We saw it at the World Cup, Tottenham Hotspur’s cadre of stars that often shine, in a leadership role, for their respective countries. They lead, and they deliver for their nation, but still haven’t won anything with their club. Spurs have all the ingredients, including the manager (although the long term future of Antonio Conte is very much in doubt). but they haven’t been able to put it all together.
As the calendar flips to a new year, maybe the time has finally come for them?
Tottenham vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday Jan 1, 4pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Win 58% Draw 23% Aston Villa 19%
Spurs Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Well, maybe, but we’ll take it one game at a time, starting with the home clash against Aston Villa.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs Aston Villa
Lloris, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Doherty, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Son, Kane, Kulusevski.
Prediction: Spurs 1, Aston Villa 0
If Tottenham are going to get taken seriously as a proverbial “big six” or as a so-called “big club,” then they need to starting closing more games out, and seal the deal on winning something, finally. Can’t see them dropping points here, because they know, at a minimum, they must finish in the top four this season.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.
Bentancur should be back in contention so why would he not make the starting line up?