Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Is Villa victory moment tide turned for troubled Spurs?
Roberto de Zerbi made a call Tottenham Hotspur As this traumatic, turbulent season reached the point of no return, we took action to silence the voices within the club.
The new head coach has touched on the negativity surrounding Spurs as they attempt to mount a late rescue and avoid the most embarrassing relegation in Premier League history.
And how his players responded to the Italian’s emotional call to arms with their best display of the season, securing a richly deserved 2-1 win at Aston Villa that took them over West Ham and out of the relegation zone.
This was so emphatic, so different from what was presented before De Zerbi’s appointment on 31 March, that it was only fair that relevant questions be asked.
Not only was this where this version of Spurs had been all season, but more importantly, was this the moment when the tide turned for them to avoid relegation to the Championship?
West Ham’s 3-0 defeat against Brentford on Saturday had left the door ajar, strengthening De Zerbi’s rallying cry, but those who have regularly observed Spurs this season could not have expected them to come through with such strength.
There was something in the air before kick-off, from the moment Unai Emery’s Aston Villa squad was announced – which featured seven changes from the team defeated at Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final – to the magnificent reception the players received from the traveling fans when they came out to warm up.
Emery’s team sheet includes defensive trio Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne, with top scorer Ollie Watkins relegated to the bench.
It was an effective letter of encouragement for Spurs and a sign that the Spaniard and Villa’s priority is to overturn the 1-0 first-leg scoreline against Forest in Thursday’s home game.
Their eye wasn’t on the ball here and that’s how the Villa fans let them know, reacting furiously at half-time and at the final whistle. In the end there weren’t many people left.
Emery’s selection would certainly be greeted with heartbreak in East London, where West Ham are hoping for a favor from Villa in their bid for survival, given his fifth-placed side are looking to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
After last weekend’s vital win at Wolves, De Zerbi said: “It’s like we’re all crying and relegated. No, not yet. We need to die on the pitch.”
“We have to play, we have to fight. This is not the best moment for us, it is a difficult moment, but losers cry, they think negatively, and I don’t want people close to me to cry or think differently than me.”
