Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United: Preview

With 2014 coming to a close, what better way to cap off a topsy-turvy year than with our first home win over Manchester United since 2001.

Our record against the Red Devils at White Hart Lane is nothing short of appalling- the fact a club of our size has gone so long without beating them is embarrassing. And now, even though this is one of our weaker squads in recent history, there’s still a good chance we can end this streak.

Why not? No one thought we would win at Old Trafford two years running, so why not on our own turf?

Source: tottenhamhotspur.com

Whilst some of the football we’ve been playing has been below par, the important thing is we’re still gaining points. Against a side with a calibre like United’s, we’ll need this mentality now more than ever.

Louis van Gaal visits White Hart Lane for the first time, and not as manager Tottenham Hotspur like so many predicted. The Dutchman is doing a good job in transitioning United back into a title winning side, and we should be wary.

Their defence has been labelled as a liability, but apart from Chelsea’s, what Premier League side doesn’t have problems at the back? We need to continue to take advantage of opponents’ weaknesses.

We were lucky to leave Leicester with 3 points on Friday, so I imagine that this will force Poch into making changes as much as fitness worries.

Ryan Mason will probably return to the starting eleven after the pivot of Benjamin Stambouli and Nabil Bentaleb proved to be quite unsuccessful.

Up front, I reckon Roberto Soldado could come in for Nacer Chadli, with Christian Eriksen moved out wide to help cover the left back (a problem we had on Boxing Day). Harry Kane starting from deep will enforce him to look up and pass rather than try his best Messi impression.

We supposedly still remain uninjured, so any player not in the eighteen vs United or Chelsea could very well be waving goodbye to their Tottenham careers.

Manchester United have returned to using a back three recently, and such a move could be what determines the result. The extra bodies United have forward could prove a hindrance to our defenders, but the workload of their wingbacks could prove too much.

A huge boost for us is the absence of Angel di Maria, who is expected to miss out. The Argentine has been amongst the best players of world football in 2014, and United will certainly miss his energy, pace and drive. Our Argentines, however, have been turning corners in their Tottenham careers. Federico Fazio seems to have settled well and is continually improving his partnership with Jan Vertonghen, whilst Erik Lamela followed up last week’s man of the match performance vs Burnley with another great display vs Leicester.

People are always talking about Tottenham’s potential and the fact we’re in transition, but should we see off one of the league’s finest outfits, the process of fulfilling our potential and completing transition will seem to have quickened. Wouldn’t that be great?

Of course, we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves- the team hasn’t reached it’s potential, and we are still in transition. But as I said, this would be a huge step in the right direction.

So, at the end of 2014, we are in the semi-finals of the League Cup, last 32 of the UEFA Europa League, and two points off the top four without reaching first gear. Not a bad season so far, eh?

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