And so it begins, the eleven week wait for the new season to start, during which fans of every side will be buried under a barrage of conjecture, lies, “insider information” and the occasional bit of good reporting about the players they are supposedly set to sign.
For Tottenham Hotspur, the equation is for once [...]
Andre Villas-Boas has impressed this season, his debut as Tottenham manager, finishing on a record 72 points and taking Spurs to a Europa League quarter final. Spurs just missed out on Champions League qualification, finishing 1 point behind North Lond…
When you’re sitting in the pub with your mates, picking your favourites of the Premier League, the one position that has to be the hardest to choose a winner for is the right-back. It is not in any way as easy as left-back, with Ashley Cole usually taking that spot, and Leighton Baines coming through [...]
Who is the best Premier League right-back? | Stats Comparison
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The last few seasons have been connected by one predictable plot twist – a problem with depth on the flanks. This year, as happened the year before, Aaron Lennon picked up a knock about two-thirds of the way through the season, decimating Tottenham’s crucial width and reducing their attacking options. I’ve written at length about […]
England’s squad for their summer friendlies with the Republic of Ireland and Brazil were revealed yesterday and the one position that is up for debate more than any is the 2nd striker role. Although there is the possibility of Roy Hodgson only choosing one striker, having watched Hodgson in charge of West Brom last season [...]
Who should partner Rooney for England? Carroll, Sturridge, Defoe & Welbeck compared
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Well, there’s ninety minutes of the 2012/13 season left, and Champions League football might not be in our hands, but you can’t say that Tottenham haven’t given it a damn good go. If Tottenham win against Sunderland at White Hart Lane but don’t qualify for the Champions Leauge, they’ll have still finished the season on 72 […]
Last night Wigan Athletic put in the performance that everyone should have expected from them. It was valiant and exciting, charmingly incompetent at the back, and ultimately unsuccessful. The result saw them relegated, and judging by the reaction from many Tottenham Hotspur fans, seemingly ended Spurs’ season as well.
There are three things to consider [...]
Michael Dawson is the personification of Tottenham Hotspur FC. Dawson has a been a key centre back for Spurs this season, proving his boss wrong after literally being sold to QPR. Michael rejected this offer and stayed to fight for his place, and boy oh boy did he fight! He’s now easily the first man …
Despite a pleasing, if somewhat fortunate, draw away at Chelsea on Wednesday night Tottenham Hotspur are now reliant on their rivals dropping points if they want to claim a Champions League place next season.
However Spurs still have plenty to do themselves if they want to keep the maximum amount of pressure on Arsenal and [...]
Stamford Bridge hosted Spurs this week where once again Benitez made his usual rotation, changing three players for this game compared to the XI starting at Old Trafford few days ago. Lampard gave way to Cahill, who slotted alongside Ivanovic in defence – Luiz was therefore pushed in midfield. Hazard returned to the starting XI [...]
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 2: In-Depth Tactical Analysis
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When I have a son, I’ll be able to tell him all about Tottenham’s history. One day, I might tell him about these two players that used to be on that White Hart Lane turf. One was this useless, lanky striker. He walked around the pitch like he was looking for a toothpick in the [...]
Wednesday night sees what could well be the decisive match in the Premier League’s fascinating race for the Champions League spots. Tottenham finished two places above Chelsea last season but had to make do with Europa League football after the Blues’ Champions League triumph in Munich. This season the two have been locked in a [...]
Juan Mata vs Gareth Bale Stats | Chelsea Vs Spurs Preview
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Nearly a thousand years ago two sides met at Stamford Bridge. One, an established ruler of the land that’d been at the top for a while. The other, a challenger from across the channel that was commanding a fearsome and large empire itself, and whom had already seen off many powerful adversaries. That day, the [...]
Oh, it’s that time of year again. May. For footballing reasons, it’s a glorious month to be a Tottenham fan, the month where the gloomy form of April gives way to that stylish way of winning that Spurs don’t quite manage to keep up into March. But it’s also the time when the rumour mill [...]
There are some games that Tottenham have won this season that displayed what is frequently called a “winning mentality”. That drive and confidence that forces players on and up the pitch with the ball even when it seems like the footballing gods have no gifts to give you that day. Spurs have shown it time [...]
Teams that can hit you on the counter attack at any moment are incredibly hard to defend against, especially when speed merchants such as Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott are running at your defence. So which teams have impressed in the counter attack and …
Andre Villas-Boas has assured Tottenham fans that Gareth Bale will still be at White Hart Lane next season, whether the North London side qualify for the Champions League or not. The Tottenham manager said ”The information that I have from the club, which was mistakenly written about last week, is that the player is here to [...]
Gareth Bale Staying Put | Bale Stats
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Ashley Cole has dominated the England left-back spot for many years, first breaking into the team against Albania in 2001, back when Sven was in charge. Wayne Bridge provided a little competition from 2002 until his last appearance in 2009. Since then we’ve seen Leighton Baines come into his own at Everton, being linked with [...]
The Future England Left-Back | Stats Comparison: Gibbs, Bertrand, Shaw & Rose
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Whether the Portuguese manager’s first season at White Hart Lane is viewed as a success or not will be heavily influenced by how the race for a Champions League place pans out, so it is worth stepping back now to assess how Spurs have been improved by Andre Villas-Boas, regardless of their [...]
It’s nearly the end of the season, which means it is nearly Levy’s favourite time of the year, the Transfer Window. Although “Levy Day” is not until the 31st August, we all still expect some business to be done before then. In the last transfer window, Levy backed AVB with large sums of money, and …
The first thing I noticed about Mousa Dembélé was his technique, every shot, touch and pass had something I haven’t seen in a player. Nothing was quaint or delicate, the ball was always moved deliberately and powerfully. He’s a great player to watch. Martin Jol has gone even further: He has definitely become an important [...]
Mousa Dembélé – Underrated | Dembélé of Fulham & Tottenham Stats Analysis
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Generally speaking, it’s always pretty easy to write about Spurs. The club have this uncanny knack of putting their fans through abject disappointment and utter delirium – often within the same period of ninety minutes. So, sitting down to have a crack at this just hours after we’ve taken Mancini’s mercenaries to task at White …
Manchester United are well-known for making a comeback and Arsenal have scored more goals in the last 10 minutes of matches than any other team this season, but which teams out of the top 7 have actually been the best at coming from behind this season?…
After a welcome ten day break, Spurs are plunged straight back in a the deep end in the Premier League as Manchester City come to White Hart Lane. How many points Spurs will be behind their rivals in the race for Champions League football largely depends on Fulham, not the ideal position given that Martin [...]
Some people touted him as a potential world-class player after storming the Premier League in his first season with Swansea City, but ever since his move to Spurs, has Gylfi Sigurðsson lived up to his potential? Gylfi was getting a wide amount of press as a Swansea City player after netting 7 times in a …
There has been a lot of debate with regards to the Player of the Year for the 2012/13 season and with the debate in mind we thought we’d put together a brief statistical analysis of the players being mentioned and their form this season. We’ve predominantly used goals scored and clear-cut chances as the two [...]
Who is the Player of the Year? Suarez, Bale, RVP & Mata Stats
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Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a fine summer in the transfer market last year, with Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele quickly becoming first team staples after arriving at White Hart Lane. However for most of the season, Gylfi Sigurdsson had failed to live up to the form that led Spurs to spend just [...]
Before the game against Chelsea, Southampton’s midfielder Jack Cork started psywar by stating that The Saints’ ace striker, Rickie Lambert is better than Fernando Torres. What Cork was saying could be perceived as nothing but a usual pre-battle war dance, but not only did Lambert play superbly in that game, the talisman scored the winning goal [...]
Lambert for England? Stats compared to Rooney, Sturridge, Defoe et al
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After consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Fulham, Tottenham’s grip on fourth place was loosening. With Arsenal only four points behind having played a game less, a good result was vital for the North Londoners. Swansea, however, had little to play for. A place in the Europa League has already been confirmed thanks to their League [...]
Swansea 1 – 2 Tottenham | Tactical Review
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Research has been conducted looking into whether referee’s are biased towards certain teams or individuals. Manchester United tend to have a reputation from rival supporters for ‘Fergie time’, gaining more penalties than other teams at home, especially with Howard Webb. Marouane Fellaini even stated that referee’s were biased towards English players following his head butt [...]
Are Referees biased towards the Home Team? | EPL Stats Analysis
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Swansea City’s players could be forgiven if they already had half a mind on the summer break, given that they had ensured their Premier League status and picked up the biggest trophy in the club’s history before the end of February. However whilst they themselves might not have a huge amount to play [...]
Welcome to our monthly edition of the Premier League’s Top Players. With only 8 games left for the majority of the sides it’s a good time to look at where players are and see what players could achieve. As always you can use the buttons at the bottom of the page to navigate or use [...]
Premier League Top Players So Far | Goal Scorers, Chance Creators, Assists, Possession Wins
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In the final segment of the series looking at Andre Villas-Boas’ revolutionary tactics at Tottenham Hotspur, we acquaint you with the changes surrounding the club’s strike-force and Gareth Bale. You can find the previous parts here: Parts 1 & Part 2 Under Harry Redknapp, Spurs usually played with Emmanuel Adebayor upfront, while Rafael van der Vaart [...]
Tottenham Hotspur: Analysing the Club’s Tactics Under AVB | Final Part
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In my second part of how Andre Villas-Boas has rebuilt and reshaped Tottenham Hotspur, we look into the new defensive set-up of the team. Part 1 can be found here: Analysing the Club’s Tactics Under AVB Part 1 Since taking over the managerial helms at the White Hart Lane, Villas-Boas has inherited a new set [...]
Tottenham Hotspur: Analysing the Club’s Tactics Under AVB | Part 2
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Despite a worrying slip in form which could eventually undo all Tottenham’s hard work this season, they have to some extent already exceeded their fans expectations this term. The biggest and most obvious change that the new manager Andre Villas-Boas has brought to the North London outfit is in their style of play. The former [...]
Tottenham Hotspur: Analysing the Club’s Tactics Under AVB | Part 1
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