BUILD UP
With the devastating result against Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers fresh on their minds, Steven Gerrard and his Aston Villa side will look to turn their fortunes around as quickly as possible as they play hosts to Antonio Conte’s Spurs in game-week 32 of the 21/22 Premier League season.
Full-back Jonny’s well-taken opener and Ashley Young’s wild own goal capped off a frantic first-half at Molineux, with the away side lucky to be just the two goals down at the break. A late Ollie Watkins penalty wasn’t enough to complete a comeback or salvage a point, and meant Gerrard’s men left empty-handed once again.
This result made it three losses in a row for the Villans, with defeats against West Ham United and Arsenal in the previous two game-weeks. There is a slight sense of concern among the Villa fan base at the moment, more so with the performances than the results, as their side have been disappointing in each of the last three, with Head Coach Steven Gerrard left “frustrated” and explains how his side “only gave a 45 minute performance” in the defeat on Saturday.
Despite the worrying run of recent results, Villa fans were treated to a piece of good news on Monday evening, after it was announced that right-back Matty Cash had signed a contract extension at the club, and will remain an Aston Villa player until 2027. The Polish defender had been heavily linked with a big money move to Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid side over recent months, and this announcement will reassure the claret and blue faithful that he is here to stay and he believes wholeheartedly in the project at the club.
Cash will look to celebrate his new deal with a victory on Saturday afternoon as Antonio Conte’s 4th place Tottenham Hotspur come to Villa Park. Spurs have been reinvigorated since the arrival of the former Inter Milan Manager and are currently favourites for the inaugural 4th place UEFA Champions League qualification spot, ahead of fierce rivals Arsenal who are tied on points behind them.
Despite relative inconsistency with the Lilywhite’s results, their victories are typically convincing and when they play well, they can be a seriously tough team to oppose – evidenced through their recent 5-1 victory over Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United. Striker Harry Kane has an incredible record against his upcoming opponents too, scoring seven goals in the last ten appearances against the club, and so keeping him quiet will be right on top of the ‘things to do’ for Aston Villa this weekend, among others.
When these two sides last met, Spurs were victorious at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to goals from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, who opened the scoring, and a Matt Targett own goal which cancelled out Ollie Watkins second-half equaliser. Both sides were under different management for this fixture in October however, and have each seen a lot of change in terms of play style and personnel since then.
Can Steven Gerrard and his side turn things around and put on a show for a sold-out Villa Park, or will Antonio Conte’s team inflict further damage upon the Villans, and boost their chances at UEFA Champions League football for next season?
Let’s take a look at the team news from each camp heading into Saturday’ affair…
TEAM NEWS
Forward Danny Ings looks set to return to the Aston Villa match-day squad after missing the previous game having attended the birth of his newborn daughter the night before. Ings has a fine scoring record against Tottenham Hotspur, bagging five goals in the four games he played against them during his time at Southampton, and so the No.20 may be a crucial addition to the side on Saturday.
Marvelous Nakamba could return to the starting line-up for the first time since December, after picking up a serious knee injury that required surgery and months of recovery and rehabilitation. The midfielder left a significant hole in the side with his absence, and was playing some of his best football in an Aston Villa shirt under Steven Gerrard’s stewardship. Nakamba notched up 60 minutes of game time in an U23 fixture last Friday, and having trained regularly and built up match fitness, the Zimbabwean is well in contention for the upcoming game at Villa Park.
Kortney Hause was another man missing from the Wolves’ loss, with what is expected to be a continued abdominal strain, and it is unknown as to whether the defender will return to the squad for the weekend. Lucas Digne was taken off after just 13 minutes with “stomach cramps” and should therefore be available for selection for the big game against Spurs this week, taking the left-back position back off of Ashley Young.
As for this week’s opponents, Tottenham Hotspur, they look to have four players unavailable for this weekend’s clash, including starting full-back Sergio Reguilón. The Spaniard is currently out with a knee injury that caused him to miss the recent thrashing over Newcastle United, and Matt Doherty is expected to keep his place on the left-hand side of Conte’s 3-4-3 system. Reguilón, of course, scored that hysterical goal in this fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, but will not have the opportunity to repeat the event again due to his expected absence.
This fixture looks as if it will come too soon for both midfielder Oliver Skipp and versatile wing-back Ryan Sessegnon, who are on the verge of a return, but a lack of match fitness and training sessions looks to keep them out, with the next game against Brighton & Hove Albion on the 16th looking more likely for the English duo. Head Coach Conte had the following to say about the two: “Very close to being back with the team, to having training sessions with us. Not yet ready for the game against Newcastle, but improving.”
Finally, Japhet Tanganga will miss this fixture and the rest of the season too, after receiving knee surgery for a niggling injury that has affected the defender over the course of the season. After consultation, both Tanganga and Spurs’ medical team felt surgery was the best solution, and the 23 year-old will have to wait until next season to play again in a Lilywhite shirt.
Aside from these however, Antonio Conte will have free reign over his star-studded squad, with players such as Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Aston Villa’s January target Rodrigo Bentancur all expected to start.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at this week’s opposition, and discover the success behind Tottenham’s fine season…
THE OPPOSITION
Antonio Conte was appointed Tottenham Hotspur’s first team Head Coach at the start of November, and has drastically turned their season around. Nuno Espírito Santo started the season in charge of the North-London side, but after poor results, that saw Spurs lose four in six games, the former Wolves’ boss was sacked after just three months.
Since then, Conte has inspired his side to 12 Premier League wins, helping them into the top-four and well on their way to achieving European football for the 22/23 season. In January, the Italian boss bought two players from Juventus: midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and Swedish winger Dejan Kulusveski, and the two have proved to be worthy signings, with Bentancur impressing and keeping other players out of the side, and Kulusevski linking well with fellow forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the final third.
The new manager has implemented a 3-4-3 system at Spurs, a play style that was successful with his Inter Milan side last season, and it has proved effective once again, helping to get the best out of his squad. Eric Dier and Ben Davies are two players who seem to have found the most enjoyment on the defensive side of things, and are playing some of their best football in recent seasons under the stewardship of Antonio Conte. Matt Doherty is another who certainly looks a better player in the new system, and looks back to his best in the wing-back role for Spurs.
Steven Gerrard will have to keep a close eye on Doherty this weekend, with the Irishman an unlikely threat in the Tottenham side. Conte likes his team to play wide and exploit the wings, with the use of both wing-backs and wingers helping to exercise such a game-plan. Gerrard’s wide midfielders, Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn, will have a big part to play on Saturday when tracking back and supporting the full-backs, to keep the several Spurs wide threats quiet.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is a cool customer in the heart of the Tottenham side, and plays his role to a tee – protecting his back three and initiating many counter-attacks with through passes to the dangerous front-three. The Danish midfielder also enjoys making late runs into the box and has accumulated two goals this season as a result.
The most quality lies within the Tottenham Hotspur attacking department however, and this particular area of the squad is the primary reason why Spurs have been so successful this campaign. The world class duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who have notched up 26 goals between them, and have had a record-breaking season by achieving the most goal-scoring combinations in Premier League history, with the two setting each other up a total of 39 times in their time up top together. Keeping these two quiet will be at the top of the list of things to do for Steven Gerrard ahead of Saturday evening’s game as previously mentioned, but will certainly be no easy feat for his side.
As mentioned earlier, Harry Kane has a great record of scoring goals against Aston Villa, and he will look to extend upon this reputation, and put his name further up in the goal-scoring charts. Kulusevski has slotted in well on the right-hand side of this attack, and appears to be a quality addition by linking up well with the deadly pair – making this Spurs front-three one of the best in Europe.
It will be yet another difficult game for Steven Gerrard and his out of form side, let’s now take a look at my final thoughts ahead of the upcoming contest…
FINAL THOUGHTS
As much as I would love for Villa to end the shameful run we find ourselves at the moment, I just cannot see it. I believe Tottenham have too much quality, particularly in the attacking departments, that’ll prove far too much for this struggling Aston Villa defence. The likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski are bang in form currently and find themselves up against a side who, after the Wolves defeat especially, look shaky and vulnerable.
Antonio Conte seems to have sorted Spurs’ defensive problems out too, with the likes of Eric Dier and Ben Davies finally finding their feet and putting in impressive displays each week, partnering summer signing Cristian Romero who too looks comfortable and solid in the North-London side’s back three. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur form a well-balanced central-midfield duo, with the ever-lively and threatening Matt Doherty on the left-flank, who enjoys venturing forward and over-lapping at every given opportunity.
Danny Ings will be a big addition back to the Aston Villa squad however, and with his tendency to score against Spurs and the general attacking capabilities of the 29 year-old, hopefully he can grab a goal or two this weekend. Philippe Coutinho has looked a bit disappointing in the last three games, and so it is about time we saw another quality performance from the Brazilian at Villa Park. When the ‘little magician’ is on top form, the rest of the side typically are too, so we need to see Coutinho orchestrating play and getting on the ball as often as possible between the opposition’s midfield and defensive lines this weekend.
The possible return of Marvelous Nakamba is something that will excite many Villa fans leading up to Saturday’s game, and if the 28 year-old is back and match fit, we can look forward to improved defensive cover from the midfield and more stability in the middle of the park to protect the back four and break up play; something we have certainly missed in the 4-5 months that Nakamba has been absent for.
Ultimately, I believe it will be a close tie, and another game that will be settled on a certain player taking the game by the scruff of the neck and producing that moment of magic to win the affair. Unfortunately, Villa seem to lack confidence all over the pitch, and on the contrary, Spurs look both solid at the back and seriously dangerous when on the break.
I will sadly opt for 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur, with Harry Kane to grab a brace and Dejan Kulusevski to put the cherry on top for Spurs. I believe Danny Ings will get a goal on his return to the side, but will unfortunately taste defeat.
I hope of course I am incorrect, and it is a game that Steven Gerrard and his side can use to re-find form, and put on a show for the Aston Villa faithful at B6. So, come on the boys! Up the Villa!
Liam
LIAM DAVIES | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive liamayrtondavies – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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