Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 1

Always expect the unexpected with Spurs.  Needing a win at Villa Park they managed to come back from a goal down to equalise with only ten men but with Villa content with a point and so lacking in ambition, Spurs should have gone on to win and move above Arsenal in the race for third.  Now it's all down to next week and Spurs getting a better result than their near neighbours and Newcastle.

Aston Villa 1  Tottenham 1

Scorers: Clark                          Adebayor (pen)  

Team: Friedel; Walker, Gallas, Kaboul, Rose; Lennon, Sandro, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart (Parker); Adebayor  Subs: (unused) Cudicini, Nelsen, Livermore, Defoe, Giovani, Saha

Spurs started with the same team for the third match in a row and were the more confident side in the opening period.  Scott Parker returned from injury to take King's place among the substitutes.  Spurs knew that a win would take them above Arsenal into third place with the final placings in their own hands next week against Fulham.

An early Villa corner came when Danny Rose got a block on a shot by N'Zogbia but Spurs were comfortable while the home team exerted some early pressure.  Then with Spurs moving forward quickly in attack Emmanuel Adebayor had a good turn and shot which went wide.  Kyle Walker was unusually careless giving the ball away on three occasions and from the final one Younes Kaboul had to get back to put in a good tackle in the penalty box on Heskey.

Spurs built up the pressure on the Villa defence but they defended as if their lives depended on it with crucial blocks, tackles and clearing headers.  Following a period of pressure Walker shot over and then again Dunne put in a tackle as Gareth Bale went to cross.  On seventeen minutes Rafael Van der Vaart had a shot blocked after a good move involving Bale, Luka Modric and Adebayor set him up. 

Villa won a corner after a free-kick but Brad Friedel made a good punched clearance under pressure.  Spurs broke at speed but Vila again blocked Modric's shot and when Bale's shot was blocked Walker shot over.  A good move broke down when Adebayor was caught offside as Bale and Van der Vaart tried to play him in.  On thirty minutes a run and cross by Aaron Lennon to the back post was headed past by Bale. 

Spurs were carrying the greatest threat but Villa showed great spirit and a determined defensive display as wave after wave of Spurs attacks came at them.  Modric was blocked as he tried to get forward and then Van der Vaart shot wide from the right.

A minute later, on thirty four minutes, Clark tried a speculative strike from twenty five yards, it deflected off William Gallas' head and looped past a wrong-footed Friedel to leave Spurs stunned.  It was to be one of only two attempts on target by Villa in the whole match, Spurs had ten.

Spurs responded with a shot by Bale from Walker's cross which was well saved by Given.  A corner and header by Gallas caused problems for Villa but they got the ball away and then from a well worked short corner Modric played the ball to Kaboul who set up Van der Vaart but his shot went just past the post.  In the final minutes of the first half Villa put Spurs under some pressure but Sandro put in a strong tackle to clear the danger.  At the end of the half the goal attempts were 11 - 3 in Tottenham's favour.

With forty five minutes to save their season, Spurs started the second half looking for a goal and Bale almost got the ball through to Adebayor.  Villa defended with nine men back and following good possession Danny Rose's cross was cleared for a corner.  Then, out on the left touch line, Rose challenged two Villa players for the ball and won the ball but caught Hutton on the shin and the referee showed him a red card with forty one minutes still to play.  For the second successive season, Spurs were to finish the game at Villa Park with ten men, Jermain Defoe having been sent off last year.

After a lengthy break, when the game resumed Spurs were rather disorganised at the back and took a few minutes to settle but then from a quick free-kick Adebayor got away through the centre but his weak shot was saved when Lennon was free on the right.  Spurs then started to exert pressure on the home side and just as it looked as if Harry Redknapp was going to introduce Defoe, they got the goal they deserved from a penalty after an hour.  From a corner, Sandro collected the ball and as he ran across the area, Dunne brought him down.  Adebayor sent Given the wrong way and Spurs had half an hour to score the second goal they needed for third place in the Premier League.  The decision to play Defoe was changed and the only substitution made was replacing Van der Vaart with Parker as the game was about to enter added time.

For much of the final thirty minutes it was Spurs who pressed forward and Villa who looked as if they had ten men, the home side restricted to looking to hit Spurs on the break.  From one such situation, Friedel had to come out quickly to clear but otherwise he was untroubled. 

For all their possession Spurs didn't look like scoring, especially with Bale at left back and in the end they ran out of ideas against a packed home defence and players who were totally committed.  Spurs had 21 attempts on goal to Villa's four.

The sending off of Rose, fired up the Tottenham players - the ten men gave everything but they couldn't find that extra goal and so remain a point behind Arsenal and hand the initiative for third place back to them while also keeping Newcastle United who lost to Manchester City interested in the fight for Champions League football next season.

Having got back into the game with a goal so quickly after the red card, Spurs should have been able to go on and win against a Villa team with such limited ambition.  Once again when Spurs have an opportunity to take advantage of another team's (Arsenal's) slip-up, they fail to deliver - of such things Spurs fans have to become used to.  After a glimmer of hope following wins over Blackburn and Bolton in the previous two matches, disappointment that once again we have spurned a great opening, the results of which could define the club's future for year's to come.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Rubin Kazan 0 Europa League

Tottenham had Roman Pavlyuchenko to thank for the goal which was enough to earn the three points to take them to the top of Group A in the Europa League.  With seven points they are clear of PAOK who have five with Rubin on four.  Spurs' next match is in Russia and they know that it will be a difficult task to take anything from that encounter.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Rubin Kazan 0

                                            Scorer: Pavlyuchenko

Team: Gomes; Walker, Livermore, Bassong, Rose; Lennon (Modric), Sandro (Kaboul), Carroll, Giovani Dos Santos (Assou-Ekotto); Defoe, Pavlyuchenko.  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Kane,Townsend

SuperPav Super Strike Wins it For Tottenham

Roman Pavlyuchenko

Roman Pavlyuchenko shook off his lethargy to fire an unstoppable free-kick high into the Rubin Kazan net after thirty three minutes to win this Europa League encounter against his fellow countrymen.  From the outset Pavlyuchenko was out to show his prowess, taking the every opportunity to shoot. 

As was to be expected from a team who had Champions League experience and who had defeated Barcelona in Spain two seasons ago, Rubin Kazan came to win the match and were positive throughout, having the majority of the possession and creating opportunities to strike for goal.  The only element that was missing from their game was a coolness in front of goal as Heurelho Gomes was relatively untroubled during the first forty five minutes.

Spurs with only Kyle Walker and Jake Livermore from the starting eleven at Newcastle, had Sebastien  Bassong and Livermore in central defence so depleted is Harry Redknapp for centre backs.  Danny Rose was at left back while Sandro and Tom Carroll were in midfield with Aaron Lennon, returning from injury, and Dos Santos on the wings.  Pavlyuchenko was partnered by Jermain Defoe as strikers.

Tottenham were neat and tidy in possession but didn't really threatened on goal with the two strikers rarely working as partners.  Bassong and Livermore found it difficult to develop any understanding and were grateful for the lack of firepower from the visitors.  Lennon and Dos Santos offered little as they mostly ran themselves into trouble with Rose and Walker being left to do much of the forward running.  Carroll and Sandro worked hard in midfield to contain the quick passing Russian team.

It was from a Rose foray towards the penalty area that Spurs won a free-kick.  Centre of goal, on the edge of the 'D' Roman Pavlyuchenko hammered the ball into the top corner of the net, giving the keeper no chance.  Spurs were ahead but hardly deserving of the advantage which they held comfortably to half-time with Pavlyuchenko having another drive well saved.

In the second half Rubin Kazan increased the pressure and Spurs were reduced to defending to try to stop the flow.  Gomes was coming in to play more often and he dealt with most situations easily with only the occasional anxious moment.  As the half wore, in recognition of the threat being presented by Rubin Kazan, Harry Redknapp opted to strengthen his team to ensure the victory.  He introduced Younes Kaboul and Benoit Assou-Ekotto to defence and brought on Luka Modric in central midfield beside Carroll. 

The changes enables Spurs to see out the game to claim their three points.  Gomes has played three games this year without conceding a goal, Carroll played well and is benefiting from these Europa League games,  Rose had a good game at full-back and then moved forward to left midfield and was dangerous on the break late in the game, earning corners for his endeavours.

Mission accomplished for Harry Redknapp and the Tottenham Europa League squad.  After three games they are on target for qualification to the knock-out stages in the new year.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal preview

Spurs and Arsenal meet at White Hart Lane in the north London derby with Spurs in the ascendency and for the first time in decades, looking to forge ahead of their closest rivals.  Will Arsenal put their earlier poor performances behind them or will Spurs maintain the momentum gained from three consecutive Premier League wins?

Tottenham Continue to Play Catch-up.

This afternoon Tottenham continue this season's game of catch-up as they try to overcome near neighbours, Arsenal, at White Hart Lane.  Having a game in hand due to the riots in Tottenham in August and with Thursday evening Europa League games, come Saturday evening Spurs find themselves two games behind the teams around them in the League table.  As the teams above them continue to win, Spurs find themselves under an added pressure to win and take three points to once again close that gap.  They have managed it so far and will be hoping to add to Arsenal's miserable start to the season with another success over their greatest rivals.

Arsenal have had their worse start to a season since 1953, a year when they won 4 - 1 at White Hart Lane in October but lost 0 - 3 at Highbury the following February.  George Robb scored Spurs' only goal in the home defeat but scored twice in the return fixture with Sonny Walters getting the other goal.  That season Spurs finishes 16th in the twenty two team Division 1 while Arsenal managed 12th.  Arsenal have shown slight improvement in recent weeks with three successive home victories in league and Cup matches but none of the performances have been convincing.  They defeated Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup, defeated a poor Bolton Wanderers team 3 - 0 last weekend and had a 2 - 1 success in the Champions League over Olympiakos of Greece.

Tottenham have won three Premier League games since losing heavily to United and City in their first two league games.  With players returning to fitness, Harry Redknapp, will have to make decisions on team formation and personnel for this important game.  It's the first time in Premier League history that Spurs go into a north London derby as favourites.  Aaron Lennon, Sandro, Rafael Van der Vaart and Jermain Defoe are all expected to be fit and making a claim for a place in the starting line-up.  Spurs will look to take advantage of Arsenal's defensive frailties, they lost 2 - 8 at Old Trafford, and will want a quick tempo start that worked so well against Liverpool, putting the visitors on the back foot and never allowing them to recover.

For the duration of the Premier League Spurs have found themselves trailing in the wake of a successful Arsenal team.  This season, there is just a slight chink in that aura of invincibility that has surrounded Arsenal under Arsene Wenger so Tottenham have to be prepared to ensure they grab that opportunity with both hands and force home any advantage they can gain.

All eyes will be on Emmanuel Adebayor who used to do so well at White Hart Lane, playing in the red of Arsenal.  Tottenham will be hoping he can perform as he has done in the opening three games of his Spurs career while the Arsenal fans are still sore about him leaving to join Manchester City two years ago and his celebrations when scoring twice against them.  The player will be under immense scrutiny to maintain his cool under provocation but he has seemed very level-headed in interviews since joining Spurs.  He sees himself like any other person who changes his place of employment - he has great memories of his time there but now he works/plays for Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs really should win and need that victory to close the gap on those clubs above them and they really want to put one over on Arsenal who have made them suffer so much for far too long.

Memorable Matches (from a Spurs perspective)
Apr. 1983 (Div. 1) (h) Won 5 - 0  Hughton (2), Brazil, Falco (2)
Nov, 1999 (PL) (h) Won 2 - 1  Iversen, Sherwood  (Arsenal had two men sent off)
Apr. 2010 (PL) (h) Won 2 - 1  Rose, Bale

Spurs were desperate for points to ensure fourth place in the league and reach the Champions League for the first time.  The previous weekend they had lost at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final against Portsmouth.  Danny Rose, on his debut, struck a beautiful shot from a corner that was cleared to him and put Spurs ahead after ten minutes.  Gareth Bale added a second immediately after half-time and although Arsenal pulled one back, Spurs took the three points for the first time in the league since the 1999-2000 season and gained a momentum that took them to Champions league qualification.

Europa League - Tottenham Hotspur v Hearts

Opportunity for Young Players and Squad Members
 

With a five goal advantage going into the second leg of their Europa Cup tie at White Hart Lane against Heart of Midlothian, Harry Redknapp should have the opportunity to rest some of his first team squad and replace them with younger players and those members of the squad who haven't played so far this season.  It was his stated intention to use the Europa League for this purpose and this would seem to be the ideal opportunity.  Development Squad manager, Tim Sherwood, also indicated that some of his players would be used in these games.

Following the draw which paired Spurs and Hearts, a journalist based in Edinburgh who covers the Scottish club's matches was speaking on Talksport and he indicated that Hearts aimed to put in a good performance but realistically regarded the tie as an opportunity to make some money as they knew that there was a difference in class between the two clubs.  He couldn't have expected his words to be proved so accurate in the first game where Spurs were so in control for all but the opening minutes of the second half.

Hearts will come into the second game determined to make up for their lacklustre performance at Tynecastle and as they play for their pride they will give Spurs neither the time nor the space they afforded them in the opening match.  Redknapp will look to put out a balanced team with younger players supported by some of the experienced members of the squad.

Possible Team Selection
Having lost out to Brad Friedel at Old Trafford, Heurelho Gomes could return in goal behind a back four which could include Michael Dawson as captain.  Sebastien Bassong who looks set to leave the club before the end of the transfer window will probably partner him.  Danny Rose could replace Benoit Assou-Ekotto at left back and look to build on his promising performances in that position at the end of last season.  At right back, depending on Kyle Walker's recovery from sickness which required him to be substituted at half-time on Monday evening, Vedran Corluka or Alan Hutton could come in to replace him.  Hutton who is likely to leave would have the opportunity to play against his fellow countrymen.  Unfortunately, on the team news on the official THFC site, Rose is listed as injured with an ankle problem.

In midfield Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone may get some time as well as Jake Livermore who has looked comfortable in the team and may look to add to his experience with another game against Hearts.  Dean Parrett, the England Under-20 player who ended last season on loan at Charlton Athletic may make another European appearance to add to his two games in 2009 against Shakhtar Donetsk.  Andros Townsend who scored on his debut for Spurs in the FA Cup against Charlton Athletic will probably replace either Gareth Bale or Aaron Lennon in the team.  John Bostock and Tom Carroll will hope to get some game time having been on loan during recent seasons.

Bostock, has made three substitute appearances for Spurs in UEFA Cup games and when he made his debut in November, 2008,  against Dinamo Zagreb at White Hart Lane he became the youngest ever First Team player in a competitive match.  At the age of 16 years, 295 days, he beat the previous record held by Ally Dick since 1982.

Harry Kane

Roman Pavlychenko will probably be given his first start of the season and many hope that young Academy player, Harry Kane will get some time in this game.  Kane has just turned eighteen and has been a prolific goal scorer at every level of youth football.  He has had experience on loan with Leyton Orient and has scored regularly for the Development squad and Spurs XI teams this season.

Spurs look sure to progress to the Group stages of the Europa League and the young players will want to take this opportunity to show their ability and to impress so they will want to do it in style by winning the second leg and not limping there on the back of a defeat to their Scottish visitors.  A win would lift morale following the disappointing defeat against Manchester United and prepare everyone for more difficult games in the next few weeks.