Andre Villas-Boas future: Tottenham to give manager more time to prove himself

Rumours have circulated that the former Chelsea manager could be sacked following the 6-0 defeat to Manchester City

Andre Villas-Boas the manager of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur (Getty Images)

Andre Villa-Boas is not facing an imminent threat of the sack, despite growing pressure at Tottenham following the 6-0 defeat to Manchester City at the weekend.

There has been widespread speculation over the former Chelsea manager's position following the humiliating loss on Sunday, with some reports claiming Villa-Boas could be fired.

However, the Evening Standard report that while there are concerns at the club, they will not be taking imminent action.

The London based paper understands there are members of the club’s hierarchy who are questioning Villas-Boas’s methods.

It is believed informal discussions have taken place over his ongoing suitability at the club but they remain prepared to back the 36-year-old for the time being given the significant summer outlay on players and the fact they remain just two points outside the Premier League’s top four.

Villas-Boas will face the media in Norway tonight ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League game against Tromso tomorrow but with qualification from Group K assured, it is Sunday’s home game against Manchester United that takes on added significance.

Although the defeat to City was hugely embarrassing, results have not yet sufficiently dipped to force owner Joe Lewis or chairman Daniel Levy into a change of manager.

But the manner of that loss has raised questions over whether ­Villas-Boas is the right man to lead Spurs through a difficult ­transitional period following Gareth Bale’s departure to Real Madrid and an influx of seven new signings totalling £110million.

Villas-Boas is thought to have been frustrated in his desire to land a series of targets, including Joao Moutinho, who has since moved from Porto to Monaco, and Willian, who was on the brink of joining Spurs before Chelsea hijacked the deal at the last minute.

However, Levy and technical director Franco Baldini have worked hard to offset the loss of Bale and there are some at the club who believe Villas-Boas should be delivering better results — and a more expansive style of football — with the players he has.

There is thought to be some ­consternation among the board and the squad over Villas-Boas’s rigid adherence to a 4-2-3-1 system that has yielded just nine goals in 12 League matches this season; only Crystal Palace and Sunderland have scored fewer.

Rumours of discontent over his man-management style echo those that emerged at Chelsea, where he was sacked after just nine months in charge but victory over United would do much to quell the unrest behind the scenes.

Villas-Boas is likely to dampen speculation over his future at tonight’s press conference in the northern Norwegian city, where there has been heavy snowfall. However, officials expect the game to go ahead as planned.