English football has hardly laid out the welcome mat for Andre Villas-Boas. While Swansea’s Michael Laudrup and West Brom’s Steve Clarke may be thinking life in the top flight hotseat is a breeze, Villas-Boas has had a rather different experience since swapping Porto for London in the summer of 2011. His brief but eventful spell at Chelsea ended in failure and he finds himself under scrutiny once again in his new job at Tottenham Hotspur, with the North Londoners’ two-point haul from their first three Premier League games raising early concerns. The capital has not been kind to the Portuguese thus far.
For Villas-Boas, the upcoming international break is timely, giving him a chance to catch his breath after a frantic end to the transfer window. The on-off Luka Modric saga was finally concluded, with the Croatian joining Real Madrid for a £33M fee that allowed Tottenham to bring in Moussa Dembele, Emmanuel Adebayor, Clint Dempsey and French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Needless to say, the squad is still gelling.
Of the new faces, it is Dembele who stands out most of all. The former Fulham midfielder is a class act – strong, assured in possession and capable of gliding past defenders at will. No midfielder in the Premier League beats his man with the ease that Dembele does, with changes of direction, quick feet and a drop of the shoulder. His powerful 6"1 frame belies his technique and trickery, and he has shown a willingness to blend this playmaking style with the combative qualities needed in a Premier League midfield.
At £15M, Tottenham grabbed a bargain in a 25-year-old who has already caught the eye and yet has plenty of room for improvement. For instance, the Belgian’s record in front of goal could be better, but he is likely to make that leap at White Hart Lane if his clinical debut strike against Norwich is any indication. Dembele only played 45 minutes, however his poise had an instant impact on his team-mates and energised the crowd.
It begs the question – where were Manchester United, Manchester City and the other top four contenders while Villas-Boas was busy securing the Belgium international’s signature? Dembele certainly was not overpriced nor is there an argument that he would not have commanded a starting role elsewhere. At Old Trafford, in particular, Sir Alex Ferguson is still crying out for a dynamic midfield schemer to lead the club into the next decade. And Roberto Mancini just swooped for Jack Rodwell from Everton who has clear potential but is far from Dembele’s calibre at present.
So, amid all the questions and scrutiny, Villas-Boas can take comfort in knowing that he has moved shrewdly in the transfer market, picking up a player that should have been on other big clubs’ radars. His other signings should also prosper – Dempsey will add a creative goalscoring spark and Adebayor seems better equipped to lead the attack than Jermain Defoe. Change takes time, of course, and Tottenham supporters would be wise to remember that. Dembele, formerly of Willem II and AZ before moving to Fulham, and Dempsey are getting their first taste of life at a trophy-chasing club in England and that too requires key adjustments.
In response to the unrest among Tottenham fans, Villas-Boas has been open in asking for patience. The season is only three weeks old and more serious assessments should only be made closer to Christmas. Against West Brom and Norwich, it was sloppy late defending that proved costly. A little more composure and Spurs might be sitting on six points rather than two.
"[The boos] are disappointment from the fans," Villas-Boas explained. "Nobody likes to draw two games at home, everyone is in need of the win. But we will make sure we put the effort in for them. It is the third game for us, we all need to take things patiently and we will look to repay them with a good win and boost the confidence of everyone."
And so he will be looking forward rather than dwelling on missed opportunities. There will be pressure in the weeks and months ahead but positive results in Spurs’ next two Premier League games – at Reading and home to QPR – should settle the ship prior to their trip to Manchester United on 29th September. With Dembele’s quality sure to shine through, look for Villas-Boas’ second managerial stint in London to be longer and more fruitful.
