Five things Villas Boas has to do at Tottenham

5 things the new Spurs' boss needs to do in his new role.

Get the players onboard
One thing, AVB should of learnt at Chelsea stint was the simplistic nature of player power. With hard heads like Lampard and Terry to name a few, AVB failed to convert his ideas, which ultimately crushed him during his reign. The Portuguese has to get the players on his side and form a united dressing room. Breaking up the group, reminiscence of his actions of excluding certain Chelsea players will harm the unity in the squad and begin turning the tide on Portuguese.  

Resolve the Modric Situation
The big equation floating around the Tottenham board and dressing room. The Croatian wants Champions League football, but with Spurs’ unlucky failure last season, he missed out again. AVB can’t let the situation drag on like Redknapp did. Its either he gets the Croatian to stay or sells him for a high rate and spend the profit on a new squad. Waiting for the last moment to sell him, might cost the team.

Sort out the Striker Colduldrum
To keep Adebayor or not? The Togolese hit wants gets paid a pretty wage, one that Tottenham can’t and given David Levy’s history, won’t match; something Manchester City can. Another loan option isn’t possibly, as City want to cut their wage bill. Jermaine Defoe is the only other forward on the list, but after an average season, the hunt is on for another lethal striker, as their list is quite short.

Buy another centre back
Redknapp brought a plethora of centre backs; problems arose, from injuries to indifferent forms. Michael Dawson has been injured for a while; William Gallas’ youth is deserting him and Ledley King is on his last legs. They can maybe hold out another season, but AVB needs another solid defender in the backline; one that is youthful, fit, consistent to fit into AVB’s high pressure game plan. The search begins...

Fix the tactical enigma
AVB loves his 4-3-3, with a Barcelona flow and movement. It failed at Chelsea with the players unable to adapt. It ultimately cost him his job, as by the time he went back to the basics, the knives were out behind AVB’s back. This can’t occur at Tottenham, with a trigger happy David Levy hovering behind him (He fired Juande Ramos, a couple of weeks, after a poor start), AVB needs to hit the ground running. And getting the tactics spot on from the beginning will help.  

Andrew Bishara

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Comments

[Adrian]

Yes - AVB's appointment's potential far outweighs (recent Chelsea comments & ) his disastrous Blues spell - & I've thought since (even before, me being a Barca fan) Levy gave him the job, that his approach () may well suit Tottenham: of all the teams in the EPL, Spurs (especially during their better spells last season) have the fluidity of a Barca...Especially given the clues we're getting regarding personnel already signed (Vertonghen, Gyfli) and those being retained (tho' sadly not Modric? - but who knows) -including (possibly) Dos Santos (even Bentley?) & those in the 'bidding-interest' category (see recent reports), that AVB's soccer philosophy (& plan) is likely to be extremely well-suited to Spurs...Unlike the Russian Oligarch & his 'boot-boys', I think Levy will give him the time he needs, & we must too! So - V. Best of Luck AVB (& us!)!

[wiseun]

Reasonable article but spoiled by either lack of research or checking before posting. DAVID Levy-is he Daniel's brother.

[f5point6]

One thing I don't understand is... why is everyone willing to write off Jermaine Defoe? I don't think we'll no longer play 'big striker little striker' and over the years Defoe has added so much more to his game. Being injured and returning to fold prematurely has been Jermaine's biggest mistakes (if you can really call them that) and I'm constantly wondering what he'd be able to achieve with a consistant run in the first eleven. Maybe in a new system we'll see just that, I for one hope so because he is lethal striker.
I suppose the first thing on AVB's list of things 'to do' would be not to listen to advise from anyone not qualified to give it. He's got my support because I have trust in THFC. So with that said.... COYS!

[Spurs Fan]

I agree. Jermain Defoe can do well with a run in the team. He looks dangerous every time he has the ball and has been unlucky this season not to make more starts.