Spurs go into part two of their Christmas Fixture list brimming with belief as they host Man Utd at White Hart Lane. As we attempt to build on our Boxing Day victory against Leicester City with another massively important fixture here against a Manchester United side that after a slow start themselves seem to be finally hitting their stride. An intriguing sub-plot is Manchester United Manager Louis Van Gaal who was courted for a lot of last season by Daniel Levy but eventually rejected our advances and decided to join the Red Devils, so a victory over the manager who ultimately thought he was better than us would be both very satisfying and improve our cause in the pursuit of the other teams ahead of us.
Where will the match be won?
Both sides have been noted for having vulnerable defences with Spurs having conceded 30 times this season and Man Utd conceding 23 times and with both teams boasting quality attacking options, it may come down to which teams’ defence stands up stronger than the other and that will likely be crucial in the outcome of this match.
Who are the key players?
Jan Vertonghen: Despite his often moody reputation, Vertonghen has been steadily improving his defensive awareness game-by-game this season. His partnership with Federico Fazio has shown fruits of as strong defensive line in recent weeks and Vertonghen himself is showing the form that he showed in 2012/13 and with a Man Utd attack likely to contain Rooney, Falcao and Van Persie, ‘Super Jan’ will have to be very sharp and on his game to help Spurs win.
Nacer Chadli: From outcast squad player to free-scoring midfielder, the improvement of Chadli this season has been extraordinary. He has the awareness to create good space for himself which has enabled him to score his goals, and his new found position on the left wing has also allowed him to provide assists in recent games including Kane’s goals against both Burnley and Leicester. He also provides a good physical presence and can win tackles, and with a lack of width in Utd’s midfield Chadli can expose that.
Wayne Rooney: Since LVG’s arrival, the Man Utd Captain has been deployed in a deeper role and is enjoying that hugely, courtesy of two goals against Newcastle. Rooney has not only been able to score goals, he’s provided others in his team score as well throughout this season. Spurs’ defence has been shaky on occasions and certainly Leicester had more than enough opportunities to beat Spurs on Boxing Day and the Tottenham back-line was opened very often. If Rooney has the number of chances that Leicester had, then he’ll make Spurs pay.
