Andre Villas-Boas' position as manager of the lilywhites is under severe threat after his expensively assembled side were annihilated at the Etihad last weekend. The 6-0 bashing didn't go down well with the Spurs hierarchy and even though the Portuguese tactician has come out publicly to rubbish reports of his impending sack, he'll know better than to take the Daniel Levy led Board for granted.
Today's opponents, Manchester United have not last at the Lane since 2001 and Spurs will have memories of great comeback wins home and away in the last twelve years. The red army posted their best performance of the season away in Germany in midweek when they ran out 5-0 winners at the BayArena v Sami Hyypia's Leverkusen. It was a masterclass display delivered on a night when it was needed most. Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Ryan Giggs at the very top of their game in the encounter. Nevertheless, the defending Champions will have to get back to winning ways in the League after being pegged back by Cardiff last time out in a match they should have won. No time for slip-ups anymore with Arsenal in great form and ten points ahead going into this all important cracker.
Tottenham relieved themselves of some of the pressure piled on them domestically, when on Thursday, they visited recently relegated Tromso. The 2-0 scoreline was deserved but a little flattering considering the level the opposition are in at the moment. An own goal coupled with a Moussa Dembele composed finish ensured that Spurs kept their perfect record in the competition. It was a good victory which should give them some confidence coming into this game. Well, the game had some drama as during proceedings, a Norwegian Manchester United fan, Reidar Stenersen was seen and heard taunting the Spurs manager with chants of 'You will be sacked in the morning'. It got to a head when AVB reported the matter to the UEFA Inspector who in turn instructed the security to remove the said fan from behind the Spurs bench. It was immediately obvious that Mr Stenersen, who declined to watch the match from the game from any other seat, got under the beleaguered AVB's skin. It might be ridiculous from any other person's point of view, but apart from being a coach, he is also a human being. Thin skin or thick skin, it is a matter of opinion and human nature.
Manchester United will like to get one over Villas Boas especially. He took four points from the red army last season including a first win for Spurs at Old Trafford for more than twenty years. A victory sealed by the now departed Clint Dempsey who now wears the colours of Seattle Sounders in the MLS. Anything less than three points today means that chances of retaining the EPL crown will become extremely slim. David Moyes has done well in all other competitions asides the League. Although his side is unbeaten since falling to West Brom in September, draws v Cardiff and Soton have hampered the team's chance to at least be in the top four on the League table. Victory today will not guarantee that but will at least cut the deficit to seven points.
Today's game pitches two under pressure managers against one another. Yes, they are both under pressure even if one's seems to be more than the other's. Let's hope for a great show
PREDICTED LINEUPS-
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR-
Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Chiriches, Vertonghen, Sandro, Dembele, Paulinho, Lennon, Lamela, Soldado
For Spurs, AVB continues to remain adamant that the RS9 brand will come out sparkling with time and patience. The Spanish acquisition has failed to live up to his reputation and price tag since he stepped foot on the White Hart Lane turf. Apart from rare glimpses of the talent he showed mainly at the Mestalla, he has fallen way below expectations. However, his manager still retains a lot of confidence in him and is set to field him from the start yet again. Jermaine Defoe who is exceptionally gifted and finds the net regularly, will remain on the bench in one of the most bizarre situations ever witnessed. Younnes Kaboul was like a lost sheep last weekend as Negredo, Aguero, Navas and Nasri ran rings around him with relative ease. Vlad Chirciches though untested, came in highly recommended and should prove an able partner in defence for the ever dependable Michael Dawson. The Spurs skipper was demolished in Manchester and wouldn't want another Manchester side to get the better of him again. Paulinho was very poor in midfield v Yaya Toure and Fernandinho. He has to improve considerably and try to dominate a midfield bereft of the injured Micheal Carrick.
MANCHESTER UNITED
DDG, Smalling, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Jones, Cleverley/Fellaini, Kagawa, Valencia, Roo-RVP
Moyes faces a tricky selection headache coming into this game. The likes of Nani and Shinji Kagawa are pushing for starting spots after the victory in Germany. The imminent returns of Captain Nemanja Vidic and Dutch master, Robin Van Persie should see them named in the starting eleven barring any last minute decisions. Rio Ferdinand has done his best years and form/fitness haven't be fair on him lately. The Englishman was partly at fault for Cardiff's equaliser and almost let Stefan KeiSling in on goal on Wednesday but for a fantastic Jonny Evans tackle. The overrated TC23 might feature in the absence of the very reliable Michael Carrick, Belgian giant, Marouane Fellaini has done nothing to justify his huge price tag since he arrived. Clumsy and very insipid performances are becoming increasingly worrisome. Phil Jones kept the entire Arsenal front line quiet quite remarkably a few weeks ago. Something that hasn't been achieved by many this season. The much improved England International has done exceptionally well in every position he has played this season. Alongside Ryan Giggs, he made Simon Rolfes and Lars Bender look like toddlers on Wednesday. The bionic Ryan Giggs turned 40 on Friday and will become only the 7th man to be involved in a top light game after clocking 40 if he plays any part today. On the basis of his fantastic display in midweek, he should start.....but age is not on his side and another 90 minutes might be asking for too much. Needless to say, Wayne Rooney has been the leading light in the red army camp this season. Six League goals might not be enough to prove the statement right, but his all round showings have left many bewildered and very impressed. But for Ozil's classic game at Cardiff, Wazza would have been top of the assists table with 5 (StevieG and Mirallas have as many). If he comes to the Lane with his A game, nothing else matters. A win will definitely be the end result for the red devils. Michael Carrick is still out and has been sorely missed. United's best midfielder by a country mile will miss the game against his former club because of an Achilles problem. Without him, the centre of the pitch was like a see saw for MUFC at Cardiff but inexplicably, against the more fancied Bayer, it thrived like never before. With Paulinho, Sandro and Dembele ready to dominate, it will be an uphill task for anyone Moyes chooses to replace Carrick.
Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990
