Spurs are up next for Manchester United in this coming Saturday’s evening kick-off. Andre Villas-Boas’s side have a wretched record against United in the League and a dreadful one at Old Trafford where the last time they won – back in 1989 – Gary Lineker bagged their winner under Terry Venables.
What chance then do Spurs have this weekend?
For starters they should go into the game confident after winning their last two league matches. In truth AVB’s boys were a tad unlucky to draw their first two games at home to West Brom and Norwich City, conceding two late goals to drop four precious points.
Mind you they were indebted to Brad Friedel for going home with anything in both of those games at White Hart Lane after the American made some spectacular saves to show that despite the signing of France captain Hugo Lloris that he is still a force to reckonened with in the Premier League.
Friedel has enjoyed many great battles against United in the past most notably during his time at Blackburn Rovers where time and time again he would frustrate the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo to such an extent that you just felt it was going to be ‘one of those days’ in front of goal. You will always have to work hard to beat the veteran American.
Defensively despite the loss of Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Spurs look like a team who if they can get on a roll will be hard to break down. Under Villas-Boas they lack the fluency that Harry Redknapp’s team had and with William Gallas back to full-fitness and Belgian Jan Vertonghen looking like he’s played in the division for years the foundations at the back are good.
In midfield not even the most biased Arsenal fan can deny that Spurs have genuine talent and power in midfield. Sandro has started the season well and the additions of Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey from Fulham could prove to be pivotal in the London-side’s pursuit of Champions League football this year.
Dembele gave United the run-around at Old Trafford last month. Despite being able to play out-wide he has grown to become a very-confident holding central midfielder who can tackle and build attacks, either by dribbling with the ball at speed or finding the right pass. Dempsey is just coming back to full-fitness after skipping pre-season and he cannot be ignored either.
Gareth Bale has now been pushed to the wing and with him in an advanced role, Spurs are only going to be more dangerous going forward. Gyffi Sigurdsson despite not playing the full 90 minutes once for Spurs in the League has started well too. He may not have scored yet but his passing skills are there for all to see and he compliments Dembele well.
Up top Jermain Defoe has been on fire this season scoring 6 goals already this season including strikes for England against Italy and Moldova. After always being the striker who had to make way under Redknapp, Villas-Boas has made him his main-man, partly due to his failure to sign Emmanuel Adebayor earlier and the fact the Togolese forward has been injured.
However that hasn’t bothered Defoe who has proved that he can play up-top on his own. He is a proven finisher and has taken his chance well this season and will go into Saturday’s game confident of troubling United’s centre-backs who can be got at.
In the end you would still back United this weekend. After all Spurs have come to Old Trafford in the past on the back of good-runs with better teams and rolled over. Last year they outplayed United in the first-half before crumbling after Danny Welbeck’s goal. Don’t expect the game this weekend to be an easy one.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
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