Aston Villa vs. Tottenham: Spurs ‘expecting the worst’ as relegation fears linger ahead of “strange” Premier League clash

Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash betwixt Aston Villa and relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur, perceive what the Sports Mole squad person to accidental astir the upcoming battle.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: “Spurs person present travel to expect the worst”

I deliberation it was the champion 4 minutes of Tottenham fans' play astatine Molineux, successful betwixt that [Joao] Palhinha goal and past Callum Wilson getting the victor for West Ham, a fantastic 4 minutes for Tottenham fans until the inevitable happened.

I deliberation Spurs fans person conscionable go numb to it now. The worst-case scenario has happened this play successful this game, it's going to happen again successful this game. 

It doesn't take distant from the implicit devastation of Callum Wilson scoring that last-minute victor for West Ham past weekend, but I bash consciousness similar Spurs fans person conscionable present travel to expect the worst, not conscionable successful this season, but arsenic a celebrated Italian defender said, ‘it's the past of the Tottenham’, and I consciousness similar present Spurs fans are, not embracing it, but they're accepting it, particularly successful this season.

The past 2 performances person been specified an betterment connected what happened nether Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, but the biggest hammer stroke for me wasn't the West Ham winner, it was the injuries that happened aft that.

Xavi Simons. ACL. Out for the season. Out for the World Cup. I spoke past week astir however helium could be absolutely huge for Spurs nether [Roberto] De Zerbi. He had that large extremity and large assistance against Brighton, and past as he's starting to travel into form, he's out for what looks similar the remainder of the calendar year, which is conscionable perfectly devastating for him.

[Dominic] Solanke arsenic good came disconnected injured against Wolves. Looks similar his hamstring's gone. He mightiness beryllium a fewer weeks. There were besides reports a mates of days agone that [Randal] Kolo Muani had suffered an injury. Those were wide disconnected the mark, thankfully, but it would beryllium thing to get 3 season-ending injuries successful onslaught when they've already got [Dejan] Kulusevski out for the full twelvemonth [and James] Maddison's lone conscionable back. 

So what tin they bash present to regenerate them? De Zerbi successful his property league named immoderate rather bizarre solutions. They bash person Kolo Muani fit close now, Mathys Tel is fit. Do you hazard Maddison? Do you springiness him conscionable a fewer minutes present and determination successful this game? He besides mentioned you could play [Lucas] Bergvall on the near and Souza connected the right, Souza connected the near arsenic well.

Just imagining for Spurs fans seeing a Souza, Kolo Muani and Bergvall front 3 – you just can't fathom that. Looking astatine wherever they were astatine the commencement of the season, beating Man City away and also giving PSG a bully tally for their wealth successful the Super Cup, you're lost for words erstwhile you are reasoning astir this Tottenham season. 

Even though it was a devastating mode to extremity it astatine Wolves, the positives were determination successful presumption of the triumph itself, successful presumption of the performance. Interestingly, since De Zerbi took charge, Spurs person had the astir property sequences and possession won successful the last third, so he's stamping his crippled program connected Spurs consecutive away, and the players are embracing it.

It remains to beryllium seen however they tin regenerate Simons and Solanke. I mightiness beryllium tempting fate, I bash deliberation things are astatine slightest looking up from a playing benignant perspective.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: “You can’t expect Maddison to beryllium the saviour”

With [Antonin] Kinsky, evidently Vicario having that hernia helps. He could person played his past crippled for Spurs. Already looks similar helium mightiness beryllium going to Inter Milan astatine the extremity of the season.

The mode that Kinsky has bounced backmost from that (performance vs. Atletico Madrid successful the Champions League), due to the fact that determination was that last-minute prevention successful the Wolves game, I deliberation successful the 90th minute, that Joao Gomes escaped kick, and Kinsky springs crossed his enactment and keeps it out. It's a superb prevention technically, but conscionable successful presumption of the discourse of the game, the discourse of the relegation fight, it makes it an adjacent bigger save.

Seeing however helium was mobbed by his teammates and the absorption helium got from the fans aft the game. It's a fantastic communicative for specified a young goalkeeper. Kinsky is lone successful his aboriginal twenties. He could person adjacent 20 years near successful him arsenic a goalkeeper, so it is going to be really interesting to spot what happens with him this summer.

If Spurs bash spell down, volition helium beryllium past fig 1 successful the Championship? If they enactment up, volition helium beryllium their fig 1 successful the Premier League? But of course, 1 measurement astatine a clip with him, and that prevention past weekend, adjacent if you are not a Spurs fan, you just can't help but grin astatine that fixed what helium went through.  

With Maddison, it's a truly interesting one due to the fact that helium is inactive not been risked yet. I deliberation there were concerns whether helium would play again, whether helium would adjacent play a azygous infinitesimal of the campaign.  I don't think you tin enactment excessively overmuch unit connected him astatine all.

We cognize what helium tin bash when he's fully fit, but his recovery's gone quicker than expected, possibly not fast-tracked backmost into the archetypal team. I don't think Spurs person pushed him backmost before he's ready. I deliberation obviously they've done their owed diligence. 

He's not successful the squad because they're just trying to marque up the numbers, he's in due to the fact that if needed helium could marque an impact. but I don't think you tin expect him to beryllium the saviour. That's putting excessively overmuch unit connected a subordinate who, connected his day, is magnificent creatively. He could thrive similar Xavi Simons did for a abbreviated abstraction of clip successful that De Zerbi system, but for me, the biggest miss has been Kulusevski.

I emotion watching Kulusevski as a player, and it's just been specified a enigma arsenic to what's happened to him. It's been setback aft setback for him. Having him out, having [Mohammed] Kudus retired arsenic good for truthful long, and Maddison, their creativity has conscionable plummeted until Xavi Simons started to amended against Brighton earlier his ACL.

You can't enactment that unit connected Maddison, but if helium tin get possibly adjacent conscionable 2 oregon 3 appearances nether his loop and conscionable possibly assistance the fans, assistance the team, adjacent if helium can't get immoderate nonstop contributions, past that could beryllium a tiny factor. You ne'er know.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter: “Another frustrating day for Tottenham”

I deliberation for me, yes, they've beaten Wolves and they've lifted the spirits a small bit. Performances person improved somewhat nether De Zerbi, but for me, I'm not truly convinced capable to suggest that they'll climb retired of danger at the moment. 

There's still, arsenic a club, successful a existent mess, and of course, injuries person not helped their origin astatine all. That triumph implicit Wolves was overshadowed by those injuries to Xavi Simons and Solanke. Spurs present without arguably their most originative subordinate and their first-choice centre forward, so that's a immense blow. I deliberation Xavi Simons successful particular, considering the interaction he's had successful caller games.

People support saying that this is simply a bully radical of players astatine Tottenham erstwhile everyone's fit, there's prime successful this Spurs side, but I've struggled to spot wherever that is really. I cognize they've had these wounded issues, but based connected the grounds of this play and the performances of the players who person played regularly, overall, it's a astonishment to spot Spurs arsenic a nine down successful the bottommost three, but it's not a astonishment truly to spot this Spurs squad successful the driblet zone. 

They've just been truthful mediocre wide and they're still successful existent trouble at the moment. I personally would beryllium amazed to spot Spurs win at Villa. I think it's a pugnacious game, adjacent if Villa bash determine to remainder immoderate players with 1 oculus connected the Europa League. I deliberation it could beryllium different frustrating day for Tottenham this weekend.

Matt Law, Football Editor: “It's difficult to cognize what you're going to get with Villa”

That’s a bully constituent from Oliver that (Villa’s Europa League focus) volition perchance assistance Tottenham, the information that (Sunday’s game) does travel successful betwixt those 2 large games.

Villa are sitting rather beauteous successful that apical five at the moment. I know there's a batch to happen. I cognize Brighton and Bournemouth and a mates of others have got big performances successful them and large results, and it's not definite that they volition decorativeness there, but I thought Villa were really poor last clip retired against Fulham.

Fulham played good successful the game, but I’ve thought that a batch astir Villa. I've seen rather a batch of Villa. There's games where they're brilliant and they determination the ball really quickly and it's very exciting, and past there's different games where they're so mediocre and they make truthful little.

It's difficult to cognize what you're going to get with them. It does look similar Unai Emery is going to be staying now. He's fallen retired of contention successful presumption of the Man United talks. He got linked with Real Madrid astatine a time, but it doesn't look similar he's successful the statement for that.

I think that's a affirmative that there's not overmuch uncertainty going into adjacent play successful presumption of the managerial, due to the fact that if you took him retired of that nine - I think they've got good players, don't get maine incorrect - but I deliberation they would conflict to advancement as they'd like.

Ollie Watkins, 10 of his 11 goals person travel since the commencement of December, truthful helium is successful decent form, evidently looking similar he probably will go to the World Cup, surely if helium finishes the play well.

I think it's a unusual crippled really, due to the fact that it means much to Tottenham than it does to Villa. Tottenham have lost six of their past 10 against Villa, but won four. It's a unusual crippled really.

You mentioned earlier astir maine saying astir Tottenham not going down. I'm struggling to spot them staying up now, but I'm still going to stick with it. I'm going to stick with saying that they volition enactment up and West Ham volition spell down.

It’s a large weekend, isn't it? West Ham play Brentford distant astatine 3:00pm connected Saturday – that's a really big game there. If Brentford tin bash Tottenham a favour and past Tottenham could get a large effect themselves, then they'll be successful a decent capable presumption going into the past games. Big crippled for some sides, evidently much truthful for Tottenham.