AVB: Let's make history

Andre Villas-Boas is hoping to rewrite the history books when Tottenham travel to Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Spurs haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 1990 but need to break that streak in order to clinch qualification for next season's Champions League.

Having broken a 23-year duck this season by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford, Villas-Boas is confident they can also win at his former club.

"We tried our luck at Old Trafford, it worked. We managed to change the history and the pattern. We will try the same way (against Chelsea)," he said.

"The knowledge that I have, I will try to pass it onto my players to see if in any way it can help in the decision-making."

Villas-Boas added: "We have had an excellent season. We beat all the big teams in the country, apart from Chelsea.

"We have an opportunity to go there and put our destiny in our hands, so we have motivation factors that go along with a fixture like this, we have the players' ability that is absolutely outstanding."

Harry Redknapp was axed as Spurs boss last season after they missed out on Champions League football and Villas-Boas is all too aware of the level of expectation within the White Hart Lane boardroom.

"The club is ready, but getting into it is the most difficult thing," he said.

"The resources that UEFA makes available in the Champions League are not available in the Europa League and I don't have to speak about the amount of notoriety you get from playing in the Champions League.

"It is the ultimate objective for any club going forward."

AVB : Bale will stay

Andre Villas-Boas has been assured that Tottenham talisman Gareth Bale will be at White Hart Lane next season, regardless of whether Spurs qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

The Wales international forward, who added the Football Writers' Association award to his PFA double on Thursday, is one of the most sought-after players in world football having drawn interest from various clubs throughout Europe.

Villas-Boas sparked fears over his future last week as he claimed the Spurs superstar could leave the club this summer if they failed to make the top four.

But the Spurs boss back-tracked on Thursday, stating his comments had been misunderstood, and said he would be surprised if the 23-year-old left White Hart Lane.

Villas-Boas said:

"The information that I have from the club, which was mistakenly written about last week, is that the player is here to remain, independent of the objectives of Champions League qualification being achieved or not.

"I would be extremely surprised (if he left).

"In football anything can happen. It's impossible to predict, but this is the assurance I have had from the club.

"We understand that the more awards the more recognition the player will have, the more media attention, but the club has to move forward by holding onto its best players.

"With the recognition and the further experience that he has had from this year, next year for Tottenham he will be even more assertive."

Bale's progress this year has not gone unnoticed by Real Madrid, but Villas-Boas and chairman Daniel Levy are digging their heels in over the player's future.

Villas-Boas added:

"Whatever price tag the player has doesn't matter to us because he's our player.

"He's a player we have to hold onto for the remaining seasons to make sure that we reach our objectives and continue to progress as a club."

The Real hierarchy have always publicly remained coy on the prospect of adding Bale to their squad, but their sporting director Zinedine Zidane heaped praise on the Welshman this week, leading to speculation that a big-money bid could be on the cards.

Such words from a man of Zidane's standing will no doubt have caught Bale's eye, but Villas-Boas has no issue with the Frenchman's comments.

"It's fine, I have no problems with it," Villas-Boas said. "In the end it's great for a player of Zidane's dimension to be speaking about Gareth.

"It's good to have that public recognition from someone who has reached the biggest heights of the game."

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Villas-Boas wants Huddlestone to stay at Tottenham

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has urged midfielder Tom Huddlestone not to quit the club despite a lack of first-team action.



The 26-year-old midfielder has made only seven starts this season and with Sandro, Scott Parker, Moussa Dembele, Thomas Carroll and Jake Livermore all fighting for a midfield place Huddlestone has suggested that he may be forced to leave White Hart Lane to get regular football.



Huddlestone was given a rare start in the 2-2 draw with Wigan and it was his low free-kick that led to the equaliser in the closing seconds.



Villas-Boas insisted Huddlestone would get his chance if he maintained his performance levels.

"It is difficult [for him] to break into the team," the Tottenham boss said.



"But with performances like this he is able to get more chances, definitely."

Huddlestone has two years left on his contract and although Villas-Boas acknowledged the player's desire to play regular football he urged him to stay and fight for his place.

"The words are understandable from a player who has not been involved as much as he wanted," he continued.



"I think we have seen lots of players in midfield this season raise a level. From the moment Sandro got injured, he was the number-one recoverer of the ball and Mousa was also in the top 10.



"So it was very difficult for him to get into the team and when the chance happened it opened up for Scotty [Parker]."

AVB: Gareth Bale is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo

Gareth Bale won the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards after an impressive season under Andre Villas-Boas. The Portuguese manager has likened the Welsh star to former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

“There are similarities,” he said. “Both are extremely technical, powerful and pacy. They grew up as strikers, but became wingers. Gareth [Bale] is now playing a more advanced role.”



Bale has been linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid in recent months, but it remains to be seen if Spurs will be persuaded to part with their star man. Bale has 19 goals and 4 assists in the Premier League this season as Tottenham Hotspur fight for Champions League qualification. The Welshman has indicated that he would stay in North London if Spurs finish in the top-four.




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Spurs boss reacts to quit rumours

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid.



The Spurs manager has become one of the favourites to succeed Jose Mourinho at Los Blancos, however, Villas-Boas has stated that he wants his future to be in London.



Focused



The Daily Mirror reports how AVB is determined to stay at a club for more than one year, and he joked: “At the moment, I am very, very focused on trying to get another year at one club. The same club!”



Before getting employed as Tottenham manager, Villas-Boas had an inauspicious reign as Chelsea boss, getting sacked 10 months into the job.



He started his management career with Portuguese outfit Academica Coimbra, leaving them after a season to join Porto where he achieved his most success, lifting the Portuguese title and the Europa League, before moving on to Chelsea.



However, AVB has stated that he is completely focused on trying to gain Champions League qualification with Tottenham and believes Arsenal will not be adversely affected by the three-match suspension of Olivier Giroud.



He added: “Giroud is key, but I think they have the option of Gervinho, who has finished his last few fixtures very well. Lukas Podolski also offers that.”



Game in hand



Tottenham are currently sitting two points behind their fierce rivals, however, they have a game in hand.



If they are to win their remaining games they will reach their goal of Champions League qualification, with their away game to fellow Champions League qualification chasers Chelsea being the toughest of their remaining five fixtures.

Mourinho: 'Don't compare me to Andre Villas-Boas"

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has said that he sees no similarities between himself and Andre Villas-Boas.

Despite both Portuguese coaches working for Porto at a young age and managing Chelsea in the Premier League, los Blancos boss believes that Villas-Boas's career does not have any resemblance to his own.



"I don't see anything of myself in Andre Villas-Boas," Mourinho told RTP1.



"He has accessed places others couldn't. I follow his career regularly. I know there is a Jose Mourinho effect in the young Portuguese.



"There is a lot of young people who dream about being a coach. Twenty years ago the youngsters wanted to be players, not coaches."



Mourinho looks set to leave Madrid in the summer after all but conceding La Liga to bitter arch-rivals Barcelona.

Villas-Boas confident of Champions League

Andre Villas-Boas remains confident of guiding Tottenham to Champions League qualification despite yesterday's damaging 1-0 defeat to Fulham.

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The Portuguese claims that so long as Spurs pick up good results against rivals Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in the run-in, then they will qualify for Europe's top club competition.



"The situation has shifted, it has become difficult," the Tottenham manager said.



"We have the direct games against Arsenal and Chelsea which can enable us to get back to third hopefully, or bring Man City closer to us.

"The margin over Arsenal is what we want to build and we have to get the most amount of points from the next games.

"After the international break we have to get back to business and do our job against Swansea and try to collect the points there to put us in a more comfortable position by the time we play Man City."

Tottenham offered little yesterday to suggest Villas-Boas would be right. Their passing was sloppy, their defence shaky, and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was only called into action late in the second half.

Fulham manager Martin Jol, who tasted victory at White Hart Lane for the first time since he was sacked from the north London club in 2007, hailed Berbatov after the game.

The Bulgarian has now racked up 10 goals this season, and he was so confident that he would secure a shock victory for the west London club that he told his manager he would do so before the match.

Jol said: "Before the game you hope for a point... but Berbatov came to me and promised me... He said: 'you have to trust me'.

"I thought he was joking. But he said it before the match against Stoke (where he scored the winner) and he is a wonderful player. It was one of the best wins ever."

Tottenham forward Gareth Bale, meanwhile, took a knock to his right ankle but should be fit for international duty with Wales this week.



Villas-Boas has ruled Aaron Lennon (groin and hamstring) and Michael Dawson (hamstring) out of England's double-header with San Marino and Montenegro, though.

AVB: Fine won't stop racist chants

Andre Villas-Boas fears Lazio's fine for monkey chanting will not stop their fans doing the same again on Thursday when they host Tottenham at the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League.



Lazio were last month fined £32,500 after UEFA found their fans guilty of chanting racist abuse towards Jermain Defoe, Andros Townsend and Aaron Lennon in September's 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane.



UEFA have been criticised in the past for their lenient punishments for racism and Villas-Boas told a press conference on Wednesday night: "UEFA decided to punish Lazio and rightly so. It doesn't mean that incidents won't happen again tomorrow."



He added: "I think the players are in the right frame of mind to leave the authorities to deal with those situations in case it happens. That's something that hopefully will not happen tomorrow."



Spurs defender Steven Caulker is all too aware of the fact that racism has reared its ugly head in the game once again this season. He played in the controversial goalless draw against the Italians in September and was also on the pitch when the England Under-21 team were subjected to monkey chanting in Serbia four weeks later.



Fans and players of the Rome club have been accused of an affiliation with right-wing politics in Italy in the past, but he hopes there will be no trouble in the Group J match in Rome.



"I'm not worried about the atmosphere - I hope football does the talking," the England centre-half said. "Italy is a great footballing country. Hopefully that will be the talking point tomorrow."



Spurs will progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League if they beat the Italian giants in the Eternal City. The Londoners have struggled so far in the competition, with their only win coming in their last game against Slovenian minnows Maribor.



A draw should still be enough to see Villas-Boas' men through, providing they beat Panathinaikos in the final group game in December. Villas-Boas, who won the Europa League two years ago with Porto, would like to wrap up qualification on Thursday, however.



"It's all about this game," the 35-year-old said. "It will be important for us to win and qualify. It will give the squad an important feeling of beating a great team away from home."

Dembele ruled out of derby

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas says the north London derby against Arsenal has come too soon for Moussa Dembele to be considered.



The Belgian playmaker has missed Spurs' last eight matches with a niggling hip injury but had hoped to be fit in time for the Emirates Stadium clash.

Villas-Boas said he hoped the 25-year-old would not need surgery to rectify the problem but may still not be ready in time for next week's Europa League trip to Lazio.

But Villas-Boas said: "Dembele does not have a chance, not for this game. There is a 50% chance he will be back for the Lazio game.

"I think surgery at the moment is out of the question, hopefully."

Villas-Boas also gave updates on Jermain Defoe, Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon, who all suffered hamstring injuries in last week's 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, with the latter most likely to be ready to face the Gunners.

"They haven't trained with the team yet. They have had lighter sessions on their own," Villas-Boas said of the trio.



"We will have to see today how they return to see if there's any disturbance. Lennon had a scan yesterday, and it's fine on his hamstring."

Villas-Boas content with draw

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas was happy to settle for a Europa League point from the 1-1 draw at Maribor.

Group J remains wide open after Gylfi Sigurdsson's second-half strike cancelled out Robert Beric's opener for the Slovenians shortly before the break.

Villas-Boas said: "The second half was extremely good, the first half was not so good.

"We came back into the game, which is pleasant to see again and it is good for us to bounce back.

"It is obviously not the full result we wanted bearing in mind the draw between Lazio and Panathinaikos, but certainly we will take a point.

"The group is completely open. What we face now is two games at home and I think we are in a good position in the group.

"We are in third position. We have three games to play, there are nine points to play for.

"You see the group - it is very tight. It is not a group where the leader has run off with points."



Maribor manager Darko Milanic said: "We should have stopped the goal, but I'm very happy for my team. It's an important point that keeps us alive to advance to the next stage."

Villas Boas says Terry a massive loss for England

John Terry's decision to quit the England team is a massive loss, said Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas before adding he supports the defender despite the FA finding him guilty of racial abuse on Thursday.

Villas-Boas was in the early days of his short reign at Chelsea when his skipper Terry clashed with Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand last October.

The incident at Loftus Road eventually led to Fabio Capello stepping down as England coach, Terry losing the captaincy of his country and then quitting the national team last Sunday.

News of Terry's FA punishment, a four-match ban, filtered through as Villas-Boas spoke to reporters at the Spurs training ground.

"It's a massive loss for England," Villas-Boas said as he prepared for his team's Premier League game at Manchester United on Saturday. "John Terry is a player of unbelievable talent and he has helped his country so much and is also a stalwart for Chelsea.

"It's difficult for a player like him to take a decision like this. But from the perspective of the England squad ... it leaves manager Roy Hodgson in a difficult position.

"I'm not taking anything away from the other England centre backs but John Terry is a player of great talent," added Villas-Boas.

Asked to comment on the FA's decision to find Terry guilty of racial abuse, Villas-Boas said: "I understand the frustrations of both parties involved.

"I supported the player at the time and I continue to back the player 100 percent. I think it was a sad and difficult situation.

"I understand Anton Ferdinand's frustration too and the episode that we are facing," added Villas-Boas.



"As managers and media we have a task, we all know we must protect the game in a situation like this and to promote good values. But this has been so strange, so different, through various legal situations, that I've lost the understanding of it."