After Deflating Loss, Tottenham Must Turn the Page Quickly

André Villas-Boas’ managerial career in England, to put it simply, has not gone as planned. His entrance to the world’s best league came after unprecedented success with FC Porto at a relatively young age for a top flight manager. But things quickly went awry. In his brief stay at Chelsea, he guided the club to their lowest finish in the league in a decade. Unfortunately, he was not able to see out the capitulation, nor was he given the chance to right the ship, when in March of last year he was removed from his post. A combination of former player and assistant Roberto Di Matteo, Didier Drogba, and inexplicable fortune conspired to salvage their campaign when Chelsea secured Champions League glory in Munich last May. It is difficult to draw any personal positives from AVB’s time at Stamford Bridge. Despite the disappointment, he landed on his feet a few months later across the capital.

AVB, in a perplexed state during his time at Chelsea

While scepticism abounds after the Chelsea failure, it is thought by many that AVB is a much better fit at Spurs. For in North London is a younger squad which is seemingly tailored to his style of play. At his disposal are an athletic back 4 which are able to keep his preferred high-line defensive method, play-making midfielders, pacey wide players, and two distinctly-skilled strikers. The squad, although not complete, is diverse, young, and flexible. In short, they are a team ready to be guided to the top, or near it. Yet after 3 straight defeats, including one at the hands of their bitter rivals, AVB’s men find themselves 6 points and 4 spots off the coveted top 4. What’s gone wrong?

Factions of the media, and perhaps some Tottenham supporters too, might place the blame at the feet of the man himself. One year ago, the team he led into a world of trouble finished runners-up the year prior. Similarly, the Tottenham team he now coaches finished 4^th last season, or 4 spots better than their current standing. The evidence is damning and it is easy to see that conclusions, however prematurely, could be drawn about AVB’s coaching ability.

A closer look reveals that linking his Chelsea woes to his current problems at Spurs is hasty and unfair. Aside from the pattern in results, it is impossible to compare the two campaigns. As far as bosses go, Roman Abramovich and Daniel Levy starkly contrast.  Abramovich is a billionaire who operates his club as a hobby. Seemingly, his only goal in running Chelsea is to win all of the time. He has no interest in long term projects or building a team for the future.  He wants winners now, and he will want them again in the future.  

Spurs are a different proposition. Upon landing the job, Villas-Boas received conservative financial backing from Levy, who operates the club as an emerging business. Tottenham Hotspur are more of a work in progress, and a manager will be afforded the time to mould the squad to a new playing style which will benefit the long-term health of the team. Even so, there are expectations in North London. These days, a Spurs manager is judged both by his ability to finish in the top 4 of the premier league and his record against rival Arsenal. Because of Harry Redknapp’s two 4^th place finishes in 3 years and relative success in North London Derbies, AVB has his work cut out for him. That makes his current standing, 8^th in the table and coming off a bad defeat against Arsenal, all the more precarious. How has it happened?

Spurs miss the leadership of current club ambassador, Ledley King

First, it is important to note the difference in personnel at Tottenham from year to year. Gone from last year’s 4^th place team are Luka Modrić, Rafael Van der Vaart, and Ledley King. Whilst quality players arrived in the summer, the influence those 3 impressed upon last year’s success cannot be overstated; they are world-class talents not easily replaced. To compound matters, the squad has been heavily bit by the injury bug. Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assout-Ekotto, Scott Parker, Mousa Dembélé, and Emmaunuel Adebayor have all missed significant time due to various injuries. From last year’s first 11, only Brad Friedel, Kyle Walker, Sandro, Aaron Lennon, and Gareth Bale have featured regularly. Of the new signings, only Dembélé and more recently, Hugo Lloris have performed well. The silver lining is that many of the injured players are nearing returns and all should be back by Christmas. Further, proven players like Gylfi Sigurðsson and Clint Dempsey can reasonably be expected to regain the form that warranted their transfers over the summer.

It all changed so quickly for Adebayor. From hero…

Another promising sign for Spurs fans is an increasing willingness from their manager to employ whichever tactics and formations are necessary to earn a positive result. A common criticism of AVB during his time at Chelsea was a perceived stubbornness in sticking to a tactical high-line of defence when it did not suit his players or a strict adherence to some form of a 4-3-3 system which only left room for one centre forward. There have been lingering concerns that he has maintained this stubbornness at his new club. In a move which should allay those fears, it appears his persistence with Brad Friedel has come to an end and Hugo Lloris should continue to thrive under AVB’s trust. He was excellent in the Europa League match at Lazio, and it seems that the more he plays, the better he and the team will be for it. Also encouraging, Villas-Boas has not relied exclusively on a lone-striker formation. In recent weeks, Villas-Boas has employed a two striker system when it suited the team. At home against NK Maribor, it worked to perfection as Adebayor perfectly held-up and created play as necessary and Jermaine Defoe was clinical in bagging a hat-trick. They looked to be off to a similar start at Arsenal last weekend. The attacking 4 of Adebayor, Defoe, Bale, and Lennon looked threatening at the Emirates, and led 1-0 within 10 minutes. A few minutes later, as an Aaron Lennon drive drifted just wide, Spurs were on the front foot and AVB’s tactical move appeared to be correct. But it all changed in a devastating blink of an eye, when Adebayor tackled Santi Cazorla inexplicably high and earned a straight red card for his efforts. In a flash the pendulum had fully swung, and the outcome of the match was inevitable. That is how AVB’s men have found themselves in their current position. Now, how to get out of it?

…to villain, with two opposing kicks of the boot.

We will know a lot more about AVB’s abilities in the coming months. The return of Dembélé and the emergence of Tom Carroll will provide him with alternative options to  the ineffective Dempsey and Sigurðsson. A healthy Parker will provide badly needed leadership and Michael Dawson could be the answer to William Gallas' poor run of form. However AVB does it, his primary concern for now is to stay within striking distance of the 4^th spot through New Year’s Day. Each match will be important. Should they win at home on Sunday against always tricky West Ham, they will leap-frog one of the sides currently sitting above them in the table. That will be the perfect start to the proposed turnaround and with Liverpool's mid-week visit looming, it feels like a requirement. AVB will do exceptionally well if he is able to navigate the forthcoming 10 league fixtures, the first 3 of which will be without the services of the suspended Adebayor, whilst keeping Spurs within 5 points of 4^th. As players return from injury, he will have a clear idea of the areas in the squad which will require strengthening in January. It seems an attacking midfielder and another striker will be necessary. The position in the table will also dictate the sort of player Spurs can realistically pursue.

As deflating as the loss to Arsenal was for Tottenham, it does not have to be season defining. Through the muck there are promising signs, and the significance of the coming onslaught of matches does not seem to be lost on their manager. He has it all to prove, and Spurs fans will hope AVB rises to the occasion. I happen to think he is the right man for the job.

Tottenham Season Approaches Pivotal Moment

Part and parcel of managing a top-4 quality side in the English Premier League is receiving inordinate praise or criticism, depending on your recent run of form. As fickle as life in English football can be, a realistic objective might be to collect equal amounts of both. But when your top-4 quality side lies in 7^th position, you will undoubtedly find yourself with greater parts ebb than flow. This is where we find Tottenham Hotspur’s latest culprit, André Villa-Boas.

A visit to the Etihad Stadium is rarely an enjoyable journey for the away team. Under ordinary circumstances, not a lot can be expected from such a fixture. The nouveau riche are the defending champions of the league and have yet to lose a game this campaign. But going into the weekend, the mood was not ordinary. Manchester City’s latest European disappointment which has painted the overriding theme of their early season suggested it was conceivable that Spurs were capable of earning a result. Tottenham’s inexplicable home defeat to lowly Wigan a week prior suggested they may have needed it. Villas-Boas has already proven he is capable of taking points in Manchester.  After victory at Old Trafford, he was characterised as savvy and a manager on the rise. After losing the lead and eventually the match on the light blue side of town last Sunday, he is young and inferior.

It is a testament to the capriciousness of the vaunted British media that just days after publishing an article entitled Roberto Mancini’s three at the back for Manchester City lacks logic, the very same, and even highly-respected publication would criticise Villas-Boas for failing to cope with that same system. “The Portuguese, whose calling card is supposedly modern football thought and slick tactical awareness, was outsmarted by Mancini, who switched to the 3-5-2 system he developed during the summer.” Certainly, a contingent of Tottenham supporters, no more forgiving than the Guardian, will be of similar opinion. For, as far as they can see, Tottenham are losing. This is an injustice which cannot go unnoticed. Someone must be booed!

The Tottenham head coach brings a style which is wholly un-British to the Tottenham bench, in dress, character, and in play. This is a forgivable offense when the team are winning. But on the back of two losses and a 7^th place standing, the admirable enthusiasm on the touchline turns to fidgety antics, the tactical progressiveness turns to youthful inexperience, and even the classy and bespoke deportment turns to juvenile arrogance and haughtiness personified.

As ruthless and variable as the press will always be, there typically is not smoke without fire. Make no mistake, Tottenham have performed poorly in recent weeks and the manager should shoulder his fair share of the blame. His persistence with Brad Friedel is odd when Hugo Lloris, a younger and more talented keeper in need of Premier League experience, remains on the bench. Another American who puzzlingly remains in AVB's starting eleven is Clint Dempsey. Dempsey should be commended for his work rate and positional awareness. These skills have led to two match-deciding goals in recent weeks. But he is limited. For all of his craft, an away match to the league champions may not be the stage for him, and certainly not if he is to occupy one of most important positions in the eleven.

His inclusion, more than Emmanuel Adebayor's, brings about the decision to drop Jermaine Defoe. Fresh off a mid-week European hat-trick, Defoe has, perhaps surpisingly, proven himself to be a vital cog in the AVB-machine. His inclusion in the starting 11 has been automatic since August. A more discerning look might reveal that between the two, Adebayor was the obvious choice in this match, and an attacking midfielder who will defend was just as necessary. Adebayor is a more complete striker and his hold-up play can be the difference in a difficult away match. In fact, it nearly was. Nowhere was his influence more noticeable and impressive than his mazy run in the 24^th minute which ended in a delightful backheel to Tom Huddlestone who unleashed a devastating strike just wide. If Huddlestone scores, a fragile City are faced with a 2 goal deficit, as it were. Defoe, finding himself in a similar position, most probably would have clattered a shot against the shins of Vincent Kompany. Defoe is a fantastic goal-scorer; he is not a hold-up striker. Some might say a two-striker system would have been more useful. That is the case for, say, Wigan or Maribor at home. But it would be foolish in a match such as City away. The decision to drop Defoe was the right one.

As disappointing as it is to lose a lead, there was a feeling of inevitability regarding the outcome. This had much less to do with any perceived tactical astuteness advantage for Mancini, and much more to do with club investment. While Spurs boast an impressive squad, very few in the world can match the quality of Manchester City’s, and even fewer can match their spending power.

If an away loss to one of the world’s richest club’s is excusable, late capitulations at White Hart Lane to West Brom, Norwich, and the aforementioned home defeat at the hands of Wigan are not. AVB and his squad both have weaknesses. While January might offer the chance for player reinforcement, Spurs must be sure to remain within striking distance of the all-important 4^th spot in the table by that time. Compuounding AVB's troubles is the club's injury list. The physio room at the new state-of-the-art training center along Hotspur Way is crowded. Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assout-Ekotto, Scott Parker, and perhaps most importantly, Mousa Dembélé, are sorely missed, and the sooner they return the better.

But all is not lost for Spurs. If there is any consolation to be had from a 7^th place position, it is that bitter rivals Arsenal are one point behind in 8^th, which makes the coming weekend’s North London Derby all the more intriguing. It has been said that championships cannot be won in the first part of season, but they can be lost. The same could go for a 4^th place finish, which will remain a battle just as fiercely fought as the one at the top. Last year’s corresponding fixture was a turning point for both teams. Spurs fans would rather forget it, and they will hope for a much better result this year. If Dembélé is fit, their chances will drastically improve. His unique ability to run at the opposition, whether in possession or defending, makes him an invaluable member of AVB’s squad. His power and pace allow him to occupy the advanced midfielder role taken up lately by Dempsey. Perhaps more usefully, he can lie deeper alongside the stellar Sandro, where the pair would be expected to disrupt Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla’s attacking impetus. His presence could even allow Villas-Boas to deploy a two striker system. Here, Adebayor would line up behind Defoe and orchestrate from higher up the pitch, a spot from which Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurðsson have failed to deliver thus far. No matter his position, Spurs are much stronger with Dembélé, and they will hope he is fit enough to feature against Arsenal.

The one certainty going into the match is that on the other side, Villas-Boas and Arsène Wenger will receive a disproportionate amount of praise or blame. For Spurs fans’ part, they must keep their heads. No matter the result, their best response will include supporting for their manager and team. From there, they can hope that chairman Daniel Levy will do the same come January, in the form of player investment.