Sat 02 October 2021, 12:30
Tottenham HotspurN17 Live presenter Ben Haines and Club Commentator Rob Daly turn their attention to Sunday's Premier League clash against Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (2pm).
It's already been described by Nuno Espirito Santo as a 'huge, huge game' - here are Ben and Rob's thoughts...
Bouncing back
How important was Thursday night's 5-1 win against NS Mura after last weekend's derby loss?
Rob: "It was a good win midweek, not one to quite dull the pain of last Sunday, but helpful nonetheless and puts Spurs in a more comfortable position in the group. I don't know if giving Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura 30 minutes was always the plan - and clearly at 2-1 it felt like Spurs needed to freshen up the attack against Mura - but it actually turned in to a useful exercise for all three of them. Kane's movement was excellent and his finishing was very natural once he got in to those positions. There are some nice selection headaches for Nuno now. I'd imagine Cristian Romero and Oliver Skipp are knocking on the door to start on Sunday."
Ben: "So, getting back on track was crucial... the fact is we needed to bounce back from the Arsenal game, and the first 10 minutes were brilliant against NS Mura. I've also seen a little bit of discussion around the nature of the second half... on a personal level, I'm delighted that Harry, Sonny and Lucas all came on, looked phenomenally sharp and will now be brimming with confidence coming into a really important game. It's now time to seize this opportunity and land a big win at home to get things back on track in the league."
The Villa
What do we expect to see from Dean Smith's men on Sunday - a week after beating Manchester United at Old Trafford?
Ben: "I've been quite impressed with what Villa have done so far. I think their performance against Chelsea away was very impressive, the amount of opportunities that they created wasnt reflected in the scoreline (lost 3-0) - they then absolutely worked Man United last week, tactically they were spot on, soaked a lot up and counter-attacked brilliantly, which is something we need to be aware of. They also have a lot of height and physicality to use from set plays. Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings are forming a nice partnership but, for me, John McGinn is the player I'm most impressed with, his engine, his range of passing, his consistently good positional play - definitely one for our midfield to stay on top of."
Rob: "Villa used their Jack Grealish money to sign three new attackers - one of them being Ings, who has scored four goals in his last three games against Spurs. He's settled quickly, which hasn't surprised us, everyone was impressed with how quietly and swiftly they got that deal done. The new set-piece coach Austin MacPhee has clearly worked wonders. Their winner at Old Trafford came from a corner while they're also threatening from long throws. I saw lots of Leon Bailey in the Bundesliga - a winger who is hit and miss, but when he's on it, he'll rip through defences to score and create goals. However, it seems he's injured for this one..."
Villa memories
What Villa memories does Sunday's game conjure up?
Rob: "Okay, I'll go for Gareth Bale's 2012 Boxing Day hat-trick at Villa Park - I loved that big touch he took around the defender before rounding Brad Guzan for the first goal. Heung-Min Son's winner with a broken arm there in 2020 was a good one and how about Tanguy Ndombele's debut goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that sparked a comeback on the opening day of 2019/20?"
Ben: "Boxing Day 2012 at Villa Park, I absolutely loved that performance, Gareth Bale just firing on all cylinders looking unstoppable, blistering on the counter and ruthless finishing. I also feel like we should give a shout to Sonny, like Rob said, scoring with a broken arm in February, 2020 - what a run! Finally - one for the purists - a 3-2 in August, 1997. Go back and watch the highlights - PEAK Sir Les Ferdinand up front, two goals and a brilliant knock down header for Ruel Fox to get the winner. Ferdinand's second goal is a thing of beauty, a huge leap about 15 yards out, top corner past Bosnich. Superb."
