Tottenham shine in audition for top four
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Monday 30 November 2009
Latest in Premier League
On Facebook
Sport blogs
Hertha Berlin and the Skibbe saga – a depressing tale
Perhaps, in a few decades time, some German writer will transform Michael Skibbe's excruciatingly br...
Top 14: Day of reckoning looms for Racing Metro
By the middle of Wednesday afternoon we should have the first indication of what lies ahead for Raci...
iBet: Barcelona are struggling away from home
My betting instinct in any first leg of a two-legged tie is to go low on goals, and that applies eve...
In this much-vaunted audition for one of the leading roles in the Premier League it is fair to say Tottenham most impressed the judges. The honours might have been even as the wannabes left the stage, but in terms of potential there had only been one outfit with the star quality. Top four, here they come.
Actually, Spurs are there already and have been for some time. But this being November, and with the season being all of a third done, it was quite clearly the time to decide who would be denying Liverpool, or Manchester City, or whoever, the final Champions' League berth. Tottenham are playing some good stuff at the moment, so it's going to be them. It must be them.
"Why not? It's not impossible," declared their manager, Harry Redknapp He also said: "Well, I'm not going to sit here and say we can't do it, am I?" No, he was not, and neither was anyone on the Villa side going to write off their own European ambitions (despite Martin O'Neill's well-used emphasis on "how hard it is going to be because it's no coincidence the same four teams finish as the same"). "Our confidence is high and we are making good progress," said their adaptable defender Carlos Cuellar. "We are fighting for the top four and have the squad who can achieve that."
Strictly on this evidence, Villa's go-forward is debatable, although it cannot be doubted that Cuellar is making great strides. Next to Brad Friedel, the Spaniard was the main reason Spurs did not leave with the three points their supreme second-half performance deserved. As Villa bizarrely came out and elected to try to defend their one-goal advantage, Cuellar kicked one off the line, blocked a couple more in the area and generally made himself a mini-wall in front of Friedel's big wall.
Little wonder they are finally taking notice of him in his own country. "Everyone in Spain seems to be saying I will be going to the World Cup finals," said the uncapped former Scottish Footballer of the Year.
What chances of Michael Dawson doing the same? Well, if he can maintain this form then not as forlorn as they might appear. Former England squad regulars Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate will certainly not be expecting to skip straight back into the starting XI when they recover from their respective groin and knee injuries. Fabio Capello's assistant Franco Baldini was at Villa Park and must have passed on good reports. If Dawson's equalising strike was sweet then his defence was, at the very least, solid. His efforts were only overshadowed by those of Niko Kranjcar.
"Ledley and Woody are both England internationals, Sebastien [Bassong] is an international – and I want to be one," he said. "It has been hard not to play much recently but, when you get a chance, you've got to make sure you do well. Today, it was important for us. To go away disappointed not to get all three points shows how far we've come. We are striving for that top four." There was no simply getting away from it.
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; Cuellar, Beye, Dunne, L Young; Milner, Petrov, Reo-Coker (Sidwell 71), A Young; Agbonlahor, Carew (Heskey 75). Substitutes not used: Guzan (gk), Downing, Delph, Gardner, Clark.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios (Jenas 66), Kranjcar (Keane 78); Defoe, Crouch. Substitutes not used: Alnwick (gk), Hutton, Bale, Bentley, Rose.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Man of the match: Friedel
Attendance: 39,866
- 1 Liverpool apology came after sponsor's concerned call to club
- 2 Wolves: The contenders to replace Mick McCarthy
- 3 Tevez risks doghouse return with Mancini dig
- 4 Villas-Boas under growing pressure after training row
- 5 Sports caption competition winners
- 6 James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea
- 7 Rangers 10 days from financial meltdown
- 1 Kate Allen: It's time for America to put an end to this shameful scandal
- 2 Spotify: 1 million plays, £108 return
- 3 Chemotherapy is 'safe during pregnancy'
- 4 Rhodri Marsden: What we like and what we don't like are often closer than you'd think
- 5 BBC to issue global apology for documentaries that broke rules
- 6 Lightning kills an entire football team
- 7 I was born to be a killer. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams
- 8 Henry does it his way, ending on a high note
- 9 Modern lovers: The 'sexual body warriors' and pioneers transforming 21st-century relationships
- 10 Redknapp hints at same old faces for England
Free trial of new Independent iPad app
Get your daily dose of the best of British journalism, sponsored by American Airlines
Win a three-week coastal jaunt
Spend three weeks exploring every nook and cranny of gorgeous Atlantic Canada.
Amazing restaurant offers
Three glasses of free champagne and a special menu at 46 top London restaurants.
Latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
Apple admits it has a human rights problem
James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy
Silent revolution at the Baftas
The diva who had – and lost – it all





Comments