loss of £12.15

Chelsea vs. Manchester United
Neutrals will be hoping for a repeat of last year's classic encounter, as Manchester United came from three goals down to rescue a point at Stamford Bridge. But this Chelsea side is a much stronger one then the one that lost the said lead back in February.

Just two points dropped from eight games represents a brilliant start for Chelsea, however their performance in Ukraine on Tuesday wasn't up to scratch. United have scored for goals for fun this year, but also have problems at the back, and have missed their injured captain Nemanja Vidic heavily.

I can't see too much between the sides so back the draw here.

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2 - 13/1 with 188bet - Lose a fiver

Other tips:
Double chance: Draw or Manchester United - 8/15 with Paddy Power - Returns of £7.67
A red card to be awarded - 17/10 - Returns of £13.50
Manchester United HT/ Draw FT- 14/1 with Sporting Bet - Lose a fiver

Match returns - Profit of £1.17

Weekend returns - Down £20.41
Overall returns - Down £8.09

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- 4^th. 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.

Spurs 1 Manchester United 3 – The Autopsy

Yesterday was another perfect example of Manchester United winning when not at their best. For long periods of the match, predominately the opening hour, Spurs dominated; however lacked a clinical threat that United had in abundance.

Team Selection

Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad selection had no surprise element about it, with Wayne Rooney returning after missing the last two United games. Jonny Evans partnered Rio Ferdinand in the heart of the defence, which meant Phil Jones was again shafted out to right back, which I’m sure was a much more attractive role given the fact Gareth Bale missed the match.

Young follows United trend of not being at their best but producing the goods.

Like United, Ashley Young failed to exert himself on the game in the early proceedings; however in the second half the former Villa man took his two goals excellently, with the second in particular a brilliant finish.

Though Kyle Walker didn’t cover himself in glory for any of the United goals; during the match he kept Young quiet out on the wing. For me Young is at his best in the middle, just of the striker; however when you’ve got a certain Rooney whose up there with the best in the world in the number 10 role, Young will, in all likelihood, always have to settle for a place on the wing, meaning he is less effective. The goal that put the game to bed illustrated perfectly how good Young is given space in the middle of the park, with his curling effort giving Brad Friedel no chance in the Spurs goal.

Having dipped in form over the last few months, United fans will hope his two goals at White Hart Lane can help Young reproduce the form he showed at the start of the season.

Fortune favoured the Reds.

I’m going to come out and say it, yesterday we were a little fortunate. Numerous things combined to ensure we won the match. Tottenham were without three key players in Scott Parker, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Bale, all of whom would’ve made keeping Spurs at bay a harder task. Secondly Emmaneul Adebayor was perhaps unfortunate to see his strike, at 0-0 and a key stage of the game, ruled out as the former City striker couldn’t really get out of the way. Harry Redknapp’s side did dominate the first half, and despite playing their best player in Luka Modric out wide, Tottenham controlled the ball well and despite falling to create a host of chances were the better side, and for us to head in at half time ahead was very much a case of daylight robbery.

Rooney goal return in the big games

Yet again in a game against the top sides Rooney produced the goods with the all important opening goal. Against the other six of the top seven sides this season (not including the two goals he scored in the FA Cup win at Manchester City) Rooney has scored a brilliant 10 goals in 11 games. (2 vs. Spurs, 3 vs. Arsenal, 3 vs. Chelsea and 2 vs. Liverpool)

Rooney scored the all important opening goal in the win on Sunday and was a consistent threat throughout the match, dropping deep as ever and finding space in between the Tottenham defence and midfield with ease. Manchester United and Rooney in particular benefited from Scott Parker’s absence.

Improvement on the road.

Due to our rivals’ inability to sustain the pressure on us last year, we were allowed to only pick up a pitiful 25 points on our travels the whole year. This season however has been in complete contrast to last year, with our away form the best in the Premier League, with 33 points and just the one defeat to our name.

Last season we conceded goals for fun, and despite the injured Nemanja Vidic, we’ve improved incredibly and have only leaked 12 goals away from Old Trafford. Those doubting Ferdinand’s form at the start of the season have quietened over recent weeks as the former England captain has more then stepped up to the responsibility of being the leader at the back due to the absence of the aforementioned Vidic.

Run in

Manchester United have now picked up an impressive 19 points from 21 since the 3-0 defeat away to Newcastle, and when you consider the fact we’ve travelled to Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Norwich in that run, the points tally is a fantastic achievement.

Having played all the sides towards the top of the table, bar the derby at Eastlands on the 22^nd April, our run in on paper looks slightly favourable then Manchester City’s, with Roberto Mancini’s side set to face Arsenal and Chelsea in the next few weeks. 

Is the 20th title on the horizon?

Following Manchester City’s timely defeat away at Everton on Tuesday evening, I’m going to evaluate if we (if you hadn’t realised from the title, I’m a United fan) can really edge out our city rivals for another Premier League title.

Form, pressure and know how.

How many times are we going to hear it? Manchester United weren’t at their best yet still won. Well minus the first five league games, we haven’t been at our best ALL season. Yet time and time again Sir Alex’s side edge out a victory, a sign of champions.

Taking my red hat off for a minute, I can appreciate how good Manchester City have been this season, I’d even go as far as saying Barca-Esq. But for me their inability to win when having an off day will haunt them. Take this week for the perfect example. We were poor away to Everton earlier on in the season, yet we secured a valuable 1-0 away win against a good Everton side; yet City couldn’t.

For now I’m going to rule the usual candidates of Arsenal and Chelsea out of the title race; they aren’t good enough. But for me their London rivals Spurs are more then in the hunt for the Premier League. Their midfield compares and even betters everything in the league for me! I do feel they will fall short though, a main reason being their lack of players who have been in this position before with only Scott Parker and William Gallas lifting the Barclays Premier League title, both during their time at Chelsea.

Manchester United 9/10

Manchester City 8/10

Tottenham 7/10

The fixture list (written before weekends action)

Looking at the fixture list, the remaining games ensure City are favourites. With the crucial games highlighted below, Roberto Mancini’s side have just three of the ‘big six’ to play, with two of them at the fortress that is Eastlands. In comparison to Manchester United and Tottenham who have four games against the big boys, with three of those on their travels.

Crucial matches

Chelsea vs Manchester United (05/02/12)

Liverpool vs Tottenham (06/02/12)

Manchester United vs Liverpool (11/02/12)

Arsenal vs Tottenham (26/02/12)

Tottenham vs Manchester United (04/03/12)

Manchester City vs Chelsea (19/03/12)

Chelsea vs Tottenham (24/03/12)

Arsenal vs Manchester City (07/04/12)

Manchester City vs Manchester United (28/04/12)

Manchester United 6/10

Manchester City 8/10

Tottenham 6/10

Squads

The departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez for me exposed our lack of a creative midfielder; because with them two plus Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney, usually we wouldn’t need one, because at most times we had four match winners on the field.

Paul Scholes’s return is as inspired as is it desperate. His know how can only be a good thing for the likes of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, who despite his tender age, has been missed in the heart of United’s midfield. All the pluses aside with the move to recall Scholes, I feel Sir Alex recognizes the need to add creativity in the middle of the park. The F.A Cup defeat at Liverpool only highlighted that further, as 65% possession at Anfield wasn’t converted into chances or goals.

City and Spurs both let players go in the January transfer window, which confirmed how good their strength in depth is. City have an incredible array of talent available and their squad is the best of the three (So strong in fact they felt obliged to lend Spurs Emmanuel Adebayor.)  Tottenham’s midfield, like I touched apon before is incredibly strong; however their defence is always liable to concede a goal.

Manchester United 8/10

Manchester City 9/10

Tottenham 8/10

Injuries and suspensions

I’m sure every fan has at least bemoaned their injury list this season; however Manchester United fans can do so with great evidence. Nemanja Vidic, Nani, Rooney, Cleverley, Welbeck, Javier Hernandez, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones have all at least faced a month of the 2011/12 season on the sidelines.

Manchester City’s real problem has been in the treatment room, more of international duty and suspensions. The Toure brothers have both been away with the Ivory Coast at the current African Cup of Nations whilst Mario Balotelli and Vincent Kompany landed themselves in hot water with four match bans respectively. Spurs have been fortunate on the injury count, because when injuries have occurred they have only been minor ones ruling their players out for only short periods.

Manchester United 7/10

Manchester City 7/10

Tottenham 8/10

Managers

It’s fair to say Sir Alex Ferguson has been there, done it and got the T-Shirt. 12 Premier League Titles is an unbelievable haul, and I feel if he was in charge of any of the top five teams last season he would’ve guided them to Premier League success, that’s how much of a difference he makes. He’s seen off every manager whose challenged him, with the current duo the latest crop of managers to have a go. And if Manchester United are to win the league, he’ll be the reason why!

Roberto Mancini has won three Serie A titles with Inter Milan and has done a very good job with Manchester City. Over recent weeks he has shown signs of crumbling under the pressure (Admitting he thought it would be ‘easier’ to win at Everton just one example) and with the pressure firmly on City for the amount they’ve spent, only time will tell if they crumble.

For Harry Redknapp this is the first time he has been in a Premier League title race and with just one F.A Cup title to his name, his lack of experience in the hunt for the ultimate price can be questioned. Following their 2-0 victory over Everton he came out and stated his side could win the league, which put pressure on his side before their 1-1 home disappointing draw with Wolves, before claiming after the game he’d be ‘over the moon with a top four finish.’ Alex Ferguson is the master at taking the pressure away from his side, something Redknapp failed to do there. However don’t get me wrong, what Redknapp has done at Tottenham rivals anything in the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson 10/10

Roberto Mancini 8/10

Harry Redknapp 7/10

Overall

Manchester United 40/50

Manchester City 40/50

Tottenham 36/50

At this current stage of the season I really can’t call whether we will make it 20 League titles or ‘the noisy neighbours’ will win the league. One thing for sure, I can’t wait to see it’s conclusion.