Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to carry on his late charge for a top four finish when his Tottenham side welcome Aston Villa to white hart lane this Saturday. Tottenham who are 6th in the table have been in very good form, having only lost one of their last six premier league games. Tim Sherwood (who will be facing the team he used to manage for the first time) on the other hand will be looking to upset Pottechino’s plans by pick potting some much needed points as he see’s his side lie 16th in the table with only 3 points separating the Villan’s from the drop.
The scoring of goals is the biggest element separating these two sides with Aston Villa having one of the worst goal scoring records in the premier league this season with only 23 goals. Whereas Tottenham have more than doubled Villa’s amount with 49 goals and for an added bonus they have the premier leagues joint top scorer within their ranks with 19 goals to his name. Which, as highlighted earlier, is only 4 goals off Aston Villa’s whole squad tally.
Admittedly from an outside perspective I would predict a white wash win for Tottenham. They have quality throughout the squad starting at the back with Hugo Lloris who is having a great season between the sticks with 7 clean sheets to his name. The likes of Lamella,Chadli,Mason and Towsned who make an appearance , which show’s the managers faith in his youth players ability, which in return they have given back great performances. We then come their strongest attribute at the moment the goal scorer Harry Kane the English striker has 19 goals to his name and doesn’t look like stopping. He is quick, makes the crucial runs, is always in the right place at the right time and can finish (it seems) from anywhere. It would be hard to argue that Tottenham with all their quality should just brush past villa ….
However despite Villa’s flaws they have started to play more attacking football under Sherwood and they managed to score more than 2 goals against QPR in their last fixture which ended 3-3. Something which villa had never done under Paul Lambert and have now done twice under their new boss(thanks to a 4-0 win over Sunderland). Villa are now a team capable of surprise, which after years of watching the impossible happen in the premier league make the Villans more than capable/likely to cause a dramatic upset. The hat rick hero Christian Benteke will have something to prove against Tottenham as the last time these clubs faced Tottenham narrowed out a 2-1 victory, Benteke would like nothing more than to carry on his recent form against his manager’s former side.
My overall prediction is 3-2 to Tottenham, looking over Tottenham’s fixtures against struggling sides is not a pretty picture. They drew to Burnley in their last game , they narrowly beat Leicester 4-3 before that and just beat QPR 2-1 in march. Aston villa recently have been scoring goals here and there , they have looked more confident in recent games and with players moral up their quality is starting to shine through I believe players like Delph, Sinclair and Agbonlahor can make all the difference. However Tottenham’s quality, tenacity and ability to score late goals will no doubt effect this game in their favour and I believe they can scrape the win. However I believe it will be a great game of football to watch.
One to watch Tottenham
Number 23: Christian Eriksen
I have been quiet about this not so secret weapon through this article but the player to watch for me is Christian Eriksen, yes he has been under the radar recently and over shadowed by Harry Kane’s finishing ability. However time and time again this man has been responsible for changing a draw and turning it into a win with a few last minute goals and a few fabulous free kicks. Watch his footwork and passing ability, lovers of the game will have no choice but to be impressed.
One to watch Aston Villa
The Gaffer: Tim Sherwood
This match is crucial for the Villan’s boss with plenty of pressure to add, it’s a game that villa need to find points from and score goals in. As well as playing against the side he last managed, It will be interesting to see how offensive he will set his side out to be. He may try to be more tactical in his approach and play a more defensive style against spurs. However I can safely say that he will be fun to watch on the side lines with his over animated style of management.
