A round-up of news and views relating to Tottenham Hotspur over the past 24 hours.
Andre Villas-boas gave his press conference today ahead of the lunchtime clash with Chelsea this Saturday. The manager confirmed that Spurs have no new injuries following the international break; there had been concerns over Mousa Dembele following his early substitution for Belgium on Wednesday.
In other team news Kyle Naughton and Jake Livemore are both close to returns and may even play a part in the Chelsea match. Benoit Assou-Ekotto should also be back in training next week.
The Portuguese manager has insisted that the match is not about personal revenge following his time at Chelsea.
“In the end there is one thing which has been to a certain extent blown out of proportion in some ways – this is certainly not a personal matter.
The Spurs manager also somewhat downplayed the importance of the game saying:
“This game is not going to decide the future of both teams in the Premier League – after this game there will be 30 more games to play and both teams will have decisive matches in front of them. It counts as three points. It doesn’t win us a trophy.”
He went on to say that it is Spurs as a club who need to get their own back on Chelsea, having seen Di Matteo’s side’s unlikely Champions League victory prevent Spurs themselves qualifying for Europe’s elite competition, and also knocking them out of the FA Cup.
Villas-Boas has also spoken to the BBC’s Football Focus this week, and there is a video on the site where he discussed Spurs’ quest to reach the top four again this year.
In further news from AVB’s press conference he has commented on the Danny Rose situation saying:
“I told Daniel I support him completely in this situation. He felt abused and this is obviously a serious matter which at the moment is in the hands of both FAs.”
Lazio have been fined €40,000 for the actions of their fans, which included racist chanting, in the game against Spurs at White Hart Lane. They have three days to appeal the decision.
In transfer news there have been reports emerging that Birmingham may need to sell their young stars Nathan Redmond and Jack Butland due to their precarious financial situation. Spurs have preivously been linked with the 19 year old goalkeeper, but with Hugo Lloris now on the books along with Friedel, Cudicini and Gomes, they may need to move players on before they buy.
Finally, Michael Dawson has stated he is prepared to stay and fight for his place at Spurs. The 28 year old was on the brink of a move to QPR in the summer, and has found his playing opportunities limited this season, but says he is training hard and will be ready when his chance comes.
image: © Vladimir Maiorov
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