FA Cup Third Round Preview: Tottenham vs Aston Villa
Sunday’s continuation of the FA Cup’s third round ties will see Tottenham host Aston Villa at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham are considered heavy favorites entering into this match-up with Spurs winning their past five games. They will be playing with plenty of confidence following their 2-0 win over Chelsea three days ago.
Aston Villa meanwhile shouldn’t be taken lightly with Steve Bruce as manager.
While the Lions are coming off of a loss in their previous match (1-0 to Cardiff City) it’s only their third loss under the former Hull City boss since he joined the West Midlands club.
After 14 matches in charge, Villa have generally enjoyed a good run with Steve Bruce, winning seven, drawing four and losing three times.
With that all said, it’s time to dissect Aston Villa and what to watch out for.
According to Matt Law, a Football News Correspondent of The Telegraph and Lions fan, Law can vouch for Aston Villa being a difficult team to face following the appointment of Steve Bruce nearly three months ago.
“It looks like know-how as much as anything else.” Matt Law said about Steve Bruce’s influence on Villa since becoming manager on October 12th.
Related Story: What Can We Expect in Tottenham v Aston Villa?
“They haven’t been playing brilliantly every week and Bruce has said as much himself, it’s not been great football all of a sudden but they look like a tough team to beat, a team that can grind out a result.”
“Earlier in the season they were letting in loads of late goals, since Bruce has come in, they’ve scored a lot of late goals. It’s know-how, Bruce knows the league and the opposition.”
Brad Friedel who played for both Villa and Spurs during his playing days also spoke of the Lions’ defense in terms of goals conceded. Not surprisingly as a former goalkeeper, it’s the first thing he took notice of.
“If you look in one column since Steve took over – goals conceded – it’s a lot lower.” Friedel began. “Quite often when a new manager goes into a club, the first thing they try to address is defending, and he’s done that.”
“Villa are far more competitive and far more difficult to break down. I think another thing – and I say this without having played for him – is that the players genuinely seem to take a liking to him and want to play for him and when you get that respect, they will run that extra yard for you.”
“I totally anticipate Villa trying to do that against Tottenham because if they don’t, Tottenham will run all over them and that’s the case whoever Tottenham play, they are one of the fittest and most competitive teams in all of Europe.”
Spurs are indeed one of the most fittest teams in Europe and have shown that they could run circles around teams (look no further than in recent weeks during their five-match unbeaten run), but at the same time they can’t take any opponent for granted.
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Last season’s fifth round FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace is a harsh reminder.
Just like this year, Tottenham were on a spectacular run form in the Premier League, winning five straight after losing to Leicester City on January 13th, 2016. Lightning is unlikely to strike twice but that doesn’t mean that Spurs should look past Aston Villa.
To further expound upon this, Matt Law spoke of certain players to watch out for while Brad Friedel is looking at Spurs’ mentality heading into Sunday’s fixture.
Law on Villa players Tottenham must keep an eye on: “[…] It’s interesting, because Gabriel Agbonlahor may get a chance [with Jonathan Kodjia playing in the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast].”
“Ross McCormack has been playing up front, he did well at Fulham but has taken a while to settle at Villa. If you are looking at one player, it’s hard to get away from Jack Grealish, he’s done well in the Championship and it looks like Steve Bruce will be good for him.”
“An unsung hero at the back is Nathan Baker, a big, tall, strong defender, he’s really come on. You can see Bruce’s influence on him as well.”
Friedel discussing Spurs’ mentality: “For Spurs, it’s mainly about the mental approach. You can’t take the game lightly or think you’ve won it before you step on the field – like every game, you have to go out and earn your victory.”
“Mauricio has changed the mental approach of how the players view themselves and approach the games. That’s not an easy thing to do or something that can be done overnight.”
“When the draw was made, of all the top Premier League clubs out there, I’m pretty sure Steve Bruce wouldn’t have wanted Tottenham because he knows no matter who Mauricio plays there is one certainty, and that’s they will be hard to beat.”
Next: Could Aston Villa Upset Tottenham?
Just like Brad Friedel said, however Tottenham approaches tomorrow’s game, will play a part in determining who goes onto the next round.
Again, Spurs will be the odds-on favorites to easily win, but one, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to rotate his players. Some or mostly all of them.
While Spurs’ depth has improved over the years, a good portion of them have hardly gotten playing minutes lately other than late substitution appearances.
A rotated Spurs team can still generate a win, but it might be a grind-it-out-type of game rather than a lopsided 4-1 or 5-0 rout.