they were bitching about him not doing.
With Spurs on a winning run, one of their best starts to a Premier League season, the Old Trafford hoodoo done and dusted and the players themselves talking about how happy they are the media are scrambling for something to have a go at Andre Villas-Boas with.
On Sunday, against Aston Villa, he handed them Hugo Lloris’ league debut.
For the last few weeks we’ve had them bitch and moan about Brad Friedel keeping his place while the new boy sat on the bench, then Brad is benched, fist time in 8 years and 310 league games and it’s all of a sudden how can he do this? How can he drop Friedel?
. You could almost hear them follow it up with ‘Arry wouldn’t have done it
.
Well he probably wouldn’t but them ‘Arry never liked change anyway. Luckily for all Lloris didn’t give them that much ammunition to go after either him or the manager. Just one dodgy throw to Bale that led to a very good chance for Villa. Benteke missing an exceptional chance that you feel even Darren bent could have scored never mind Redknapp’s missus.
One fault, in between some excellent sweeper work that you wouldn’t see from the older guy and some better distribution that unfortunately has been a bit of a major fault with Brad.
As for the rest of the game, well in the end a comfortable victory but it was still lacking something. Started off like I’d hoped some good fast attacking play down the wings – mainly the left – and chances created. Of course chances squandered. Defoe offside. What are the chances of that happening. Then while Spurs seemed to be bossing things Villa had more possession and defensively got their act together. Bale was pretty much dealt with as Albrighton and Vlaar doubled up on him.
Sandro was destroying, while Dembele was gliding. Vertonghen was charging while Gallas was commanding and Caulker as cruising. Lennon wasn’t getting to the byeline – get there, cut back, score goals it worked before why don’t they do it again? Needs to just keep running instead of all the stopping – Dempsey wasn’t really in it and Defoe was being Defoe. As said offside when gifted a great chance that he should have buried instead of skying and then generally back to the pre-ManUre selfish git. Always looking to score, normally from outside the box, when others were better placed. But he was never going to pass.
Hell the first goal, when it finally came nearly an hour in, how far wide was Defoe’s shot going? Luckily Caulker was there to let it bounce of him and in the net.
After that you felt Spurs loosened up a bit. More free flowing, more connected and Lennon’s second ended it. One time he looked to be really positive with the run and shot. What you want to see from him.
It was a functional win, nothing outstanding but job done and done with a clean sheet – first of the season in the league. And a job done by a side you feel is getting it and are close to really clicking. With one or two, Dempsey and Sigurdsson, we haven’t seen the best of yet and Adebayor to really come back after his substitute appearance here his first run out since the beginning of September, maybe the international break has come at the wrong time.
One thing have to mention, Bale and diving. We went over this last season son. Cut it out, right out, now! I can understand he didn’t want to be hit by the advancing ‘keeper and took some evasive action, and wasn’t making any claims for a foul unlike say a Suarez. But that was a bit an extreme and just not the done thing at this club. One day you’ll really be brought down, probably in the area, it’ll be a stonewall penalty with a red for the ‘keeper but the ref will have seen the likes of this and wave play on as they do with Suarez. And it’ll cost us.