Why AVB is a good thing for Spurs

For all the flaws surrounding the character of Andre Villas-Boas brought about by his unsuccessful stint at Chelsea, Spurs fans know they’re getting a manager who at least will never second guess himself when it comes to decisions regarding tactics. The Portuguese’s rise to prominence in the profession was pretty much solely down to his tactical understanding of the game and the resolute faith he has in the philosophies he implemented at Porto, and tried to implement at Chelsea. OK they didn’t work at Chelsea but that was just as much down to the reluctance of senior squad players to adapt to his playing style as it was anything else.

Spurs is just a better fit all-round. Their best players are young and versatile and it looks like resources are gonna be made available for AVB to mould Tottenham exactly the way he wants to. The one thing he’ll be looking for though is legitimate reassurances that he’ll have time and support to get things right and not just be fed hollow promises and given up on when times get rough. That may be one area where the Spurs fans have an edge over the Blues – having not been spoilt by success over recent times, maybe they’ll be able to maintain a more rational view of what’s best for their club in the long-term, should things briefly go wrong next season.     

Of all the brilliant work that Harry Redknapp did for Spurs in his time there, his need team never really showed much tactical versatility, with bad runs of results often directly following any injuries or dips in form of key first XI players. One thing Villas-Boas is certain to do is make Tottenham stronger in dealing with setbacks like this, by ensuring every player is competent enough to play a part and serve a role in his favoured 4-3-3 formation. Already, the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson is clear indication that Spurs’ midfield play is in for a needed re-vamp this summer; with the talent they already have plus the names rumoured to be targeted by the club, it’s unlikely we’ll see any repeats of the performances where the likes of Modric and Sandro were wasted in deep positions and where every attack was so heavily reliant on width.

It’s ironic that Villas-Boas now faces the challenge of trying to keep the player he tried so desperately sign last summer in Luka Modric. With Joao Moutinho being touted as a prospective replacement however, I think it’s safe to say whether they retain Modric or not, Tottenham will be on the up with Villas-Boas as Head Coach. 

Matthew Clark

For more Football Blogs and opinion from football fans around the world