Tottenham and City the most worthy due to their philosophies
As the decade where the results business took full ascendancy in football, it was fitting that one of the final Premier League games of the ‘noughties’ should be played out by two sides who embody that spirit completely.
The snow-swept Tuesday night game between Champions League hopefuls at Villa Park was a stilted affair, caused mainly by line-ups which ensured much midfield attrition and very little expansive quality. The only interest was in guessing which of the conservative, steadfast managers would blink first and alter their system. As it was, both made predictable changes (bringing on pacy wingers late on) but it was the Reds who got the rub of the green – or white as the case may have been.
Rafa Benitez would have obviously been the happier boss on Tuesday night, but further afield Harry Redknapp and Roberto Mancini must have had satisfied grins smeared on their well-worn faces (well weather-beaten in Harry’s case). The pairs’ Tottenham and Manchester City sides have shown themselves to be the far more convincing contenders for a top four spot in recent weeks and, after Tuesday’s result, the league table has begun to suggest that to be the case. Villa and Liverpool now sit in 6th and 7th respectively with City in 5th and Spurs keeping the Golden Egg warm in 4th.
Villa’s smash and grab wins against Manchester United and Chelsea may suggest that it is they who hold the strongest credentials to compete amongst the continent’s elite and moneyed next season, but witnesses to those games would have seen a team under sustained pressure against misfiring opposition. Of course, the result is the most important thing in those isolated games, but as has been shown in recent weeks, it’s extremely difficult to keep up repeat renditions of that particular trick.
A more comprehensive look at Villa’s quality would have to include the games against North Londoners Tottenham and Arsenal. Pressed back for much of the game by sides adept at ball retention and circulation, an exhausted Villa conceded late goals and, especially in the home game against Spurs, defended cravenly with their only aspiration being a pick-pocketed break-away goal. Fernando Torres’ 92nd minute heart-breaker was something Villa fans must have seen coming on Tuesday.
Martin O’Neill is of course answerable only to the final score-line, and his overachieving side have certainly plundered quite a few favourable ones this season, but would you want them to be the side representing the Premier League in the World’s biggest club competition?
Liverpool, on the other hand, have shown themselves to be worthy ambassadors on the continental stage in recent years, despite this year’s disappointments. However, this year’s side miss the metronomic genius of Xabi Alonso’s passing to a huge degree and they just do not seem to be able to get going.
Last season their crushing-style could be both effective and entertaining, especially when Steven Gerrard and Torres’ free-wheeling partnership dove-tailed to such great effect with the midfield dominance of Javier Mascherano and Alonso: the Terrier and the conductor. This year has seen Benitez forced to rely on the staid, controlling aspects of Liverpool’s game to a greater extent, and they have rarely broken into a gallop.
In contrast, City and Spurs recent performances have shown that there is another way. Passing, movement, expansiveness and all that jazz have thrilled fans and destroyed opposition, and even though there have been a few poor defeats along the way, there have also been some giddy moments. Spurs 9-1 against Wigan is the most obvious, but the flowing passing move dinked wide by Carlos Tevez in City’s win over Wolves on Monday is just as emblematic of the two sides’ approaches.
The league table will ultimately show who deserves to play in the Champions League next year, but it’d be nice to think that good football will be the reason that a team occupies fourth spot. By the looks of things, the season seems to be headed in that direction.
Written By Andrew Fitchett
Football News 24/7
Jesus you must be bored!! Villa and Liverpool lying sixth and seventh means Spurs golden egg is about to hatch,,,,,,,,,,, DOVETALE wtf too much listening to Andy Gray could make you start to believe you actually know something about football. At this stage last season Gerrard and Torres hardly played many games together or in Andy’s word’s Dovetale. Leave things to the end of the season when it comes to looking at conclusions of playing styles rather than your Philosipies of teams spending over 200 mill in one season and then having the cheek to disregard a hard working team like Villa who if they end up sitting on the egg when it cracks then good on them as they will have earned the right to be there regardless of media aligience – That’s football.
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Spurs and City are 4th and 5th at the moment, but only at the moment and only narrowly so. Villa were close to 3rd not so long ago, though, and Liverpool have been the best team of all four for every season in years – including, most importantly, last season (best by some distance too, you’d have to say).
To say City and Spurs are best placed to finish in 4th because of their philosophy of attacking and expansive football, based on current positions, is very tenuous indeed.
Lets not forget that Chelsea are 1st, who, for all the efforts of Scolari and Ancelotti to change Mourinho’s influence, still play controlled football to a degree. It’s fluid, but so are Liverpool; like Liverpool, there can be a lack of pace to their passing and a lack of flair, creativity and width to their play. Arsenal on the other hand play “Utopian football”. Arsenal may finish 1st come May, but as we are they are the outsiders – despite having the so-called most admirable philosophy.
An attacking philosophy is not everything. Mourinho’s Chelsea proved that.
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Spurs have the most fluent style of football, but they have been unable to earn away wins. But I think they would be more worthy representatives in the Champions’ League than Villa, who just can’t score and are a sickening bore to watch. I hope they lose a few more playing the way they play.
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Another important point for teams gunning for 4th spot or higher is how they deal with injuries to their key players out and how their replacement picks up where the regulars left off without affecting team form week in week out. So a big squad with quality backup fitting in well will see team sustain their push.
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I enjoy reading these comments, I have read them for a while and been a Spurs fan a lot longer. I think the top four have three places secure, AVFC will do nothing in Jan, MCFC will buy some defenders, maybe 10-15 of them, us…we don’t anything, Sir Harry will get the best of them, we will finish top 7 get Europe etc etc., Champions leagues would be great but I think with this squad it’s touch and go, still in ’81 MCFC were favourites for the cup and look what happened, then there’s the SW London club near Fulham result. On our day better then most, not on our day…My Tottenham and I love them! Good luck Bale at left back, get another one like against the A5re!
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Exactly Mark, An attacking phillosiphie means zilch unless it’s a winning mentality. Liverpool were top scorers last season and still finished second. You have to win games and then play your fancy football. Who knows how chelsea will fare this season but if they come out of their slump and getting back to the winning mentality as at the start of the campain then they could walk it even though it pains me to say it. This isn’t an attack on these others but I don’t think Spurs defence is the strongest and they’re starting to get disgruntled up front just like when Liverpool had four strikers. Arsenal do admitatdly play the best football until they get to the last third of the field when they are morphed by the harlem globe trotters like the last four seasons and end up empty handed, only time and the end of the season whether they have pushed on. Villa , well who knows but they seem to have a stronger squad than last season. As for City then as a Liverpool fan then I’d rather Man Utd win the League for the next ten years than city gain the shallow success of even one charity shield.
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